Me, Myself, & Lies

On Thursday mornings I participate in a bible study entitled "Me, Myself, & Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild. The study is on our "thought closets." What we spend our time thinking about, our self talk, and how we "wear" it. I, like most other women I know, struggle with my thoughts. I think a lot. Non stop. I have become aware of how negative these thoughts generally are. I am convicted.

So, like most bible studies these days we have "homework" through the week. When we come together we discuss what we learned through the homework then watch a video to prepare us for next week and tie it in to the previous things we have learned. Here I am, doing my homework and I am thinking to myself "I don't get this," "I don't understand where she's going with this"...negative. Ironic, don't ya think? In a study of watching and correcting the negative thoughts, I am having an increase of negative thoughts. UGH.

I then decide to take a week off of the homework. So, I show up to bible study this morning, without having done my homework, and the discussion on the homework was wonderful! I really feel like I got a ton out of it, and was even able to participate freely. But then, I feel like maybe I should have done the homework b/c it was a really great week of insight that I had missed first hand. My next thought went straight to "well, maybe I would not have gotten any of this out of the homework myself if I would have done it." Then I think "Well, why not?"

So, I have come to the conclusion that I am a MESS! (note: negative self talk) HELP!!

Feeling Blessed

I just LOVE my family! I do believe we have entered a great phase of life. You know, when all of the hard work is still going on but is starting to pay off. Adam took on a second job and is working very hard at it. I am thankful for the sacrifice he has made and proud of how hard he works. We got a compliment on Kal from his school teacher, topped by 100% on a reading/comprhension/grammar test! Not to mention he was a hero last night and saved the day by being calm, smart, and brave in a "sticky" situation! Kamden is growing leaps and bounds since starting school and LOVES it!! I feel blessed that we have friends to hang out with and neighbors we can trust! Thank you God for these little reminders that remind me that "God is good...ALL the time!"

Cleaning House

As I write this, there are two strange men in my home cleaning the duct work. The dog is locked up, Kamden is confined to the couch (with me), and I cannot do any work as it is sooooo loud. I do not like having strange men in my home ever, especially when Adam is not home, but I know in the end our duct work will be clean!! This means a more heat/air efficient home, less dust mites and particles in the house, less dust. I look forward this evening to cleaning the house and having it stay clean (excluding the constant clutter that comes along with all of the boys in my house), cleaning the fish bowl and not seeing a film of dust coating the water again only hours afterward, the fresh smell of the home (hopefully rid of the stale smoke and old lady once and for all), and the list goes on. There is a lot to be said about a clean house...clean to the bones, behind the scenes.

On a similar note, Adam just called and informed me that he had just gotten word that he has been hired (for a second job) cleaning for Evansville Christian School that meets at the church. This is fantastic news for us. He will have to work 3 hours a night, 6 nights a week. YUCK. But, the extra cash will help us pay off our debt much, much quicker and get Adam into school for his Master's degree that much sooner.

It is only 10 am and I have already had a huge reminder that sometimes blessings come from sacrifice and a good cleaning. It all leads to a fresh start, new opportunities to be good stewards, to recognize our blessings as blessings. The sacrifices we have to endure are so minor when we look at the whole picture. Who am I to grumble and complain about strange men in my house or Adam's late night work schedule? Great things will come from both!! I look forward to the fresh start. Cleaning the inner workings...of both my house and of our disciplines. Here's to a clean house!

Eat, Pray, Love

Okay, so minutes ago I finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. Was it a good book? Yes, I believe so. I did not agree with some of her philosophies, but it was very good for me to see "another side" of things, you know, different from my own views. I won't go into much of the book in case I have readers out there who may be interested in reading it for themselves, or seeing the movie.

