Thoughts and Life...

Life goes on as normal around here lately. Thus the reason for no real blogging going on around here.

I've started my second to last summer of undergraduate work. I'm so excited to be so close. I keep checking the status report thing that Liberty offers, just to make sure that I haven't made a mistake somewhere and am suddenly missing 20 credits or something. I know, a bit irrational, but it's all so exciting. I'm taking a teaching practicum class this semester, and I have the opportunity to go work in a friend's classroom 4 mornings per week. I'm learning so much, and it's been a lot of fun to get back into the classroom. I am looking at my options for the credential program. I think at this point I am planning on going to a Chapman University which will allow me to get my credential without having to drive an hour each way for classes because it is in Yuba City. I was planning on doing the Project Pipeline program which would allow me to get a job as a district intern teaching math as I work on my credential, but because of the current economic situation in California, I am not sure if that is the best direction to go anymore. I can't see a district jeopardizing their NCLB (No Child Left Behind) status to hire non-credentialed teachers when there may be an influx of credentialed teachers who are being laid off because of budget cuts to education. It's all very up in the air still, but I need to decide what I am going to do in the next couple of months.

Chris has been working on family and friends' computers in the last couple months. I think that he enjoys it and it gives him something to do while he's home for the weekends. I am so proud of him and everything that he accomplishes. I am so thankful that God has given me such a great husband who is willing to do what he can to help out around the house, oftentimes without my needing to ask. He's great about taking Char and Josh into the other room or outside to play while I work on homework over the weekends, and he pitches in around the house too. Thank you husband for all that you do for our family. Thank you Lord for such an amazing husband. I am so blessed.

Charlotte has been up to her usual antics lately. She is talking so much more and getting more and more personality. I went to pick her up from the childcare at the church the other night after my bible study and she started whining, when Gramma Suzie (the childcare director) asked her what was wrong, she started wiping away her imaginary tears and sniffling while she told Suzie that "I'm just so sad. I don't want to go home!" All she needed to do was pretend to faint for her Oscar in the category for most dramatic 3 year old. Then at dinner the other night, she was sitting in her chair and looked at Chris and I and said, "I'm so high!" Not what a mother wants to hear come out of the mouth of her child, no matter what age. Oh she makes me laugh.

Joshua is two. My baby is two! He is trying so hard to be like his sister and is so funny as he does it. He's starting to recognize that letters within words have a name, though most of the time, all of the letters are "o" or "u". He is also starting to recognize some of his colors. His favorites by far are "ello" and "dreen". Everything is either ello or dreen. He's so good-natured and easy going. He takes after Chris in that. It is my prayer that he continues to be so easy as he grows up, and that God would give Chris and I the wisdom to help him grow to be a man who represents God and lives for Him.

We just hooked our alarm system back up. We've had a couple things come up missing from the house and the other day we had a man "casing" our house. He asked what door we use as our front door, and because I'm home alone at night with the little ones, I feel more comfortable with that alarm. The same person who was casing our home came back the next morning and stole about 4 large garbage bags worth of recycling Chris and the guys at his work had collected for recycling. Thankfully the guys were understanding and Chris did give them most of what was left to recycle. It stinks though that it happened, and I hope that it is all over now.

I know that I keep saying this, but I am trying to make a conscious effort to blog more often. So much of the time I really have nothing new to share, so I keep quiet. I'm going to try and change that (not by having more to blog about, but rather to share what I've been learning in life, or share different insights that I've come across lately). So to start that off, I'll share a bit of insight I got last week from my mentor teacher at the elementary school. We are expecting a large tax refund this year and were talking about how we were going to spend it. Chris and I were discussing getting a new HDTV for our living room. However, I got sick a couple weeks ago and ended up going to the emergency room. Long story short, I ended up having a flu bug (the ER doc diagnosed it as a urinary tract infection) and a very large ER bill. We decided that a TV was not a necessity and that we should be adults and pay our bill rather than spend the money elsewhere (i.e., the new tv). Anyway, Renae (my mentor teacher) made a statement about the tv being a weed. When I looked at her, confused, she said, it's a want that isn't necessarily a need. I really liked the idea of needs and weeds in regards to the "stuff" that society feels that we should have. As a christian I need to be thankful for the things that God gives me, and a good steward of the resources that he entrusts to me. So, most of the refund will be going to bills and savings. We are planning on doing some things that are fun with it, though we're not quite sure what those are yet.

That's about all that is new around here. The kids are up from their naps, so I better get back to them and I need to start dinner. I hope that you are all blessed and I will update again soon!

God Bless!

The Rameys