TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE VACATION

Twas the night before leaving for summer vacation,
my family was bursting with anticipation!

Mom grabbed the graham crackers,and the stuff for smores,
We carried our goggles, towels and sand toys.
"Remember my blankie, my dollie, my book,
Plus, Nathan's leapster and Daddie's new look."


The car is gassed up ,all nice and clean
filled to the brim and ready to burst at the seam!

The mail has been stopped,the bills have been paid,
the yard has been mowed, and Maddie even got herself a new hair bow!

Tomorrow at six we will leave this great state,
driving to Florida to meet our vacation date!


Thanks for reading our sorry attempt at a poem!!!!

WHAT PART OF "STAY OUT OF THE MUD" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND??

My sweet, precious and adorable children decided they would cool off from the heat by covering each other with mud. Oh, yeah and while they were at it they thought it would be a swell idea to plant a garden in their crocs. (They filled their shoes with wet mud that they had made themselves then pulled out grass from the ground and stuffed it in the shoe) Nice uh?? The slide is no longer yellow, it is totally covered in mud chunks. I will admit that I saw them doing this and I just let them. It kept them busy and productive for over an hour plus I am sure there was something educational or therapuetic about it!

LITERALLY ON THE FENCE

Ok, an explanation is owed on the matching outfits. They are completly an accident! I told the kids to put play clothes on as I was changing and all 3 of us put on old vbs shirts and black shorts. We got a good laugh out of it!!

On the Fence

Have you ever been on the fence about an issue in your life before? I am right now and it is so frustrating. I am pretty much a black and white kind of person so this is tough for me. (Not that this is a moral issue or anything.) People keep asking me what I am going to do about school next year with Madelyn since she will be in kindergarten. I keep saying I am not sure. Jarrett says she is going to school. Honestly, my thoughts on the issue can change from moment to moment. I want to be so sure of our decision and not vacillate back and forth. Once the decision is made I never want to look back, say "what if" or second guess myself. I have been praying and seeking guidance, I just don't feel like God is leading us one way or the other yet. Maybe by writing my thoughts down it will help me sort through stuff.

We have committed to homeschool Nathan next year for 2nd grade. Here is a little background on why we started homeschooling in the first place.

~Nathan was born at 24 weeks and had a major brain bleed. We have been his teachers at home since the beginning. He didn't just learn the simple things on his own like most babies. We could never take for granted the little things like rolling over or holding a spoon or drinking from a bottle, etc. Those skills had to be systematically taught at home and with therapy. Praise God, Nathan was able to reach all his milestones plus accomplish the ones the doctors told us he may never. I won't get into all the details of those preschool years but we quickly figured out that "traditional" school would probably not be a good fit for him. We tried kindergarten at public school and realized that after a few months Nathan's fire and passion for learning had been put out. This child who was eager to read and learn now dreaded going to school. He got a sad face sent home everyday because he couldn't get his name written 10 times in the allotted time or couldn't look the teacher in her eyes. I understand how that can frustrate a teacher who has 20 kids on 20 different levels all coming to school with different backgrounds. Let me just say I have taught kindergarten in public school so I truly understand that it is hard when you have children that don't "fit". I think that a kindergarten teachers job is to help all kids fall in love with learning and with school. That did not happen for my child. I was sad. I loved elementary school and I loved teaching it now I here I sat with a child who didn't "fit". God was calling us to bring Nathan home and I was kicking and screaming. I thought those homeschooling people were weird, had 100 kids each, baked their own bread, sewed their own clothes, live on communes, wore matching outfits, etc . God has a funny way of shattering our stereotypes. I met several homeschooling people at church who were"normal" and picked their brains about homeschooling. I thought I could do this until Nathan would "fit".

We finished kindergarten at home and he blossomed. But still I struggled deciding what to do for first grade. Our goal was to send him to public school at some point. Most people start homeschooling for different reasons than we did. From my perspective, (which is probably not right) it seems the decision to HS is easy for other people.

