A Little Relaxation

I don’t know why I forget this time and again, but my sweet children are only 7, 5 and 3. I get so caught up in our schooling schedule that I think it really stresses them out. The problem is that they are unable to tell me they’re stressed so it shows up in other ways like completely forgetting things that they know to do or being really grumpy. So, today we are enjoying a little relaxation. We’re still doing school but in small time segments and not worrying as much about the to-do list (with which I can be COMPLETELY consumed).

They’ve been out of sorts all week long and about to drive me to distraction. The funny thing is that while I’m down here on the computer taking a break, and they’re upstairs coloring, they are also going through their favorite books and reminding me that we haven’t done our weather graph yet. These are things I love – when I don’t have to prod and pull them, and I get to see their real joy and interest in learning.

Bears in My House

I don’t promise that this is a full return to blogging, but I thought I would make a brief appearance. Let me start off by mentioning that homeschooling two at the same time whilst keeping occupied the very busy 3-yr-old who lives with us too is quite the challenge. And, unlike others whom I truly admire, I will probably not find any extra time to blog any time soon. Not only blogging, but other activities as well have been cut from the schedule. We are pared (sp?)down and trying to get the basics firmly under our belts. I have to say that every now and then I feel a little cooped up, but it is making for very full and interesting days that are primarily spent at home.

I was in a book/Bible study this summer which focused much of its time on Titus 2 where the older women are admonished to teach the younger. One of the tenants taught is to be “keepers at home.” (The NAS says, “workers at home.”) Now, one of my dear homeschooling friends that I’ve known since college once said to me, “How can we teach our girls to be keepers at home if we’re never home?” She doesn’t know it, but that has stayed in my head over the years, and this year I was finally brave enough to follow through.

You see, as a homeschool mom I fell into a common trap that because my children are schooled at home that I must make up for their lack of “socialization” by carrying them to every activity imaginable. (In homeschool circles this is often referred to as the “s” word, very nasty indeed.) Some moms even joke that they become van schoolers instead of homeschoolers. I think for some moms/families this is fine, and they really do seem to function well. For me, running around from place to place is like death. A slow and painful death.

So, each girl has an activity. Emma is still playing soccer, and Jessie and Aubrie are both in ballet – I will have to post pictures soon because Aubrie’s class is too much fun. Jessie’s is, too, but there’s just something hysterical about those little preschool behinds in their leotards that begs for pictures. We have playdates/story time on Friday (We alternate because they’re at the same time.) and are trying to get most of our schooling done Monday-Thursday so we can relax on Friday. This is our life. We don’t even leave the house at all on Mondays and Wednesdays unless we absolutely have to. Heaven!

Back to the bears in my house – since that’s what I titled this silly post – I was just thinking about how crazy a homeschool house can become. My lovely sister Colleen used to teach second grade and was cleaning out some of her stuff and decided to bless us with these wonderful bears used for counting and various other things in math. Now, there are a million of each color, and we have four tubs each with a color of its own – so many bears to count. In order to keep the beautiful 3-yr-old child happy and learning something constructive we sometimes get out the blue bears and let her take off with them. For days and sometimes weeks I find blue bears all over my house for she finds such creative places to put them.

The bears are put in the kitchen (and I assume cooked, for I can’t imagine that raw bear tastes very good). There are bears in purses – apparently they like to shop. And bears in jewelry boxes, the vain little things. I’m sure some of them are laughing at me right now because I haven’t discovered their little hiding places yet.

This week Jessie needed to use all four colors of bears for one of her lessons so you can only imagine the bears that I am finding. It kind of drives me crazy finding them in random spots and having to dig the tubs out to put them up. I am trying to turn over a new leaf and let go of the bears. After all, they aren’t doing anyone any harm, and I apologize in advance if I suck any of them up in the vacuum cleaner. It has happened, I’m sad to report.

A Little Break

I know, this is already pretty obvious. But I've realized that trying to still do school (long story, but basically we postponed school a while last fall while we were trying to sell the house and Todd was already in TX) and do summer stuff too is very overwhelming. I think so that I don't feel bad about not blogging, I'm just going to declare a blogging vacation and pick things back up in the fall. I'm still on Facebook, and it doesn't seem as overwhelming so I'll keep checking in there.

Something random - after a bazillion days our computer was ready this last Monday except that no one called us. I really think I'm in the Twilight Zone sometimes. Anyway, unless something really bazaar happens, I'll be able to pick it up this coming Monday and get caught up on so many things that have been nagging the back of my mind.

Where did the month go?

So, almost a month ago, Ashley and I walked in the March for Babies walk-a-thon in Austin. I had intended to post our pictures back then, but we were in the middle of our computer bru-ha-ha and didn't have our loaner yet. I really wanted to share because I was so amazed that my new friend Ashley would give up her Saturday to walk in honor of someone she had never met. Thank you, Ashley!

If you haven't heard the story yet, please visit this site to find out about Noah and Julie and their precious Magdalena. Ashley and I walked for Magdalena's Feet (their team) and had a great time on a beautiful day in downtown Austin. In the midst of the gorgeous day I was often moved to tears because there were so many people there representing so many precious little ones. It was really wonderful to be a part of something so big.

You can read about the Mississippi team's walk here. Thank you, Noah and Julie, for being so faithful and letting God use you in wonderful ways to reach so many!