I will say though that it was inspiring. Not in a leave everything behind and indulge and search for a year kind of way, but it reminded me of the importance of not only talking to God, but listening. How it is equally as important. I can say she's not a Christian, her morals are out of whack, her language is foul, et cetera, but am I a "better person" or whatever because I am a "Christian"? No. Sure, she has some crazy philosophies on God, but her disciplines were inspiring to me. Taking time out of life, every day, for the sole purpose of listening to God. Wow. I go to church, I pray, I read my Bible, I study, but...do I deliberately take time out to listen? Just listen. To be in tune to what he is saying to me. Am I paying attention to the answers He has given me? Am I truly thankful? Do I recognize His work in me, through me? Do I truly understand the fact that He will never leave me, that He loves me...unconditionally? YIKES. She was very clear on her openness and honesty with God, her conversations (and how it is a conversation...she really nailed the relationship part), and totally recognized His voice and that He was talking to her. How many of us recognize God's voice, God's prompting in our own life?

It is important, I believe, to take care of myself. To know who I am in Christ. It is important for everyone. I, for one, am going to work on the discipline of listening...to God. I am going to work on understanding His work in my life. I want to experience God, on every level, not just the levels that are easy for me.

It is so hard to put into words what I really mean here, but I suppose this will have to do, for now. I do think it is funny, though, how the "eat" and "love" parts I already get...it's the prayer that stuck out to me. Hmmm, I think I'll let this soak in for a while.

So Is The Silence

So is the silence. First day and I was hoping to get to hear all about it. Nope. Not Kal. He had nothing to say except for "it was not what I expected." Is this good? Is this bad? I don't know. Kamden and I drilled him with questions. Kamden started by asking if he had made any friends. I asked him what he ate for lunch. We got, "yes" and "mashed potatoes that smelled like green beans." GREAT. I do think, overall, it was a good enough experience for him. He does want to go back tomorrow. He was so brave today, went in without so much as a wave good-bye.

Kamden and I had a busy day today too. I was, of course, up early to start work. Then Kamden got a hair cut, came back for a couple of hours, then went to the dentist (for the first time). That kid is too much. He charmed his way through both the haircut and the dentist visit. He kept telling the dentist "this is awesome!" I think he made an impression. The girl cleaning his teeth would stop every once in a while and say "You are just too cute!" He sure can work his magic. It's a good thing he is cute, because he sure is a pill. He is so full of personality, I love it!

I, for one, am very glad the day is over, well, except for the homework Kal's teacher gave me. Kal told me there were 100 pages and Adam and I can split it 50 pages each. Thanks. Sad thing is, that's pretty close to accurate!

The First Day Of First Grade

School starts tomorrow. My firstborn will begin the first grade. He is very excited about it, and so am I! He thinks he was born to go to the first grade. For about 3 weeks now, that is all I have heard about. First grade this...in first grade that...

I am glad he is excited about it. I cannot imagine how hard it would be if he was dreading school and scared to go in. I don't ever remember being scared on the first day of school, but things were different where I come from. I knew everybody in my class already (all 18 of us who went through all of school together). I always already new my teacher (there was only one per grade). I cannot imagine going through the first day of school now. Kal is in one of 4 first grade classes. he has met his teacher only once, briefly. He has a locker. He has a pin number for the lunch line. He will be logging on to the computer with his own log in information for his school work. Wow. I think that would make me nervous...even now.

He is fearless. He loves to forge through new things. When he falls down, he gets back up again. Sometimes it may take a while, but he does. He forgives. He forgets. He goes on. He keeps his eye on the goal. He is not afraid to be himself. Oh, the innocence.

I have learned a great deal by watching Kal grow. He complements me, which makes things like the first day of first grade not so scary for either one of us.

Beauty From Ashes

Sometimes it feels like the world is spinning so fast and things crumble all around us. That seems to be the case in the Colter household lately. It is like we are all trying to find a new normal. I am not even sure why we need to but we have very clearly entered a new phase of life. This is challenging and chaotic, but in a good way, I think.

