Happy Graduation ~ Happy Birthday!

Today was a busy crazy day! We went to Friday School, the last one for this term. I am glad that it's over - because now we will have some more time with Rod, because he won't have to work odd hours to make up his 1/2 day on Friday morning for Friday School. Yet, I will miss all of my Friday School friends sorely.

Today is Jed's Birthday. We took him and 11 friends to Chuck E Cheese. Don't really know how that all happened but it did. I had gotten some coupons from CEC that I had saved thinking that we might do that for his birthday - and ended up using them. The lady let us use each of our two coupons 3 times ~ saving us a TON of money. Although, in order to save money, you often have to spend quite a bit (or none at all).

So, you all know we do cakes for the kid's birthdays - we did a TWINKIE cake for Jed's birthday! Jed hadn't decided on a cake a couple of days before & we were in the car talking about how we all love Twinkies - and I said well, Twinkies are really just cake with a cream filling. Then Jed asked if he could have a great big Twinkie cake. Uh, yah, that's one I'm sure we can do! Done, did!

Today also happens to be Display Night/Graduation for First Class Skagit County. It was a good display night. Rod gave out Chess awards. Josiah & Jedediah both got silver medals in their grade level round robins. Isaiah got a bronze - which he was totally surprised about. Hopefully that will be a good memory for him to take home to Mexico...

For displays for Display Night, we took two of our display boards from History Club. They were well liked. The one that got the most attention, was the one we thought of last - the Skagit Men's Garden Club one. Josiah and Jedediah are both the youngest members of SMGC and I had Josiah write up a diddy on what they do with the club and on the upcoming plant sale. Then I put pictures on it from plant sales gone by. The display board is one that I actually made for the Garden Club to put up at the plant sale last year, for advertising & education. It was so well loved, that the guys asked me to update it. So when I updated it, I added in the boy's info - which I will have to switch out for the plant sale in a couple of weeks.

Josiah though, stood and talked to numerous people about what he does with the Garden Club. It was really good for me to see him standing there, talking like a grown up about something that means so very much to him. Made momma proud!!!

Then at the end of the night we had graduation. 2 teens from our First Class Graduated! It was fantastic! It felt so much like a real graduation!!!! I have often had fears about wanting a real graduation for my kids - and not knowing how to realize that dream. Well the Uptain Family & the Rogers Family showed all of us tonight that we can have real graduations that feel ceremonial enough to pass for a "Right of Passage" moment. I loved it! I love Julie for showing us that my dream for my kids can be real. I'm thankful to Christina for putting all of the effort in and caring enough to do Graduation & Display Night for our kids. I'm thankful to Trevor & Kayla for showing us that there are teens that are willing to graduate from homeschooling - Teens with character. I want to give each of them a big hug again! So proud, so proud!
Copyright © 2009 by Zindra Nelson

So, It Is True

I've been pretty quiet the last few weeks. I've been dealing with a lot.

A couple of weeks ago, I went in for my 10 week ultrasound, which is standard. They check to see if the baby has a heartbeat & if your conception dates are correct and there is none, you end up miscarrying... well, I went in and I was definitely pregnant, but there was no fetus in the sack. I don't remember, they call it something. So, I found out that I would be miscarrying.

I know, I know, I have four kids. But somehow, it was still incredibly sad. The loss. It hurt so much... and then there's the loss of time - the last 10 weeks, I've been tired and sick and feeling like I haven't been giving the kids as much time as they need and they haven't been getting as much done as they should with their schoolwork. And somehow, it seems as if it's all for naught.

Somehow, I'm just trusting in the Lord that it is somehow not all for naught. That there is some sort of purpose to going through all of it.

One thing that it has shown me, is how much support I have around me with friends and family. Friends have called, emailed and left facebook notes. Friends have stopped by and others have brought food. With First Class one thing that Rod & I have really strived to create in general, among our group of friends there - is community. And somehow, we have been the lucky recipients of that community.

I have miscarried once before. About 9 or 10 years ago. Between Josiah and Jedediah. With that pregnancy, there was a fetus with no heartbeat. Although, then I didn't know what to expect, and miscarrying was much harder.

A few days after the ultrasound, I did miscarry. This time, the physical side of things seems to be more difficult. Pain pills were my friends for a few days.

Telling the kids was probably the worst of it all though. They really wanted a sister or brother. Julia still doesn't understand that I'm not having a baby.

Don't be surprised though, if you hear I'm pregnant a few months down the road - it's still on my heart to have another baby & probably now even more than before.
Copyright © 2009 by Zindra Nelson

This is a card I made online, for my Mom for Mother's Day...
I love trying out new creative things to do online...
This one was cute, but not super easy... I do like the results though.