Random Becky

Summer vacation is in full swing, here at the Dell house!

I am so excited about this summer.

Why?

Oh, there are so many reasons!!

This year, homeschooling took it’s toll on me.

We were using a curriculum that was not the right fit for our family.

We finished the year, but I am glad to have it done.

The boys and I pushed through some really tough days

And there were many struggles along the way.

I would say the year was good overall, but the curriculum was not the right fit

And that took a lot of joy out of the year.

I am excited to start school next year as we have some great things planned.

I have washed my hands of the dislikes and I am reflecting on the

Great things that came from the 2011 – 2012 school year.

I had the joy and pleasure of watching Collin

Master the alphabet,

Learn to read,

Count to 100  (one time),

And continue to grow in his love for worksheet work.

This year, Noah showed a lot of personal and educational growth too.

He continued to learn to read.

I have some concerns about his reading proficiency,

But I am really excited with his knowledge of the phonics rules.

He has picked them us so easily and applied them to his daily reading.

He also did a fantastic job of learning many

Additions and subtraction facts,

Counting by 1′s, 2′s, 5′s, and 10′s.

He has also taken to teaching his brother some of the things he learned.

The boys are now 6 and 7.

The days of them waiting for daddy by the front door

Are sadly behind us.

That “waiting” has evolved into them developing games

Or activities they think about during the day and wait for Daddy to

Walk through the door and jump in.

It is a sweet development and a joy to watch.

Every night they still ask daddy if he is,

‘Going to read’ to them that night.

I think this is a funny question,

Because the answer is ‘yes’ 98% of the time.

I would think it would be assumed that he would at this point,

But they ask every day as though it is the highlight of their day.

It very well may be.

They get a boat load of time with me each day,

But evening story time, is daddy/son time.

I find it sweet and endearing that they long for their evening time with daddy.

The end of this school year has left me

More driven for the upcoming school year.

I am eager to order, organize, and implement the new curriculum that

I have chosen to make up our 2012 – 2013 school year.

Eager may be an understatement.

I think I am down right giddy!!

It has also made me want to make the most of our summer vacation.

We have started this week out with a band, with my sister visiting

With her sweet 8 week old puppy.

We have gone

Fishing,

To the park,

On countless walks,

To splashpads,

Exploring,

Hiking,

Run through the sprinkler,

Played games,

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY….

Laughed.

A.LOT!

It has been a wonderful week  and a half of summer fun so far.

I cannot wait to watch the summer unfold.

I am looking forward to a wonderful summer vacation

Creating memories,

Sharing moments,

Learning, growing, and maturing

As a family.

How about you?

Are you looking forward to a fun summer?

Any plans??

I would love to hear what your summer looks like!

A quick hello to start off the post!

Homeschooling has required my full attention lately,

So this here blog had to take a back seat.

I have been busy, and I will post more on what we

Have been up to, soon.

Today I wanted to join the fun over at

Pin For The Wednesday at Momminitup

This morning, Noah told me he needed a haircut.

He said his hair was itchy and he was looking like a girl.

So I got on Pinterest and found a cutting tutorial for little boy hair!

Pinterest Boys Haircut Tutorial

Armed with my clippers, scissors, and brush, we hit the porch.

Here are the pics:

Noah before

Noah after

Collin before

Collin after

I don’t know what it is about Pinterest that makes me think I can do anything I see on there,

But it worked that mojo again I am glad I tried.

As for my absence, I am sorry.

I have missed writing and hope to be back to more posting on a regular basis.

p.s. you can see what else I am pinning, follow Random Becky or dellgirl1

If there is anything motherhood has taught me for sure,

You never know what each day will hold.

Today that was made painfully clear.

We started our day like every other day.

All was going well and Noah had completed a subject so I was spending

Some 1 on 1 time with Collin.

I was erasing a mark that was he couldn’t get to fade away.

Side note, why do the produce worksheets on such high glossy paper

That you cannot easily erase pencil??