We prayed and felt like he wasn't ready. He could handle the academics it was all the other stuff you have to handle at school that he wasn't ready for. Plus, I discovered that we could move at his pace. We finished the entire first grade reading curriculum in 2 months. We moved slower in areas he was less interested in or struggled in. Our community has a ton of social opportunities for homeschoolers so he was getting art, PE,history, and library all with other kids his age. We attended several field trips as well. Another HUGE benefit was that I could include God in everything we did. I could instill little lessons all through out the day about what we believe and why. In addition any sinful behaviors or attitudes that were being shown could be dealt with right away. I also have control with who he hangs out with at this point. Jarrett and I want to lay a solid foundation so when he leaves us he will be set apart and be able to stand firm on Biblical truths. We learned that people matter to God and sometimes taking care of people is more important than a math or history lesson. (Mom had a harder time with this than son!) So, I guess my point is, is that I am now homeschooling for more than just the reasons we started with. It is not all about Nathan's special needs anymore. It is so much more!

On the flip side, there are times I fantasize about sending them to school and having me time. I dream about going back to work so I can help save for college, pay for gymnastics and piano lessons and braces. Why does that sound so selfish to me? I tell myself the lie that they would be getting a better education in government schools. I tell myself I am not qualified to be doing this. I tell myself that I am not doing enough with them. Oh, how Satan attacks our minds. I so desperately want to do what is best for my kids, for the children God has entrusted to my care.

Back to Madelyn. So here we are June 1st and I can't tell her where she is going next year because I am on the fence. She is the type of child that would love "traditional" school. She is so outgoing and loved preschool. She was sad the days they didn't have it. She acted better for the teachers than for me. Part of me wants her to go. Why is that? I am a little afraid to be totally responsible for 2 academic educations. I am afraid that I can't give her everything that she "should" have for a great kindergarten experience. I am afraid. I am afraid I will fail her. But I am also scared to send her. I still want to be her primary influence in her life. I want her to love God with all her heart before I send her out into the "world". I want more than a "school" can give her. They will have her for her best hours of the day. I will have her at home when she is tired and grumpy. Ok, I am sorry I am rambling. I have so much more to say, but I will save it for later. Please pray for clarity and peace on this issue.

Famous Homeschoolers

I thought this was interesting! Some good, some bad!!!

Homeschooled Celebrities:
Alan Alda
Louis Armstrong
Charlie Chaplin
Hillary Duff
Dakota Fanning
Whoopie Goldberg
Hanson
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Vanessa Hudgens
Lindsay Lohan
Yehudi Menuhin
Moffatts
Frankie Muniz
LeAnne Rimes
Jordin Sparks
Taylor Swift
Raven Symone
Elijah Wood

Famous Parents who Homeschool(ed):
Will Smith
Michael Card
Mike Farris
Robert Frost
Kelly Preston
John Travolta
Lisa Whelchel

Famous Inventors:
Alexander Graham Bell
John Moses Browning
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Elias Howe
William Lear
Cyrus McCormick
Guglielmo Marconi
Eli Whitney
Sir Frank Whittle
Orvill and Wilbur Write

Famous Scientists:
Pierre Curie
Albert Einstein
Michael Faraday
Oliver Heaviside
T.H. Huxley
Blaise Pascal
Booker T. Washington

What about Presidents of the United States? Yes, them too...
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Grover Cleveland
James Garfield
William Henry Harrison
Andrew Jackson
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
James Madison
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
John Tyler
George Washington
Woodrow Wilson

Famous Writers:
Hans Christian Anderson
Margaret Atwood
Pearl S. Buck
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Willa Cather
Agatha Christie
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Charles Dickens
Robert Frost
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Alex Haley
Brett Harte
L. Ron Hubbard
C.S. Lewis
Amy Lowell
Gabriela Mistal
Sean O'Casey
Christopher Paolini
Isabel Paterson
Beatrix Potter
Carl Sandburg
George Bernard Shaw
Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Mercy Warren
Phillis Wheatley
Walt Whitman
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Snapper

Madelyn is so excited because she has learned how to snap. She hasn't stopped since she started the other day. We spent the weekend at the Lake with Jarrett's parents and we asked her if she was going to get in the water and swim, she said,"No because I will lose my snapper." We laughed so hard.

Oh, by the way it is 6:22 pm and both my kids are in bed. They aren't asleep yet but they have been tucked in, read to and prayed over. I will just say it was for their own good that they are in bed this early! Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!!

The End of an Era!

Today was my sweet Madelyn's last day of preschool. Can you believe that??? I realized today that I will never again be taking a child to preschool. I'll be honest it made me a little sad. Madelyn really wants a baby sister or brother but her daddy will not hear of it. He says we are done!! What is up with that? My honest opinion is that he is used to only 2 kids because that is what was in his family but there were 5 kids in mine so the only logical thing would be to have 3. That would be fair. Right?? Sorry, I didn't realize that her last day would lead to a rant. So, as far as more kids go, I am leaving it up to God. He can either change Jarrett's heart, change mine, or He could fix my tummy. I will be content with whatever HE chooses.

