Sunday, November 20, 2011

Happy Birthday Simeon!

Yesterday, Simeon turned seven years old.  Seven. I actually asked him last week if he was sure he was going to be seven because somehow, in my mind, I was stuck on six. But no, seven.  Seven wonderful years of Simeon. I could not have imagined who he would be when I first held him in my arms so many years ago.  And I know I cannot imagine who he will become.

He is happiest when someone will play football with him. He sighs and resigns himself to playing by himself when he can't convince anyone to play with him, but he still plays. He has two Vikings jerseys and two more on his want list. And oh, how he struggles with losing.  He is getting better at coping.

He is a typical middle child in that he is a peacemaker, but sometimes he just gets tired of making peace and loses it. Self control in his emotions is a struggle for him.  I love that, in spite of those times, he's the one who plays with and gets along with everyone. He seems to unite the family. One of my favorite things about Simeon right now is that he giggles. Somethings strikes his funny bone and he disolves in giggles and it is hard not to laugh with him.

Simeon doesn't necessarily reveal how he is feeling about normal, daily events. It's hard to tell if he is excited about something.  His heart is tender, though. You often see him with tears in his eyes when someone else is getting in trouble. He is quick to apologize to me when he feels like he has done something that upsets me. He loves to read a children's Bible at night. Out of the blue, he will share that he really likes something. And he loves to be at home.


Dear Simeon, I am so thankful that God gave you to me as my second son. You have added so much joy to my life and I love spending time with you. May God continue to mold you into a man after His own heart and use the gifts and talents He has given you for His glory. I love you.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Meat in the Freezer

This morning I am grateful for meat in the freezer and meat waiting at the butcher's to be ground.  Joel spent 6 hours yesterday butchering 3 deer that we received from a friend.  My meat supply had all but run out, so I am thankful to have meat to choose from again.  I am also grateful for the hard work my husband puts in each year to provide for our family in this way.  He enjoys hunting with all his relatives in December, but it is also a lot of work.  I cannot imagine having to pay at the store for all of this good, healthy meat that we enjoy throughout the year.

It is also apparent that my children are growing up.  Everyone except Lucas went with Joel to "help" with the butchering for a few hours.  Most of the kids played, but Josiah was thrilled with the whole process and when I went to pick them all up for supper, he was showing me how he could run his hands along the loins of the deer.  Thankfully, I have come a long way and was able to watch him do that without gagging and even feign excitement!  He was also in tears when I told him he could not stay for the rest of the butchering.  Oh, and Lucas was all excited to see the deer hanging and wanted to pet its' ears.  Oh my. . .

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Report cards

Report cards came home Friday.  It is always interesting to see what the teachers have to say.  Joel and I both laughed out loud at one of the comments on Ezra's report card.  "I have noticed that Ezra is on Ezra's time and works at Ezra's speed which is not all that fast."  Yes, we have also noticed "Ezra time". . .The teacher is confident that it is something she can work on with him.  I, on the other hand, am at a loss as to how to speed up Ezra time!