I can only imagine how the people in Haiti feel right now. I feel like my world is crumbling some days when their's actually is crumbling, literally, around them. Sitting on my nice cozy couch, checking up on the Internet, drinking my nice hot coffee after a good work out and Bible study I learn of another earthquake/aftershock and I am afraid. I can only imagine how afraid I would be if it were my home, my family, my body stuck in the rubble, killed, life as I once knew it...GONE. Without my faith I am sure I would be angry, bitter, and wish myself dead. With my faith would it truly be any different? Would I be able to handle it better? I would like to think my faith is genuine, strong, withstanding. Would I be blinded by the tragedy? What would comfort me? What would comfort you? God. God is the answer to all of those questions. God, I pray my faith is strong and can withstand any test. I believe, God, that you can bring beauty from ashes...That is what Jesus was sent for! THANK YOU!!!

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devestated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:1-4

Parenting?!

I love my boys. I love watching them grow and develop. I love how they are night and day different but still best friends (which I hope will never change)! Kal is very smart, very thoughtful, and has a HUGE heart. So sweet. I teared up yesterday when after church I had the boys up in the high school room and the teens had left a ton of trash. He was picking up all of the little papers and throwing them away telling me "I just don't like to see this mess." So sweet! Last night at church they made "rainbows". Kamden's was just green. He loves green. The entire rainbow was, well, green. Kal's was a perfect ROY G. BIV! It had to be just right. Kamden is so fun-loving, care-free (maybe a little too much so) and FUNNY!!! Kal is our perfectionist.

The challenge has hit us that now we can really see their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, how do we encourage them without inflating them? How do we correct them without making them feel ashamed of their gifts? Kal needs to lighten up sometimes. He is so serious and, dare I say, prideful. It can come across as mean sometimes especially to his friends and he needs to be corrected but I do not want to discourage him from taking pride in what he knows or does (in a healthy way). Kamden needs to take some things more seriously, he needs to shake off the stubbornness and eat his dinner. He needs to listen and learn instead of being the clown in the back of the class...or in front of the class but I do not want to discourage him, he truly has a gift! That kid can bring a smile to ANYONE's face! I thought parenting was hard before, but now the challenge is a little scary.

I suppose this is the phase of life when I can look back and see why my parents may have made the decisions they made or handled things the way they did. Were they just as clueless as I am? I hope so. We all turned out okay, that gives me hope!

Life. It happens.

It seems like everyone now days is very busy. Everyone. Very rarely do I hear "I'm bored." Even my boys don't have time to get bored. If they have nothing to do, they cherish the down time.

I find if I have a few minutes uncluttered I try to figure out how to clutter it. Should I get on the computer? Watch me some HGTV? Read a book? Go work out? Call my mom? Why can't I just sit in silence?

"Life" has been going on all around us...the contractor, the plumber, meetings, losing parents, friends diagnosed with cancer, report cards, play dates, Bible studies, earthquakes, freezing temps, conferences, visits, engagements, announcements of first pregnancies and third...life, death, healing, hurting, happiness, and joy all wrapped up in this thing called life.

I have been overwhelmed with so much lately. Why? Because I tend to stress about things. I am so jealous of those who take it just one day at a time and not stress out. UGH. Listen to me... "Overwhelmed, jealous." YIKES.

"In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace." "In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace." "In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace."

Peace. Ahhhh. Thank GOD!

Over a year later...

Wow. December 6, 2008. Seriously? Where has the time gone? I must admit, it is kind-of fun going back and seeing old posts and pictures. It is amazing how time can pass but something as simple as a picture or a few words can just bring the memories rushing back.

For Christmas, the owner of Curves here in Newburgh gave the staff wives at the church a free 1-year membership. So, of course, I am taking full advantage of that...and loving it!!! But I have realized that I have very few T-shirts to work out in that are decent enough to be seen in public. Most of them are very oversized, stained, painted, and even a few with holes. So, I figured I would go to my local thrift shop to pick up some T-shirts for working out. I then remembered that my mother had saved a bunch of my old T-shirts from Jr. High and High School to make a quilt. Well, I had not seen or heard of any quilt yet so I figured they were just being stored somewhere in the basement. I gave her a call and sure enough she had an entire tub of them! She brought them down to me this past weekend and with every T-shirt and every sweatshirt memories, feelings, thoughts all came rushing back.