Back to Madelyn, she has really blossomed the last two years at Yellow Balloon. When she first started she did not want me to leave her. There were times I stayed the first hour with her and mind you it was only a 2 1/2 hour program. They like you to stay until your child is comfortable with you leaving. I wasn't so sure about that at first but it worked. Now she walks into school with a smile on her face and full of confidence. She is a leader in her class and has a lot of friends. Madelyn has the most caring spirit. She is the one that comforts people when they are hurt and knows every one's name, their mom's name, their sister/brother's name, etc. Jarrett and I joke that she will either be a nurse or the person that stands next to the president of the United States and tells them who everyone is and what they do. This time has just flown by. I am not sure I am ready to give her up all day to school. Please pray for us as we decide weather or not to homeschool Madelyn or not. We want to do what is best for her.

Today after school several of her classmates went to the splash pad and ate lunch and played. It was a great day!

Florida or Bust

19 days AND COUNTING until our vacation to Florida!!!!!!!!! I can't wait. I am ready for some R and R! We are driving to Seacrest, Florida with our good friends Chris and Lisa and their kids. I asked my kids what they are looking forward to most about our trip. Nathan said watching videos in the van and Maddie said sleeping in bunk beds. I just craked up that we are driving 15 hours away to a beautiful beach house and THAT is what they are looking forward to. Oh, gee. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to white sandy beaches, refreshing water, watching my kids have fun, building sand castles, sleeping in (Oh, who am I kidding), relaxing, laughing, spending time with Jarrett, reading, eating,swimming, and walks on the beach.

Holding On

Lucy's service was absolutely beautiful. God was glorified and you could most certainly feel His presence. It was gut wrenching to watch Kim, Micah and Ella walking up to Reflection pond carrying Lucy's casket. I held it together as best I could because Nathan and Madelyn were with us. We chose for them to come because they are at an the age that they understand what is going on and we wanted them to have closure and understand how this was a celebration for what Jesus has done for all of us. Sometimes I think they seem to understand better than we adults do at times. I wish I could have the child like faith that they do. Nathan was so sweet at the service, he stood with his head bowed and hands folded and tears streamed down his face. I think he gets it. I praise God for his tender heart.

It started raining after the service and it just seemed so appropriate for some reason. It was like the angels in heaven were weeping with us. When we got to the church for the luncheon the sky was clear and the sun was shining only on the church. Everywhere else it was cloudy. Wow! At the lunch they showed the video of Lucy that Jarrett and I had made. We did this for Carter 2 years ago and it just seemed plain weird to be doing it again. We spent 4 hours looking for the perfect song to put all of her pictures to and just couldn't find her song. Jarrett was on his computer and I was on mine desperately searching. Last week a friend of my mother in laws sent Kim a comment on her blog about this other lady that had recently gone through a similar situation. She gave Kim the link to her blog. So I spent Saturday night reading it and getting to know this precious family who lost their daughter Audrey. Her husband is the singer in a christian band, Selah. After their loss they wrote this beautiful song and I thought that would be the perfect song for Lucy. The only problem was the song will not be released on his album until fall.

Fast forward to Tuesday night around 10pm and we are stressing about what song to use for the video. I remembered that song and I knew Kim had heard it as well and we both thought it would be the perfect song. I told Kim there was no way to get it and the Lord knows Jarrett tried everything to get it. So I decided to email the lady, Angie, and tell her the situation and ask if we could borrow it for the funeral. I am not kidding, within 10 minutes she emailed us back with the mp3 for it. God is so good!!! Only He could have worked that out! It was the perfect song for Lucy. Take a look at Audrey's blog, you can hear the song there. (I will carry you) The link is on the side of my blog.

I kind of fell apart this morning. The grief kind of rushed in like an unwanted visitor. I know Lucy is in the place we long to be some day and is dancing with Jesus. I take comfort in that. My heart just aches for Kim. I hate that she is hurting and it hate that so many other mothers have faced this same loss and will face it in the future. As a mother I can't even imagine the pain. I am holding on to God's promises today.

