Revolving Door

Well, have you ever felt like life had a revolving door?  Sometimes people go in and out of our lives and sometimes it is just in and out of the house.  Feeling a little of both right now.  Mr. B has been in a conference since Wednesday and is on his way home right now, probably won't get here until really early morning.  Prissy B is leaving tomorrow to go to church camp until Tuesday.  She is super excited, and I am so glad she is getting to go.  Not so glad that I will have to drive 2 hours on Monday to pick her up and bring her back for a Tball game (it's the playoffs and I don't think it is fair to her team to not be there) and then Mr. B will be taking her back right after the game while I go to Bible Study.  Then she will come home with the others on Tuesday afternoon, and has either the Championship Game or the Consolation Game on Tuesday night.  I'm not complaining, just thinking about all that is going on this week.

In other news, after being inspired by another blogger (and real-world neighbor) I have read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  What a deep book.  Gonna start working on my list of 1000 things tonight.  I have also still been doing the Bible Study with the ladies at church, and my own devotions.  It is amazing how much peace and how much more calm life seems to me.  Even though we haven't slowed down, and I have so much on my plate, I am losing the feeling that I need to control every second of every day.  I am starting to sleep a little better, and the headaches that have plagued me for years seem to be slacking off a little bit.  I am also noticing changes around the house that amaze me.  I am managing to keep the house clean (well, as clean as I can with a 2 year old, 7 year old, 32 year old, and a cat) and am enjoying doing it. 

Mr. B has been loving his new job and I am so glad he is happy.  We will see how the next few weeks go, when he actually has to be there all 5 days instead of going off to a conference across the state, and hopefully get our new routine down.  Last week I got to get up and make breakfast for all of us and pack his lunch for the first time, and I truly enjoyed it.  It actually made me head into work with a different feeling. 

I know this is starting to get sappy, and for that I apologize, but if you are still reading, thanks a bunch.  Now, with no further ado, I will start my list.

Sweet hugs shared between siblings

Kind words for her little brother coming out of a nightmare

Mothers who will do even the most simple tasks with you

Video chats with Mr. B when he is gone

Getting some more stuff for the birthday parties out of the way

Amazing ladies that I work with

Giggles over Veggie Tales movies

Being "liked" by Fireboy B today (yesterday I was not so lucky)

Amazing babysitters who really care about my kids

Coca Cola (Yep, gotta have it)

Ice Cream trips with Mimi and Pappy on a hot summer night

Songs about Ravioli that make Fireboy B's eyes light up

Coaches that do not pressure Prissy B to get back for the game

Quiet times at night in my corner

#1-14

New Beginnings

Well, this is going to be a week of new beginnings for our family. Mr. B worked his last shift at the fire hall on Saturday, and begins a new job tomorrow. His new job will be a Monday - Friday 8-4:30 job (for the most part). This is a huge source of excitement for us since he hasn't been home at night consistently in 8 years. The kids are super excited and so am I.

Our new program at the church, Bookworms, went really well this week again, so I am very pleased with that. Prissy B is going to be doing another Hip-hop dance camp this week at the dance studio. She loved the one she did earlier this summer, so I am sure she is going to be super-excited about doing it again this week. She is also headed to church camp this weekend. She is super excited, and I am excited, but a little nervous for her. She will be gone for 4 days, the longest she has ever been gone that wasn't with family. I know she will have fun though, and she is growing so much in her faith right now that I think this will just open her eyes even more to the wonderfulness of God's love. Fireboy B will have me and Mr. B all to himself this weekend, so there is no telling what we will end up getting into.

I am amazed at how much the Bible study we are doing is affecting me. I continue to have a new peace surrounding me. It is amazing to me how just 20-30 minutes of dedicated time for me to read and commune with God each day is having such a huge impact on my life. I am finding myself to be easier on the kids, and I feel less irritated all the time. We are still busy, but I don't feel panicky about it anymore, and it seems to be easier to deal with when things pop up. I think I may be, slowly but surely, learning to let go of the control that I have felt that I needed for so long. I don't know how things will end up, but for now, I am loving the new feelings that God is bringing into my life.

Speaking of which, it is late, and I need to do my study and devotional for the night. Goodnight.

Hello again!!

So, it has been a while since I last posted. As usual around here, life gets in the way. Between Prissy B and Fireboy B and the activities that Prissy B has been doing, and my work on my Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, it has just been crazy. We have had some great goings on here in the B house.

Mr. B just got a new job!! No more firehall shifts around here. A nice normal job, involving what he loves, just on the education side.

Prissy B has had a busy summer as well. She is playing T-Ball and doing incredibly well this year, has done theatre camp through her dance studio, hip-hop camp through the studio, and is doing summer dance as well. She will also be going to a church camp next weekend for 4 days (her first time doing that!!) and will do a dance camp with the high school the next weekend.

Fireboy B has been busy running back and forth to Prissy B's activities, and enjoying his summer. We are hoping he will be potty-trained soon (he is making pretty good progress on that), and he has loved practicing ball with Prissy.

The whole family participated in VBS at church earlier in the summer. Mr. B does the slide shows, I do the music, and the kids had a blast. This year, we decided to do the full musical that came with VBS, so that made for a pretty busy week. The kids we had did amazing!!!

I have had a pretty packed summer as well. I am still working at the church and loving it!! I also wrote my Thesis this summer and was insanely excited to get a 100 on it!! I have been working on a new church directory at church and last week started a new Story Hour for the children of our church and community. We have had a great turnout at our story hour, having 31 kids last week and 21 today. We had several new kids today, so next week may be our biggest group yet once some of our families get back from vacation.

Outside of all that, we have been really concentrating on spending more time as a family and I have been concentrating on making a little time each day for myself. I am doing a new Bible Study with some of the ladies at church, and it is really hitting home.

For now, I am going to go spend a little more time with everybody before it is bedtime for them. I leave you today with a special prayer request. Please pray for Aiden Gentry and his family. They have received some very devastating news this week. If you are interested in reading his story, go to http://www.caringbridge.org/aidengentry.

Hope to be back on here more since things are going to be getting a little less hectic.