What is it that triggers your memories from the past? Certain scents? Pictures? T-shirts? Movies? Music? Sometimes it does not take much. Do we have certain triggers when it comes to our relationship with God? When we have strayed from the discipline of Bible study...is there a phrase, a verse, a song, a concept that just can send us rushing back, even for just a moment? What about when we are in the "habit" of church. When it just feels like you go because that is just what you do. Is there an old hymn that can take you back to when you first accepted Christ? To a time when you could see God active and working in your life.

It seems to me that we all go in cycles. We have different sets of memories at different times. Some good, some bad, some funny, and some sad. It is nice to be reminded of where we have come from, what has shaped us, BUT I am very thankful that they are just memories and that we do not have to hold on to them as though they are life right now. And, what is life right now will one day be a memory and we will have new experiences and create new memories. Life is fascinating. God is always active and working in us and through us. Though sometimes Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection seem to be just a memory, we must know that it is so much more! Let every time we stray, every time we sin, every step we take, be a trigger to that memory.

Well,it has been a while since I have posted...I don't know where to start.

After Christmas (26th and 27th) we traveled up to Brown County State Park and had a Christmas gahtering with the McKee family in the lodge. IT WAS SOOO COOL! There was a very comfy atmosphere and a super water park...inside! It was nice to spend time with the family too! I would post pictures but...

...that leads me to the new year. To begin, my hard drive crashed. Thanks to the Geek Squad we managed to get a new hard drive and boosted my computer a little...but I lost everything. Everything. So, I have no pictures to post. I'll try to get some from the fam and post them later.

Oh yeah, Adam's birthday was the 29th and I got to be a part of the biggest surprise of his life. One of our girls from F-ville flew down to surprise him for his birthday and we pulled it off! It was great!

Just last weekend we got to take our new group down to TCTC in Gatlinburg. It was a great conference! It was nice to spend time in the mountains too.

So, there is nothing exciting going on to update...maybe next time there will be something to talk about.

Merry Christmas!

It's been busy...on Sunday, my "baby" turned 2! It was great fun! Grandma and Grandpa came down and enjoyed a weekend with us. We celebrated on Saturday with some Papa Murphy's Pizza, presents, and cupcakes. Kamden really liked his new stuff and especially liked being sung to!

Sunday brought McDonald's for lunch, seeing Grandma and Grandpa off, and getting more company in the evening. Chris, Nicole, and Morgan stopped in on their way to Virginia for a family Christmas. It was nice to visit. The boys really like Morgan and had a lot of fun with the visit! Below is a slideshow of the festivities!

Then brings us to Christmas. We really have had a nice time. For Christmas Eve we hung around the house and while Kamden napped Adam and Kal went to see The Tale of Despereaux. They enjoyed the afternoon out. We went to a very nice Christmas Eve service at church then came home, had some dinner, and we let the boys open one gift. It was tough to get them to bed as they were enjoying their new stuff. Kal got a super spy kit and Kamden got a race track. BOYS. They loved it! Then, off to bed. The boys got up around 7 and had some breakfast informing me that they wanted to play with the racetrack first thing. Adam and I smiled as they seemed to have forgotten that there would be more presents this morning.

We established a Christmas tradition when we got married to read the Christmas story (usually from Luke) before we open gifts. So, after breakfast Adam had the boys go to the couch to read the story...then they saw it...they remembered...and they did very good listening to the story before digging in!

So, tomorrow, we head up to Brown County State Park to stay in the Lodge with my family and do our gift exchange. It will be nice. Will update on that later!

Thankful

Wow, what a day!

Kamden came down with a fever last night and today it spiked at 103.7! Poor thing. When that child it sick you can see it. He was pathetic! He woke up this morning only for a few minutes then fell back to sleep on the couch the rest of the morning! Adam was off today and for that I am very thankful!