Lucy

Dear Lucy,

May 9, 2008 was a miraculous day Lucy, it was the day you were born. It was also the day you went to be with Jesus. But your story doesn't end on May 9th. Your story has only just begun Lucy. Your story has touched so many peoples lives and will continue to do so. Some people who have lived long lives haven't had the impact that you have had in such a short time. When I first saw you in your mommy's arms I couldn't believe how beautiful and peaceful you were. Your mommy and daddy are amazing people and demonstrated such an incredible attitude during this difficult time. When most people enduring the loss of a second child would be questioning God and asking "Why Me?" your mommy was saying "Why not me?" She she saw that your life, however short, had a purpose. She was honored to be chosen to be your mom. You have brought classes of children to their knees, you taught people to pray without ceasing, you taught people that God's ways are higher than theirs,you taught people to be the hands and feet of Jesus, your life and death have brought people to the throne of God. I asked God to show up "Big" the hour before you were born and although he didn't answer my prayers how I would have liked, he did show up "HUGE" He was praised and honored. Tonight on the eve of your celebration service I rest in the fact that our God is in control and He loves us. Tomorrow our family will gather to praise our Heavenly Father for your precious life. I love you Lucy!

Love,

Aunt Kathy

The end is near!!!!

We are busy at the Short household trying to finish up the last few days of first grade. Nathan had his CO-OP Promotion the other night, I have ordered his 2nd grade curriculum, and he is busy planning his end of the year celebration. He wants to go to Incredible Pizza. I really can't stand that place but I will endure for the sake of his happiness. As I reflect back I am amazed at how much he has learned and grown up this year. I am reminded of what the dr's told me in the NICU 7 years ago. They said he would never run and would have significant delays. Well, they should see him now. He is reading long chapter books, writing in cursive, can do all sorts of science experiments, is doing great at math, loves history, is riding his bike with no training wheels, loves the LORD and loves to learn!! We have had a great year and I am so thankful that I got to be with him each day and be the one to teach him. This time has been precious. There have been days I have wanted to throw in the towel and drop him off at school but the Lord always seems to give me an extra dose of grace and we make it through. One thing I have learned this year is to chill out some. This has helped a lot. We all seem to be more relaxed.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for my sister Kim. If you haven't already check out her blog for ways to pray specifically. Don't forget to drop her a comment.

That's my KING

This is my niece. Please pray for her. Pray for Kim, Micah, Ella and Ty. The baby is sick and needs a miracle and we are trusting God for one. We want Him to be honored and glorified through this whole situation. Our God is huge and we are going to walk by Faith not by sight. He is not a God of statistics! He is a God who heals! He is a God of miracles! He loves us and wants what's best for his. I love my God!

I was at my discipleship class on Monday night and they shared this You Tube video. It is 8 minutes long but trust me you will be blessed. Watch it and I challenge you to share it with your friends, especially those that aren't Christ followers.

Team Nathan!

We went to the March of Dimes March for Babies this weekend. It was the 6th year we have done this as a family. It is always a lot of fun and very rewarding. Nathan almost walked the whole way this year. It reminded me of how thankful I am that he can walk. When he was in the NICU I remember the Dr's telling us that he may never walk. I wish they could see him now! This is the last year we are taking the wagon. Next year everyone is walking! Team Nathan raised over $1200 dollars and we want to thank each and everyone of you that donated to such a great cause. We hope more of you can join us next year!!

CATCH AND RELEASE

Can you tell that I am finally getting caught up on my blogs? Today Jarrett and Grampy took Nathan fishing. He was very excited about going out on the boat and picking out his lure. On Jarrett's second cast he caught a big hybrid fish. Nathan helped reel it in until it got close to the boat, about that time Grampy was running for the net, Nathan was running away from the fish. There was a mid boat collision. Nathan crashed into the floor and started crying while Grampy was trying to wrangle the fish. For the first hour he spent his time casting his lure, having a fun time, but then he started tangling all the lines. I don't think it was the relaxing trip they had planned for. Nathan caught the steering wheel, the net, grampy's line, and daddy's and then stuck himself twice with a hook.

After they went in it was time to filet the fish. Nathan had never seen this done before and needless to say it was a bit tramatic. After the first fish was filet Nathan started crying and saying that he didn't want to kill the fish. Grampy tried to reason with him and even used the story of loaves and fishes from the Bible but that didn't seem to help. He got hysterical and had to go inside with Grammy while the big boys finished the dirty work. On the way home Nathan insisted on calling Grampy to tell him that we needed to catch and release the fish because if we catch all the fish there wouldn't be any left. Pretty logical I would say. Grampy told him they only catch the grown up fish and not the baby ones so that there would always be more fish.