Anyway, Collin had been sitting nicely on his knees and

Out of no where, he sits upright on his knees and slams his forehead

Into the point of the pencil.

NARROWLY missing his eye.

Like 1/2″ away from his eye.

Then there was the time when the boys were sword fighting with pencils.

And finally, the most death defying act of the day…

Collin allowed Noah to drape him in a curtain they typically used for

Fort building.

Then he put a pair of pants over Collins Head and proceeded to guide him around his room.

Mind you, I was downstairs in the kitchen, making dinner.

That is when I hear the thump of a body falling down the stairs.

Apparently, Collin wanted to be led down the stairs to show me the stunt.

WHAT in the world??

The boys are 7 and nearly 6.

If there is something else I can count on about mothering,

It is just how fragile and resillent a child is.

I pray the boys think about the incidents that happened today.

I pray they thank God, as I do, that they were not hurt.

I am beyond thankful they are okay.

Know what else I am thankful for on a stressful day like today?

The fact that they are both tucked safely into bed!

Here is a look at some of the creating we have done this winter!

I continued to work on sewing projects.

Noah worked on building models, coasters, and cutting.

Aaron made a volcano w/ the boys!

Collin has become a reader and writer!

*I cut the word “to” out of the pic, oops!*

This is just a bit of what we have been up to, but I thought it was time to

Share a few pics with you.

I hope you have a great day!!

My husband and I are in a time of transition in our lives.

A lot is going on.

A lot is changing.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like change.

I am not good at it.

I get nervous and fidgety.

So today, I am counting blessings and focusing on thankfulness.

I am thankful for:

The relationship with my husband.

The growth I have seen in each of the boys this school year.

The gift of staying at home to raise our boys.

The joy and struggle that is homeschooling.

Hours spent around the dining room table or in the school room, just the boys and I.

Eating dinner, most nights, together at the table.

The promise of spring budding in my yard.

A  to-do list a mile long of home improvements that we can start to tackle.

Reaching our goal of being DEBT FREE!

*Still doing the happy dance of being debt free!*

My parents desire to care for our kids and shower them with love.

My Father in law for deeply caring for our relationship with God.

Friends who sharpen us, challenge us, and love us.

I am even thankful for being made uncomfortable in the winds of change

As God uses it to mold us and make us who He wants us to be.

I will praise the Lord in ALL things.

The Good.

The Bad.

AND The Transition.

My dearest Noah,

Last week you turned

Do you see that, you are holding up 7 little fingers?

Almost 2 hands full of fingers are standing up.

In just a couple months you will complete 1st grade.

Your can tie your shoes,

Read,

Build models,

Draw,

Make scrambled eggs.

And so much more.

You are a sweet boy with a tender heart.

I remember the day I found out you were a tiny life, growing inside of me.

I remember the feeling of love flooding over me and pooling in my heart.

That love still lives in my heart, but is now overflowing.

There are so many things I wish to always remember about you.

The child you are right now, and that you have been through ever stage.

I pray that I have written them well on my heart,

That they will live on in my mind.

This last year has been one of tremendous growth for you.

You are tall, healthy, and strong.

You have begun asking a lot of questions about life too.

Thankfully you haven’t asked how babies are made, yet, but I am sure that is coming.

You want to know when you will be old enough to…

Walk to the library by yourself.

To drive.

To go shopping alone.

To stay at home without a grown-up.

While the answers feel like an eternity away from where you are right now,

I know those days will be here before we know it.

I look at you and see the boy you have become.

You seek truth.

You seek justice.

You seek trust.

Prayerfully, your daddy and I are raising you up to continue to seek those values.

I love you Noah.

I am thankful for you.

I treasure you.

I am thankful that you were fearfully and wonderfully made.

Happy 7 years old, big guy!

Love,

Mommy

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is my 13th Valentine’s Day with Aaron.

He was my first Valentine.

Who would have thought that in 1999,

What our future would hold.

We have experienced many special moments together.

We have shared countless laughs.

We have laughed until we cried and cried until we laughed.

