What a week!

This rainbow is what we saw outside the front of our house this afternoon. It was so vivid and beautiful. I almost didn't capture it because I was fumbling around with my camera! LOL It was truly a beautiful gift and one I needed to remind me of the promises of God after a week of interesting moments.

This has truly been a WEEK...one I am not wanting to re-live for a while. I played "catch up" all week because of my being out last Friday for the field trip. There were some issues I had to take care of at school on Monday and everything snowballed from there. Monday was also a pretty hard day because while I was talking with Wesley and Mikayla's teachers she revealed to me that she felt they needed another year in Kindergarten. While Steve and I had been discussing how they were both struggling in certain areas, to hear someone SAY those words to you can hit you like a jolt. I was crushed as a Mother, but was totally understanding what she was saying as a Teacher. I cried and cried but knew in my heart another year was what they needed. Steve and I talked about it that night and just had to absorb what was going to happen. I truly had a peace about it once I picked my chin up off the floor, but that night I cried..no...sobbed..myself to sleep. I questioned everything about ME as a parent and what I could have done differently to allow them success. I must say, though...I just don't think I could have done it differently. I realize maturity, which is the issue of them having to repeat, is something we can never know. I wanted my children to be CHILDREN and not be forced to grow up quicker than they would anyway. I believe Steve and I made the right decision with allowing them to enjoy those years at home with Miss Pearl without the worry of extra things. I still worry that next year will not show improvement, etc...but that is the Mother in me talking. As a teacher I KNOW they will grow and improve but the Mother's Heart overides that most of the time. I have had moments all week of knowing we made the right decision and the next minute doubting it. God has given me peace, though, and that is what I know is the true test of what we are dealing with here. We will put them with the same teacher next year as well. They both love her so much and we feel she could tell us how far they have come. We are not telling Wesley and Mikayla until school starts back in the fall....they are too young to understand, anyway.

The rest of my week hinged on that news. How could it not? Most every day I spent thinking of all that would happen next year and that affected how I functioned. I don't want a lot of people knowing so I kept it to myself except for the few people I chose to tell because I cared about their thoughts. It caused me to feel disorganized this week. I felt like I was walking around in a fog or something. I was glad when Friday came.

Thursday night my brother and I went to see the Ten Tenors. They are a group of men who sing BEAUTIFULLY and perform as a Broadway show. WOW...even though I was tired I didn't want their singing to end! It was wonderful and I highly recommend it!!

On Friday it was a BEAUTIFUL day in the 70's! Apparently this will be the last of that for a while (which I am glad because I really would like some snow! HA!). It seems February is going to bring us much colder temperatures. It will be interesting to see how the plants that are already starting to bud out will survive. I know they will take a "beating."

Since it was such a beautiful day yesterday I decided to go to my Uncle's farm that is about to be torn down and take some pictures. I enjoyed trying to capture the big as well as the small things. I took 133 pictures! (thank goodness for a digital camera!) I had the best time trying new things and capturing my heart and emotions through the camera. I didn't have as strong of emotions as I do with OUR farm, but they were there. As I was walking around thinking of how things are changing so much around here I couldn't help but shed a few tears. I was teary-eyed for a while afterwards too. I love farming and old things and wish those things didn't have to be torn down. I knew I needed to preserve part of my past even though it was not one I visited daily as a child. I am wanting to make a scrapbook for my aunt to have of the pictures I took of the farm. I'll be sharing some of those pictures along with our barn pictures, etc...as the weeks go on. I took these pictures as the sun was setting. The vertical one was taken before the horizontal one. I wanted to create a somber setting for those as they were some of the last I took... I guess saying that the barns/silos are a "shadow" of what they used to be. It really is sad. Of course, some people just don't see it that way.

I never realized I could love photography as much as I do. It is thrilling to see how the picture can turn out exactly as you think it should or even WORSE. hee hee.. I am learning so much by watching the settings I make produce a picture right in front of me with my digital. It has been a great learning tool.

My brother and I scrapbooked again today. I am still working on Christmas pages...will I EVER be done with those things. Ha!! I only have a few more to go, I guess. Life is just so busy these days I just don't get a chance to do it as long as I would like. (It doesn't help that this digital camera MAKES me want to take more and more pictures..hee hee)

Well, I hear some Hershey Kisses calling my name. We couldn't have a fire tonight because it was so incredibly windy so I'll just have to imagine.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. I am trusting the Lord will show you His peace in ways you never thought He would.