You see, he layed with the sick "baby" all morning while I worked. He got Kal around for school. I finished making snowman ornaments with candy canes attached to them (which were quite cute by the way) for Kal's classmates' goodie bags. Adam got lunch for Kal and I took him off to school just in time for a small conference with his teacher and to pick up Adam's check. So, then it was off to the bank for me and to the new Pediatrician to get the paperwork filled out and records from Georgia released here. While I was there filling out paperwork and scheduling appointments for the boys, Adam called and informed me that Kamden needed to see the doctor, so, while I was there I tried to get Kamden in, but his doctor was off for the rest of the day and all doctors were at lunch...so, Kamden went back to bed with some Advil. Adam said at that point he sweat for 45 minutes! (Hooray!)

Meanwhile, I ran to the school for Kal's party (only 5 minutes late) and enjoy my time there. He did the cutest little dance to the "12 Days of Christmas". He is precious. During the party though, Adam called saying that another doctor could see him. He did a series of tests and it came up tonsilitis with a sinus infection. YUCK. So, a prescription for amoxicillin later they are out of there...

Meanwhile, Kal and I had gotten home from the party and I was starting to work. Then, I needed to go out to return a few things and do some more shopping so Adam got home with Kamden and I went out to fill the prescription and shop. I went to Kohl's and returned a bunch of stuff (maybe we should have gotten a babysitter so we could both shop together...) and headed to Target..arguably my favorite place to unwind. I finished some shopping and came home to a very happy Kamden playing ball with Kal in the playroom. Whew, that is a relief! While this was going on, Adam was making dinner! Woo-Hoo!

Finally, I sat down to finish my work and the day is finally come to an end. Maybe I will wrap some presents, I don't know.

Bottom line, I AM THANKFUL for my husband without whom I never would have made it. Thanks sweetheart!

FUN

So yesterday (in the FREEZING COLD) we went tree shopping...30 years of life and never an artificial tree...hmmmm maybe next year! Anyway, we found a very nice tree or should I say trees. The house we just moved into is an older home and it has a built in brick planter right by the front door. It is okay, nothing I am going to rip out right away but I did have to clear it from the sea shells and articial bouquet shortly after we moved in. We found a very small, maybe 2 foot tall, real tree. We strapped the bigger tree to the top of the minivan and put the smaller one in back and headed home. We brought it in and after a couple of hours of deciding where to put it, we set it up and got the lights on. Now, in the past, Kal has never been too excited about the tree, he had always liked to play with the ornaments and stuff but never really cared much. Well, this year, I he became a very good decorator. Kamden enjoyed helping too...he is very talented, he managed to get 3 candy canes at the end of one little branch and they stayed there. With the exception of having to move a couple of candy canes I did not have to de-decorate or re-arrange after the boys went to bed. It was nice!

Today, I branched out of my comfort zone and went to a cookie swap. Now, let me clarify, cookie swapping is not scary...its the not knowing anybody because we just moved here scary that I am talking about. I met this lady from church a couple of weeks ago and she had invited me. I went, I mingled, I met a couple more girls from the church that I had not met who had small children (woo-hoo!) and I met the whole staff from a local dentist office --cookie swap is kind-of a funny place to meet them! I had a lot of fun and I even learned how to make home made thin mints!!!!!!

On top of all of that fun, there were a few small snow flurries today!

Birthdays, Bowling, and Bathrooms

On Sunday, Kal went to a birthday party for one of his new friends at school...Parker. It was a bolwing party and all of his friends from school were there. I, personally, was a bit nervous as he had never bowled before (except on the Wii) and I did not know how he would do as he was convinced that he would be able to bowl a strike every time. Well, as it turned out he had a great time and he did actually win from his team with a score of 76 with the bumpers (of course).

Nick, Kal, and Parker

Kal watching the ball roll slowly....slowly...