Check out my Slide Show!

A Future Vet

Today was Gracie's annual vet visit. Maddie really wanted to go with Jarrett to the appointment. She came out of her room all dressed up like a vet, too cute. Her cousin just sent her a bag of clothes and the vet outfit was in there. Thank you Ally!!

Paradise

We left today for Colorado. Jarrett has been out of town all week, flew in today, picked up a rental car and off we were to Colorado. He has business up there next week so we are tagging along. So we only got half way since he didn't get home until 3:00 today. We stopped at a Hampton Inn in Hayes, Kansas. When we walked into the door of our room Nathan said, "Now this is what I call paradise!" and then he plopped himself down on his bed. "It's got a telephone, a tv, a microwave and a mini fridge, what else could a kid want!" Jarrett and I were cracking up!! It reminds me of how excited I got as a kid when our family stayed at a hotel. My dad would always go out in the morning and get white powdered donuts and a gallon of OJ for all of us kids. If I remember correctly, all five kids and my parents would stay in one little room. God bless them!
We are going to stay with our friends Mitch and Taffy and their 4 kids in Denver. They homeschool as well. Traveling whenever we want is one of the best perks of homeschooling. I told Nathan we are taking a field trip to the Rocky Mountains. I wouldn't want him to think he is getting a week off of school now would I?.

Run, mamma, run!

Today I hit a small milestone. I ran 5 miles around Owasso! Jarrett was chasing me since I spent $140 on running shoes yesterday. (you know I am usually a bargain hunter, I just happened to forget to ask the price before the guy rang me up. I was at the New Balance store where they put the shoes on you and tie them up, I was really enamered with that kind of treatment since nobody ever ties my shoes and I spend half of my day tying my kid's shoes) I haven't really been running a lot during my workouts just a little on the tread mill here and there so I wasn't sure how my endurance would be, but I did fine. My trainer who I work with once a week now wants to kick up my cardio because I am losing inches which is great but I am not losing any pounds. I need those numbers to move on the scale for some encouragement. My metabolism has really slowed down in my thirties which is just darn depressing. I have come to terms that I may never be super skinny but I can be in good shape. Right now I am probably in the best physical shape of my life. I hope I can keep this up and stay healthy because I feel better than I have in a long time.

I'M to Saxy!

Most of you know how careful I am when it comes to what I let my kids watch and listen to. Some people may even say I am a little to controlling but I strongly feel that I am supposed to protect my kids from stuff their sweet little minds can't handle yet. Jarrett and I also feel that as believers we are called to be "set apart". Being in this world but not "of" this world is a constant challenge to many parents, including us. Where do we draw those lines?? For instance, Nathan used to want to watch "Sponge Bob" While we don't think there is anything horribly wrong with the show we just don't think it is the "best" choice for him to be watching. There are subtle things in certain shows that teach our kids to be disrespectful to their parents are desensitizing to their minds. I know our views are probably unpopular but that is ok with us. We are in no means challenging what other parents do, we all have to handle things how God has called us to. Plus each child is different. When it comes to TV Nathan gets sucked in and can seriously tell you word for word what he has heard on a commercial, he doesn't flinch while the tv is on. On the other hand Madelyn plays, draws, and dances around while she watches tv. We are ultimately going to have to answer to Him.

Ok, I didn't mean for this to sound like a sermon. I really just wanted to preserve a funny story. In spite of my good intentions to "protect" my kids, Madelyn heard a song on a cd that I had given her that was totally inappropriate for her barely "5" ears. Several years ago we bought the movie "Shrek" and it came with a free cd of songs from the movie. Madelyn loves to listen to her music in her room and was listening to that CD the other day and apparently the song "I'm too Sexy" comes on. I HAD NO IDEA THAT SONG was on there. She walks into my room and says "Mommy listen to this, I'm to sexy for my shirt, to sexy for shirt, oh too sexy." She was even shaking her hips back and forth. I was trying so hard not to laugh but I couldn't help myself. Once I regained my composure, I asked her to bring me the CD. So she brought it to me and I explained to her that the #5 song was not a nice song to sing when you are 5. I told her that daddy would copy that cd for her just with out that song. She was satisfied with my lame explanation. A few minutes later I hear her explaining to Nathan that she is not supposed to sing "I'm to saxy for my shirt." She goes on to say that "saxy is not a nice word but saxophone is fine to say."