More Important Things

I should have posted this last week, but we were in the throes of company and lots of special events, and since Aubrie can't read, I don't think she'll be offended! Our sweet third arrival had her third birthday last Monday on the 25th. Although we had already had her party, we still like to do something special on the actual day. (I'm infamous in my family for cramming in multiple b-day events and stretching out my birthday celebration for as long as possible. I even had a college friend explain to me that my b-day was not the same as Rashashana (sp?). I'm apparently passing this trait on to my sweet girls.) So, we were with Nanny at one of our favorite local restaurants, and they brought Aubrie a piece of cake and sang to her. She was very thrilled.


Aubrie is truly the one to keep me on my toes and remind me that I'm not as on top of things as I would like to think. The most recent episode occurred not too long ago, thankfully on a cool day. All three girls were outside playing, and I had just seen Aubrie go by. I stuck my head out a few minutes later just to check on them, and no Aubrie. Anywhere. So, we start calling. I'm pretty sure she hasn't taken off down the driveway because it's pretty long, and she would still be visible. We're on five flat acres so she should be pretty easy to spot. Right? Oh, how I wish. We call inside and out for what seemed like an eternity but was probably about five minutes. I'm finally calling Todd to inform him that I've lost his youngest child when I think to look in the van. There she sits happy as a lark putting on sun screen. If I told you all the things going through my mind at this point, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.


Aubrie Ann is a great joy in our lives and things literally just roll right off of her - a trait she did NOT get from me or Todd. This she got from my dad and my sister Mary. It is also amazing how much she looked like my dad when she was a baby. She also looks a lot like my nephew (Mary's son) Judah. Strange, huh?



I know every parent must feel this way about each of their children, but we simply cannot imagine life without our Aubrie. We were at the "should we really be crazy and have a third child" crux in our lives, and we were trying to figure out if that would push me over the edge, and if we knew just how much fun this little one was going to be, there would have been no discussion. Happy third birthday sweet girl!


Also, important was Jessie's and Aubrie's end-of-the-year preschool program. We had a blast watching them perform their artist songs. Their last unit of the year was on famous artists, and Jessie represented Degas (He painted ballerinas.), and Aubrie represented Mary Cassatt who painted moms with their babies; she also painted ladies with hats on. Hence the outfits.





Jessie graduated and looked MUCH too mature in her cap and gown to suit me. We may have to follow through with our threats to put bricks on their heads.

Friday Fritters

-Gearing up for Emma's first sleepover. A friend from church is coming. We've planned fun in the sprinkler, a dance performance, make-overs, popcorn and chocolate chip cookies.

-I'm missing the girls who are in MS with Nan and Pops. Emma, however, is relishing the time with mom and wishes they were going to be in MS for another week.

-We still have a loaner computer as the part for our broken down one is on back order. Other than a few things (my budget software, grocery list, etc.), I'm perfectly happy as long as we have a good internet connection.

-Emma and I slept in this morning. She crawls in bed with me when Todd leaves, and I must say it has been heavenly. Can't remember the last time I slept until 8. Emma looks at the clock and says, "Mom, why am I in bed at 8:02?" We were all out late last night so sleeping in was a good thing for both of us. Poor Todd must need a nap!

-Emma and I have turned our brains to mush today watching TV. We watched back-to-back episodes of Meerkat Manor, and she's now watching a show about leopards. We're gonna school through July so I figure this is our very short summer break, at least until August.

-Last summer we visited the San Antonio Zoo with my sisters, and we had to cut the trip a little short because Aubrie had had all the zoo she could handle, and Jessie got a fever while we were there. I'm very excited about taking Emma on Monday so she can zoo all she wants. Last year she cracked us up with map in hand planning what we would do next. I can't wait for this year's excursion.

Special Times

This has been a truly full weekend in the Williams family. We celebrated Jessie's and Aubrie's birthdays this past Saturday. If folks got graded on their family planning skills, we'd probably get a D. Jessie and Aubrie are 2 years, one week and a day apart. Makes for interesting planning since you can pile on a bunch of end-of-year stuff on top of that. They had a blast at their joint party, and we actually had very pleasant weather considering that it is May in Texas.

Yesterday we celebrated two special events. Todd and I were married twelve years ago in Clinton, MS, and time has zoomed past ever since! We have had a wild ride and lived in ten homes in nine different cities during those years; we've been seminary drop-outs (twice) and almost missionaries!! :-) We have considered ourselves on mission whether here or in Africa, and God took us seriously when we told Him we'd go wherever He asked! We are truly enjoying our new adventures in Bastrop, TX, and can see so many wonderful reasons that God landed us here. We are so grateful.

Our other special event was Emma's baptism. About two years ago she told us that she had prayed to receive Christ. She was in our backyard swinging and praying and came inside to announce her news. We've tried to always have an ongoing discussion about what it means to be His and what happens when we are. So, we decided to continue the discussion and look for fruit in her life. We looked for the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 and for a few other things: conviction when she messed up and a desire to tell others the great news of salvation. She continued to ask about baptism, and we continued to look for fruit. We began seeing quite a bit and had actually planned to have her baptised at Morrison Heights before we left, but things got pretty crazy when Todd had to move to TX before us, and we just never got things worked out. I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed. Well, of course, God has a great plan. Shocker. It would never have occurred to me for Todd to baptize her. But I can't think of anything more beautiful or special in her life than for her dad to get to welcome her publicly into God's family.