07/06/08

These daylilies are some I took while I have been working on telling all about our trip. I have taken quite a few pictures in the last little bit so I have much to share. :) Our daylilies are from my cousin who used to have a daylily farm. That is the farm that has since been torn down and made into a shopping center and town homes. Am I bitter about that? Oh, not at all... you all know nothing like that bothers me. he hee Anyway, when she had to move, she brought over these glorious beauties. It has taken a couple of years for them to root in well and become established. I have noticed that one set of them are much more numerous this year and just beautiful. I'll be sharing lots in the next weeks.

I am still learning how to work with my tripod and camera. I am finding my new tripod is much easier to work with than my other one. It is allowing me to get more detail that before only gave me the look of "hand shake." ha!!

We went to Steve's Dad's house yesterday and the kids got to fish. They have come a long way in their fishing since Steve began teaching them when they were small. They both caught some pretty big catfish and Wesley even caught a bass. I have showed a few pics of that.

I love watching the kids fish. I never did it as I was growing up because Daddy never really had time to fish with the dairy farm. It also isn't "his thing." I always want to make sure that Wesley and Mikayla have experiences that I may not have had. I sit back and tell them to keep trying something and to do their best at it. I still can't help them much when they fish... and I certainly do not do well with baiting the hook or taking off the fish... but I encourage them to look at their Daddy and listen to what he is teaching them. I want them to be well-rounded.

I am continuing to learn that being a parent means learning to let go and let them be who they are. They may make some mistakes, but I had to make many myself and learn from them. I find sometimes I am hard on the kids because I truly don't want them to have the same problems I did or to struggle in areas like me. Well... isn't that what true learning is all about? Like I tell my students "In order to learn it, you have to EARN it..." Sometimes earning the learning means making the mistakes before you finally "get it."

I learned this past week to continue to see Wesley as a little boy who loves life and loves learning... just not necessarily "book learnin' "right now. I have got to keep in my head that just because he is Mikayla's twin, Mikayla is a girl and is going to grasp some things quicker just because of the "girl factor" and he is a boy... so need I say more???? I still find it hard sometimes to separate the teacher from the mother. I'm learning, though. That picture of him from behind where he is fishing is so perfect of him and his personality. Take life as it comes and enjoy the moment. I love that about him.

I am watching Mikayla become this funny little girl who cracks me up. She has really been working on her responsibilities with a happy heart this summer. She is as strong-willed as her mother, so it takes time! I am watching her with this cross-stitch, that overall looks like cross-stitch but isn't quite perfect. Of course, it is supposed to be that way!! This is her first time... she is learning something new. I know a lot of what I feel is because I only want the best for them. I just have to keep it all in perspective.

I know God feels the same way about me. He sits back patiently after showing me something knowing full well that I am hard-headed and it is going to take me a few times to finally learn the lesson from Him. In our Sunday School lesson today our teacher talked about what I desired for myself this summer.... to "Be still and know that I am God...." He talked about Ecclesiastes 5:2 - Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. In other words - listen to God and keep your mouth shut so you can learn what He desires for you to learn! How many times do I go into my Bible reading with a zillion things on my brain and I don't "listen" to what He is trying to show me? I think of the times I am in church and my mind wanders off on something the pastor has said and I fail to hear the other things he has said. I know sometimes I am off in a moment in my mind that pertains to what God is showing me, but if I allow myself to wander too long I miss a blessing. I continue to see that I am not much different than Wesley and Mikayla!!! I am just thankful for a loving God Who has patience... much more patience, understanding, grace and mercy than I seem to have a lot of days.

Wesley was so precious to me on Friday. He is so visual and catches new things or sits and thinks about things that most people don't. (For instance, he asked the other day what happens to the clouds when the sun goes down... Well.... hmmm. It is like I know they are blown by the wind and sometimes turn into bigger clouds or dissipate all together, but to have an eight year old ask you something like that was kind of wild. lol He told me I should have known the answer because I was a teacher! Goes back to what I said above, huh?) Anyway, getting back to Friday. He came into the office while I was on the computer and began staring at something. At the time I just figured he was in his "thinking mode." Finally he starts saying softly and slowly "Mom, I know why you wanted to marry Dad..." (I see now that he is looking at one of our wedding pictures that is framed.) I asked him "Why?" He answers back softly, "Because you LOVED him!" That did more for me in that minute than I can describe. He is exactly right. I DO love his Daddy more than words can say. That is the best gift someone can give a child... to love the other parent with all of your heart. What security.

Speaking of my sweet man, he is having to work tonight. We are missing him. We are having a storm right now. I am so thankful! We are in desperate need of rain again. The kids are in the den playing... Mikayla has been cross-stitching and Wesley is playing with his Lincoln Logs building some type of farm thing I imagine. :)

May your day be blessed and may you find time to be still and know Who God is.... and keep your mind focused on what He is trying to teach you. I'll be doing the same.