Changes...

Not sure how it happened, but this school year is about to come to end. Faith is moving onto jr. high, Sawyer 4th and Eden 1st grade. This school year has gone quicker than any others. I probably say, or think, that every year but it is true. As the kids have gotten older, their activities have definitely increased. I enjoy seeing them try new things as well as experience their next year of life. This last month or so, I have noticed some changes. We are now buying Faith's clothing in adult clothing stores. We have the best luck for size and fit at Aeropostale. She still likes Justice but has a harder time finding "age appropriate" clothing-the in between stage is hard. I don't buy much for Eden anymore at Gymboree (my all-time favorite store for the girls). She thinks she is too big. Another change...Faith is starting to experience some "friend drama." I guess I should feel lucky that it hasn't started earlier. This is a hard one for me. I loathe petty, girl drama. I experienced very little of this growing up and I just don't understand it. Why can't everyone just be nice to everyone else and why can't everyone join in and play?? Faith has had the same three to four BFF's for the last couple of years and one is starting to branch out. I would like to write more about it but Faith reads my blog. I know this is just the beginning and I hope I can help her navigate through all this successfully. Her friends will most likely change next year. They are put into "teams" in 6th grade with 400 additional kids so she might be separated from her BFF's all together. This is scary... I really like all her friends and their parents.

As you can see by the pictures, Beckett is getting to be a big boy. I just got his haircut yesterday and he looks so old. I rarely get his haircut because he cries through the whole process and I have to hold him down while the nice lady cuts his hair. Although I hate for him to grow up too quickly...I will be glad when he is past this stage. This will be a welcomed change. His vocabulary is expanding. He has a ton of words now but still not two words together and many words can only be understood by us. He calls Eden "E", Faith is "Jo" (this is because we call her Faithy Jo at home since she is Faith Josephine) and calls Sawyer "Eeesh". He has a ways to go but definitely seeing progress. He loves to be outside and cries for 10 minutes every time we bring him in...no matter how long we have been out. I love being home with him.

Sawyer has struggled more with school as the year has gone on. He is still getting really good grades but with A LOT of work at home and at school!!!! There is some concern, with us and his teachers, with how much it takes to get him to maintain A's and B's. The school has been amazing and he has an incredible teacher this year. Sawyer is very sweet when it comes to school. He LOVES school and wants to please his teacher and do well. He never complains about studying and is very well-behaved in class. I am so thankful for this. They recommended that we have him checked for "tracking." Sawyer is still moving his head (instead of just his eyes) when he reads. Kids usually get this worked out by age 6. So...we had him checked and were told he definitely has a tracking issue. It is completely correctable and he will undergo "vision therapy" for the next couple of months. The dr. told me, when corrected, that it will most likely make a huge difference for him in regards to things like catching a ball, writing and reading. We might have to sell our house to pay for it but I feel excited about it and am praying it helps.

We finally got two trees planted in our yard after almost 2 years of living here. I can't believe how happy these 2 little trees have made me. I wish I could force them to grow really big in a few months. I have been meaning to post some pics. of the basement and will when it is clean. It is now 97% done.

We have also just undergone a change at church. We have two groups (wards) that meet in our building so that everyone will fit. Which ward we are in is determined by where you live in town. The ward we are in has always been bigger so they set new boundaries last week to even things out. This is always sad because it separates friendships. Everyone will still be friends, but there is a comfort going to church each Sunday and seeing the same people. I am losing several friends to the other ward and I can't help but feel a little depressed. However, I still have many great friends still with me. Church is not for solely socializing...right??? It will all be good.

This is ending up being the longest post ever...

A couple of other things I want to write about. Last week, Shelly and I went to dinner with a girl we went to school with from K-8. She moved after that but we reconnected on facebook and we eager to get together. It was a very weird experience for Shelly and I. We were together for approx. 2 hours and she never asked Shelly or I ONE thing about our lives for the past 20 years. Shelly and I beat her down with questions to avoid the uncomfortable silence. I have had better 2-way conversations with my 2 year old who barely speaks. When Shelly and I got into the car to drive home Shelly looked at me and said "Stace, did you notice that she didn't ask us one question about our lives?" Uh...yeah!!!! We actually have things in common with her...like kids...that could cause a conversation to go on for days alone. Anyways, it was odd and I just had to share. Thank goodness I know how to fill the silence.

This is the last thing...I promise. A few weeks ago I went to a women's conference in Indy with 6 other wonderful ladies/friends from church. It was so great. They had some amazing, inspirational speakers. The theme was "hope." The speakers all have/are facing some big challenges in their lives including, blindness, breast cancer, depression, etc. I was most touched by an African woman who had escaped being raped and killed by rebels in Africa. She watched her sister be raped and have her limbs cut off. She managed to survive and share her story of hope and faith in God. It was one of those times where I realize that I have NOTHING to complain about. I also recently read a great book called "Left To Tell" about a woman who survived the Rwandan Holocaust in the early 90's. She is Catholic and her faith amazes me. I was so touched by the book. I highly recommend reading it. I couldn't put it down. I feel so blessed to live in this country.

Side note...Faith is posing in front of one of our new trees with her new bat and glove for softball...we are PUMPED for softball to start (well, I am) :)