1st Day of Preschool!

I'm a little behind on this post........ok a week to be exact! Last Tuesday was Mackenzie's first day of preschool. We had been talking about it a lot, and she would go back and forth from wanting to go and then wanting to just stay home with mom. I hope she never wants to leave me, but I am excited for her for this time in her life. I can't wait to see what it does for her, just getting out, being with other kids and taking authority from someone else on a consistant basis.

Anyways the day came.....her backpack was packed (about a month ago), new clothes on (I loved always getting new clothes to wear the first day of school), and off we went!

I am picking up a little boy from daycare a couple days who is in Mackenzie's class. He is so funny!

My big girl at her desk....oh that is so wierd to say. I really can't believe it, but so excited for her at the same time.....I know she is going to love it!

Kate was enjoying herself while the kids were getting acclimated for a couple minutes.

In the end we walked away with no tears (from either end) and when I picked her up she says "I like preschool" as she skips out of the room. I asked her what her favorite part was.......recess! Isn't that every kids favorite thing in school?

Second day of preschool........ The first day went too fast! Now her favorite things are recess and free play!!! Are they learning anything or is the learning so much fun they don't even realize it. ;)


FYI: due to my starting a post and not finishing it till later, some of my posts have gotten out of order, so if you care to scroll all the way down (past ones you have already read) you might find a new one!!!

Midwest Old Threshers

This past weekend we got to enjoy our first Old Threshers experience. Living so close growing up you would think that is crazy, but it is just one of those things we never did. Now that we are residents we feel that we need to get into the tractor, steam engine spirit! Actually we wanted to see what the hype was all about. At the school where Mackenzie is going to preschool there is a lot of opportunity to volunteer and one way was to work 2 shifts at the Jr/Sr funnel cake booth at Old Threshers and you got the week pass for free. Well if you know me, I am always up for a challenge and making funnel cakes sounded kind of fun along with the free pass of course. The celebration started off with a parade the wed. before filled with tractors, cars, horses and steam engines galore!
Thursday after my shift my sister came up to go with us and after a late dinner.....the food is my favorite part (I had to let the girls try the funnel cakes so they knew what I was making)......we walked around a little and rode on the trolley! By the time we got on the trolley it was too dark to see anything. So we didn't get to see much that night, but hoped to go back.

Aaron and I did get our first date since we moved on Sat night....my sister and brother in law watched the girls while we took in the second best part of Old Threshers.....the concerts. They always seem to bring in pretty good artists every year. We saw Phil Vassar on Sat by ourselves and then Sun night after my last funnel cake shift we took the girls to Collin Ray and Restless Heart. They were all fun to watch and of course sing along to some tunes from back in the day! We enjoy a little country now and then! All in all we think we'll try it again next year!

Football

It's that time again.....fall is in the air (already) and the football stands are filling up. Football is filling up our schedule more that it use to. One of my brothers is a senior looking to play in college and my little brother is now in junior high.....the big time! My brother in law is a HS football coach close by us, our family is sponsoring 2 football players from the small college in our town, and we are fans of our state teams.....divided family! Our bottoms and backs are getting adjusted to those awful bleacher seats.

.......Well this is how the post was going to start as of a week ago. Now it goes something like this....

"I don't care how good he plays, I just pray that he doesn't get hurt!" That has been my prayer along with many others going up for my brother Brock and God chose to answer that prayer in a different way. I believe it was the right answer in God's big picture, but from our small view it hasn't been easy to understand. Last Tuesday in practice he was "cutting" (football lingo?) and heard a "pop" and went down. History has repeated itself once again and if you have been following along on my blog from the beginning you might remember that this isn't the first....second....or third time this has happened.....it is the fourth time he has hurt his knees playing football. God has been gracious and healed Brock from the previous injuries. With hard work and dedication he has come back to continue his dream. This being his senior year and fourth surgery....he tore his ACL, a little meniscus and has a tiny fracture on his tibia......he most likely will not be playing again. Once again God has reminded us that He is in control and sometimes our plans are not His. Needless to say it has been a hard week for our family adjusting to this new reality. I have to be honest and say that my first reaction was to question God....."Why?" He is such a neat kid who has worked SOO hard for something he wanted SOO bad. "God you know the desires of our hearts?" I have never seen a High School kid work harder than he has with such a determined spirit. As my "little" brother he has been in inspiration to me along the way. The way he sacrifices his time, help leads his team, perseveres through all the injuries, the example of Christ that he is to his peers and his heart of humility through it all! I know in the end through all the questions and tears that God has something so much more amazing in store for him that He has chosen a different path for Brock's future. God never said that life would be easy and when we put it in the grand scheme of things......as we have friends battling terminal diseases, and friends that have lost loved ones.....we have so much to be thankful for! The time that God has given him to be a light and witness for him our there on that field could be exactly why He took him down this path. Brock has allowed God to shape and mold him into the man that he is today.....a man of integrity! And for that we Praise you Lord!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11