I am honestly not sure what brings you closer to someone,

Joy or pain.

It is hard to tell.

Joy brought us together,

Pain taught us about the sustaining love of Jesus Christ,

And commitment keeps us going.

I am so thankful to have a husband like him.

He is not perfect.

I am far from perfection.

The truth is I feel exceedingly blessed to be married to a man of God.

It is a priceless gift and such a blessing.

When Aaron and I started dating,

We used to play a little game called

“I love you because….”.

We take turns completing the sentence.

Sometimes they are silly things,

Sometimes they are hard things,

Overall, it is a way for us to focus on the little things in our relationship that

Makes our marriage and love unique to us.

We have extended this game to our children and they love it!

When they were little(r) they wouldn’t say much.

Now they dig deep and share why they love us.

It is precious and I love it.

We all do!

It is a great game to play in the car, especially when tempers are starting to show.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s day!

How great is our God????

He is amazing!

I am so thankful he is not finished with the work he is doing in and through Susie!

I figure she can say it best, here are her words:

“

“I am alive, in recovery with quite the headache. My two greatest fears/prayers have been answered in that the baby is also alive and I still have my speech, as well as my personality and ability to smile. Thankful for each one who was there for Ben today I’m the waiting room and through prayer. Undoubtedly, this was way harder on him than me, as I was unconscious all I know about the tumor itself is that I do have cho wafers on my brain which indicated that the tumor did show some signs of malignancy. Still , God is in control and through His love and mercy, all must be well! I am so thankful that my husband is here lying beside me and that my parents and Johnny could see me doing well before they headed home to be near the kids. Can’t wait to see them again after I look a little less scary “

I write this morning from the comfort of my favorite house,

With my favorite little boys in arms reach.

My husband just left for a day of work.

We are having some morning cartoon time before school.

Today is just like every other day.

One thing is different.

This morning my heart is heavy for a dear friend

Who is currently undergoing surgery to remove a baseball

Size tumor from her brain.

She is the mother of 3 children and pregnant with her 4th.

She and her husband Ben are missionaries, serving full time

With Athlete’s In Action.

They love the Lord.

They trust in Him completely.

I am thankful for that.

Please join me in praying for their sweet family today and in the days to come.

I will post updates as I have them.

God bless.

P.S. You can check out their blog here:

http://www.benandsusiethomas.com/

This is Noah.

In the picture above, he was helping me lay out quilting pieces.

He is always helpful, really.

He loves to help cook, clean and fold laundry.

He always has, and I am so thankful!

For the last couple of days he has been thinking about

Some pretty deep things.

Questions I am answering openly and honestly.

I don’t know why he is thinking about these things,

But I am so glad he is talking to me about them.

Yesterday he asked me a lot of question about the baby I miscarried.

His sibling.

My first child.

He wanted to know, what happened.

He wanted to know how big she was.

He mentioned how long people live and how our baby

Only lived a short while.

He want to know how the doctor “got the baby out of my belly”.

How the baby died.

What the baby looked like when they took her out.

Where the body was.

The questions came as if being projected from a machine gun.

The bullets hit my heart and penetrated.

The sweetness of his honesty softened their blow.

The thoughtfulness and innocence fell like a salve on my wounds.

I was honest, I didn’t belittle the gravity of the situation.

I told him the baby, died and that we didn’t know why.

I told him there was not much of the baby left when they removed her.

I told him I honestly didn’t know what they did with the baby.

While my thinking has changed and I have moved through the grief

And consider it a joy to have felt the signs of life growing inside of me,

This question was hard for me.

I wish that I would have properly buried my baby.

However, I live in the reality that there is nothing I can do about that.

God has showered me with His perfect peace and allowed my healing

So I can openly talk with others about the loss.

Praise God.

In addition to this conversation,

Noah wanted to know:

“Who made God?”

“Do people grow up in Heaven?”

“Do babies go to Heaven?”

I love his sweet heart.

I treasure our conversations, silly or deep in thought.

I am thankful, beyond words, for my sweet boy.