On another note. Last night while I was on the phone with Adam as he was trying to find some medicine at Walgreen's (and the clerk was not being very helpful) I noticed Kamden had been in the bathroom for a long time. So, I went in and this is what I found:

The look on his face was "get me out of this shirt...it's soaked!" He had gone in to brush his hair (hense the water and the hairbrush). When I walked in he had just put some handsoap on his hands (lukliy it was only in his hands and not in his hair!) He wanted his shirt off soooo bad but I just had to get a picture. Isn't he just toooo cute!?!

SORRY!

So, I know, it has been a LONG TIME since I have posted. There has really been a lot of stuff going on. We'll start with the move. On November 11, we loaded up and drove to Indiana...this time to stay. Adam drove the moving van pulling his car and I drove up with the boys in the van. The trip was uneventful. We pulled in to a house full of people and a stocked refridgerator and candy filling the spice pantry and very fun posters plastered all over the walls. We also had a nice hot dinner brought to us and it only took about an hour to get unloaded! A few ladies did come in and clean before we got here, they touched every surface so the house was CLEAN! The boys were in heaven...tons of attention and lots of fun new space to run around.

Later that evening, Lisa and Andy came to help unpack some. Lisa helped me with the kitchen. It was a quick visit but nice...and helpful! As they were leaving our first overnight guest arrived. Brandon happened to be in the area and so he came by and stayed. He went the next morning with Adam to the office to get unpacked.

Adam was welcomed that morning in the office with all of the staff members in there waiting for him. They began his ministry there with prayer! Cool!

It did not take us very long to get unpacked but since the previous owner of our home was a smoker...and was quite advanced in years...it smelled like...well...stale smoke and old folk. So, we have been busy painting and painting and painting. Now, I will say that I am very thankful to those who came to clean...I cannot imagine what it smelled like before. But, thanks also to KILZ we have a home that is quite nice. We have painted nearly every wall, we just have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a hallway left. That is quite an accomplishment! We are settling in and making it home.

We are adjusting to the colder climate here. I actually had to go out and buy the boys winter coats...Adam is stocked in his hats to keep his head warm...and we have lots of HOT CHOCOLATE!

We have lots of space for the boys to play. They have a fabulous (flat) back yard with a full privacy fence, a sunroom, a play room, all in addition to the rest of the house. Adam has a library that he has to share with my office. It is nice.

So for our Thanksgiving holiday, Janet (Ganjee) came up for a while to visit and went up to my parents for our family gathering. It was nice to have her around. The trip to my parents was nice. It was good to see everybody. I got to see Anne, Adam, and Jackson...it was nice to see them; Andy and Lisa where around too (along with baby "peanut")!!! Mom and Dad were happy to see the kids and have their own kids all under one roof. I think they enjoyed having Janet there too! We then went out to Uncle Mike and Aunt Jodi's for dinner. ABSOLUTELY everybody made it this year. Kal and I counted 28! It was nice. We got to relax while we were there...aaaaahhhhh.

We came back home on Saturday morning...it only took about 5 hours! WOW! We enjoyed a little more time with Janet, showing her around town and such. Then, Monday, back to the routine.

Speaking of routine, Kal started school only 2 days after we got here. I was going to wait until the following week but he was READY. He started and he loves it and has not looked back! The boys really like their new church too. I am very relieved. They handled everything...all of the new...very, very well!

So, now we are in the process of decorating for Christmas. It is fun but challenging to decorate a new space for Christmas when it is not even decorated yet period. But it is still a very nice time. Kamden has found a favorite decoration. He's soooo cute!

Well, there is the last month in a nutshell. Please forgive me if I have left anything out...but I think I got it all. I will do better keeping this updated (for those of you...and there is more than one...who have been anxious for an update).

I would like everyone to check out Adam's new blog at http://www.firstmancolter.blogspot.com/ !

Packing up.

So, we have been packing for weeks now, pacing ourselves nicely...so we thought. Today is our last packing day before the big move. I know, we don't load the truck until Monday but we have a High School purity retreat Friday, Saturday, into Sunday and when we get back there is a church-wide party for us, to see us off. We load Monday and take off Tuesday morning.

