Ch-ch-changes

The end of the school came and went so fast, if you blinked, you may have missed it. We made many great memories over this past year and the last day of school were no different. Acilia's class knew she would not be returning next year, so the teacher gave her the class "horse" puzzle. So appropriate because they know her so well and know she loves horses. The teacher also had each child in Acilia's class sign a card for her. We will cherish it. It brought me to tears, so very sweet!! 

I took the same exact picture on Acilia's first day at St. John's in 2nd grade. This is her on her last day of 4th grade/ last day attending St. John's

Miles on his last day of preschool. He saw this bear at Walgreens and insisted since he's a "Graduate" that he should get that bear. 

The end of this year was HEAVY though. I had been praying for and hoping for major changes so our family could feel more stable and more like a family.

A little background to that comment. Al is a self employed electrician. He works whenever the calls come in, which most of the time is around the clock. Take last night for example, he was up at 1:15 in the morning, to go work at a bar (have to work around the bar hours you know!), then went on to complete a full day of work and walked in around 6 PM. Other times, he will work a full day, come home for a few and then pop out again for an emergency call. Those are just a few examples. Bottom line, he's never home during "family business hours" and most certainly isn't home for dinner, however, when he is, he's usually not hungry because he's in the habit of having a late lunch because he doesn't like to eat when he's running around busy. So, family dinners go out the window. This house is our first home and we had no idea what we would want in a house. What I miss, is an eat in kitchen. Our home is all "boxed rooms" meaning, no open concept, or seeing into another room from one room, so the idea of eating at a TABLE with ample seating for everyone feels like a dream! I hear all of the time how family dinners are so very important and I fully agree, however, that is a non existent thing in our house based on Al's schedule and our eating accommodations. This needs to change. I dream of it changing and I am not sure Al's schedule is going to change anytime soon, but as a mother, I have the desire to atleast sit with my kids while we eat. Well, when are *are* home in time for a meal that is homemade, here's how it goes, the kids get their food first, they retreat to a place to sit (usually in the family room with the TV on) *MOTHER OF THE YEAR RIGHT HERE!!* and then I get my plate together and sit down on one of the 2 bar stools in my kitchen, I have the TV and the computer in front of me. I take a few bites, then one of the kids comes in for their second helping (or their dessert depending on how much they disliked the dinner, which is a common occurrence). I sit down again to take a bite or two and then the second child comes in. We get into a "grind" sort of attitude during the school year. My 2 hours a day driving schedule for Acilia's school was going to be done, because Acilia was going to be starting at a new school, closer to home (part of my master plan to simplify our life). However, I did something, at God's urging of course, I signed Miles up to attend school where Acilia was going. It feels 100% right, but at the same time, he will be attending half day Kindergarten next year, and that means I will be spending my mornings close to the school (20-25 mins from our house) so I don't have to drive home and turn around to pick him up. Craziness! I am wired for craziness though. As much as I crave "stable, quiet, stay at home mom" I go stir crazy if we stay home too long. I mean if I am home for a whole day without getting out of the house, I am pacing like a caged animal! ! So, finding a balance of out of the house and home to enjoy being domesticated, is a FINE line. One I have yet to find. In the meantime, the school year has ended. I wasn't ready for this. My kids are both meeting major milestones next year and I was holding onto the school year for dear life, which is not like me! I wait for summer all year long! Miles attended the same school for 3 years. He "graduated" and will start Kindergarten at a new school next year. (Cue the teary mom!) and then Acilia finished at her school and will be starting MIDDLE SCHOOL next year. She has been in private school her whole "career" and will be going public next year, which means school buses and "scary, mean" kids. Ha ha! Not really, but my mind is having a field day with this, and I know it's paranoia at it's finest, but there is a small (big) part of me that wants to take my kids and run for the hills and hide out somewhere and home school! Wow! This post is all over the place! See what happens when I don't blog my thoughts for a while? A big jumbled up mess of thoughts!

On top of all of that, our home is officially for sale! I've waited 5 years for this and it's here! We've had one showing in two weeks on the market and I know God will be gracious to us and His timing is perfect.So the lack of "traffic" in the home hasn't been too unsettling. As crazy and jumbled up it seems on paper, it all actually makes perfect sense and the timing is perfect too! I feel at peace with our choices and I know God is leading us through this.

We have started fun summer activities! We started the summer by going to a local arboretum that we love!! I actually signed up for a membership while we were there, so we can enjoy going a lot more. 

On top of the predicted numerous arboretum visits, Acilia will be leaving us for 5 days! She leaves on Father's Day and comes home the day after her 10th birthday. This will be her first big trip away from home and she is going to a Christian Horse Camp. We *know* she will be in good hands, but my mom heart is having trouble with this one! She will be away from us as she celebrates the milestone of turning double digits. Plus she has dealt with separation anxiety for a few years and this is a HUGE step! I am so proud of her, she has really blossomed over the last year, so I trust that she will enjoy her time away!! I pray the time passes quickly :) 

On top of all of that news, Acilia has started horse lessons at a new barn. The class is more advanced, they focus on cantering and jumping. She LOVES it, it's a great challenge for her and overall, we've been very happy with this new change. However, it's just that. Another change. We loved the barn she took her lessons at and then like a snap of a finger, we found this new barn and made the change, because we knew this opening was a blessing and we had to follow it!

Acilia's life long passion is horses!!

Life is crazy, but it's good!