We are excited but saddened too. Last night was the last "Crossing" (youth worship service) for us. It was surprisingly difficult. The original Crossing Band came back and played, Adam gave his last message, and there were tears. I did not expect it to be hard...but it was...I can only imagine what the rest of the weekend will be like.

On a different note, I got word that our home in Newburgh is beeing deep cleaned before our arrival so I get to go into a nicely cleaned home when we get there. I am thankful. The boys are a bit anxious and acting on it this week but who can blame them...we have the house torn apart and the kitchen is packed up! NOTHING IS "NORMAL" right now. I do think Kal is excited to make the move though. I look forward to seeing them adjust and make new friends. Change is just so hard. But I think we are up to the challenge!

Well, I need to get the pantry packed up and start on some cleaning, so that is all for now.

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with Halloween but with my oldest child who apparently is "anti-Halloween". I could not get him to dress up for school today. He FLAT OUT refused...I did not push the issue.

But, this morning right after breakfast the following happened:

Kal: Mom, can I have a pencil and some paper?
Me: Sure...here. Why do you need them?
Kal: I have something cool to write.
Me: Oh, OK...(he has been working on writing "words" for several weeks now and it just a bunch of letters)

A few minutes later he brings me a piece of paper. I look at it and it says "Kal is Kal."

Me: Very good Kal, you wrote a sentence...and the word "is".
Kal: Yep...I'll be right back.

A few minutes later he brings me another piece of paper. I look at it and it says "Kal is Kal forever."

Me: Kal...WOW...you wrote the word "forever"! How did you learn to spell that?
Kal: I just sounded it out!

That is just super cool. Today was his last day at school before we move and he goes to a new school. I have been really impressed with his preschool here and I am sad he has to go as he has apparently learned a lot! I am sure his new school will be just fine. It was nice though today they gave him a present for being his last day today!

Anyway, just thought I would take the opportunity to brag on my kid!

Moving on up...

...to just north of the Mason-Dixon Line. That's right, God's calling is more powerful than Adam's determination to stay in the south. For the first time in his life, he will be moving north. Adam has accepted a ministry at First Christian Church Newburgh, IN. So, back to Indiana I go but I hear that southern Indiana is very different from up where I'm from. It does not snow as much and is not as cold, not so many corn fields and farms, BUT it will for sure be a change from Georgia. It will be nice to be a little closer to my family too. It's still 5-1/2 hours but a lot closer than the 10-12 it is now! We'll also only be about 6-1/2 hours from Adam's family so really we'll be practically in the middle! Kal's excited that when his cousins visit they will get to stay the night or two or three!

We are looking forward to the new adventure in November but we are also saddened by having to move away from our friends and family down here. This is all the boys know, they were born here!

But, as one of my friends pointed out...my new best friend is waiting for me in Newburgh! That's a good way to look at it! We really are exited. God has blessed us by giving us the opportunity to serve at Fayetteville Christian Church for 6 years and has made this new opportunity work out very smoothly. Things are falling into place and we are thankful!

Boys. Boys. Boys.

So, Kal enjoys enduling in an episode of "Spiderman and His Amazing Friends" on Jetix before bed, and since his dad enjoys it as well, it happens relatively often.

So, this morning, Kal was "Iceman" (one of Spiderman's Amazing Friends) and he came to Kamden, put his hand on his shoulder, and said "I'm Iceman and I'm giving Kamden the cold shoulder." I thought it was very funny, but then cringed at how much he picks up from those shows.

On a different note, yesterday morning before school I noticed that the boys were not downstairs when I finished with the breakfast dishes, so I snuck up the stairs and found them...both standing on the stool in front of the sink and Kal was brushing Kamden's teeth! It was soooo adorable! My camera is broken otherwise it would have been a great photo!

Anyway, they are just at a super cute stage together and I'm loving it!