First Day of High School

I am not sure who was more excited about this day, me or Zander.  I am sure the excitement and mix of other emotions were different for he and I, but emotional none the less.  Zander's thoughts were of his first soccer game scheduled for tonight, seeing friends, and navigating through the high school.  My thoughts, however, are much deeper.  Am I parenting Zander the way God intended?  Will Zander have a successful academic year?  What will his focus be?  Is Zander going to extend the love of God, even in difficult times?  Will his maturity grow exponentially this year?  Will he learn to gain more confidence?   Will he have the ability to juggle a full schedule this year, without the prodding of mom?   I had a hard time sleeping last night as these questions rattled around in my mind.  I was also thinking back to Zander's first day of kindergarten.  He was so independent and yet, still needed mommy.  Today, he is still that independent little boy and although he needs me, he will go out of his way to not let me know that.  I try to quietly sit back and watch him grow, learn, and embrace his new life as a high schooler.  It's hard to do, but sometimes less advice and less hovering is better.  I know God has a plan for his life and I rest in that. 

Beau is always saying that Zander and I are just alike.  If that is true, then I sincerely worry and pray diligently for Zander.  I made so many mistakes, like many teenagers, and REFUSED to listen to my parents (even when secretly I knew they were right).  I was fortunate because I grew up somewhere in my early 20's with only a few cuts and bruises along the way.  But Zander? 

Zander's school allowed a "trial run" yesterday for freshmen only.  He and I were both very grateful for that as it seemed to ease his nerves.  He had the opportunity to meet his teachers, learn where his classes were located, and just get some of the first day jitters out of the way.  He came home yesterday with a huge smile on his face and lots of enthusiasm for this school year.  I only hope he has even just a glimmer of that enthusiasm left by the end of the year. 

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First day of kindergarten

 

First tooth fairy money

 

Cub Scouts

President's Report for school

Disney

Birthday

First school dance- 7th grade

Conway, NH

Sea World

Soccer!


 

Siblings....before Carter

Day he was baptized

 

So, I sit here while everyone is still in bed asleep and pray and look at old "first day of school" pictures and wonder where the time went. Now go Zander, and be the salt and light in your school. I love you and I am proud of you.

Summer Fun

School let out for summer on June 21 and all my thoughts were consumed with coming up with enough things to keep the kids busy for the summer.  I really thought it was going to be a long summer and that the weeks would pass slowly as I tried to be creative with things for the kids to do. 

But here I am, the summer almost ending, school beginning in a few days, and I feel like I blinked an eye and it's over.  It's like a blur.  A 120 mph tornado.  I feel rushed to get things ready for school and to finish tidying up the house in preparation for 4 boys being in school this year (woo hoo by the way). 

Our summer had a great mix of exciting adventures and some laid back family time.  It began with a visit from my parents followed by a visit from some dear friends from Florida.  There were many dinners on the back deck as we enjoyed the evenings (until it began to get too warm).  I simply detest the heat and I am not sure how I survived as long as I did in Florida.  Beau dislikes the heat almost as much as I do.  Many days were spent with the boys playing in the sprinklers and eating Popsicles at their picnic table under the swing set.  Speaking of the swing set, the boys became quite active on their new set that Beau built and we have definitely received our money's worth on that purchase. 

 

Later in the summer, Zander spent a week at scout camp and had a wonderful time.  He worked on earning new merit badges and got plenty of chess playing practice with the staff.  I think he secretly enjoyed the chess playing a smidge more than the boy scout stuff, but either way, he had a good time. 

After Zander returned from camp, I celebrated my 40th birthday.  This was a harder event than I had imagined.  I remember at 30 spending the day trying to hold back the tears.  I am not one of those strong women who look at their age as simply a number.

  I wish I did have that outlook because it would make turning older more graceful. But I vowed to not cry at 40 so I didn't.  Although I was a bit gloomy, I kept it inside.  Beau really went out of his way to make me feel special, as he always does.  Dinner and movie date night and a beautiful necklace made turning 40 a little easier to swallow.  

Soon after, I flew to Florida (without kids or hubby) to spend a few days with my parents and friends.  I worked hard at getting the house in excellent condition, the refrigerator stocked full, and all the laundry washed and put away.  It was only 4 days, but I packed it as full as I could and I got to see just about everyone I wanted to.  Beau did a fantastic job keeping the house in order (mostly) and the kids well nurtured while I was away.  He's a great daddy. 

A day after I returned from Florida, Zander had an opportunity to fly to his "other home" too.  He had a great time spending days in Daytona with Beau's grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  In fact, he was spoiled.  It was like he was an only child again with all the attention he received.  He got to play games with MaNew and help her feed the animals.  She lives on a large 10-acre piece of land with lots of critters to tend to.  His aunt and uncle took him fishing, they taught him to use a compound bow in archery, and they climbed the lighthouse in Ponce Inlet. 

The last half of his trip he spent in Jacksonville with my parents. 
There again, he was spoiled.  They took him clothes and shoe shopping for school.  What a huge relief that was for me!!!  His stuff is so expensive now.  He bought some new books, went to the movies, and hung out in their pool.  One day, he even got to invite a couple of childhood friends over for a short reunion and time spent in the pool.  Zander is so fortunate to have lots of family and to be so loved. 

One of the highlights of this summer was a day spent at Canobie Lake Park.  It's a small theme park about 45 minutes from our home.  We had a blast that day.  Zander roamed the park by himself some of the day so he could ride the "big" rides and Beau and I let the little guys ride things appropriate for them.  We opened the park and closed it down.  The kids did great.  However, we found out from one of the park employees that we had chosen THE busiest day of the year to come.  Oh well, we still had fun. 

The most special event this summer was when William accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.  Beau came home for lunch and he and I prayed along side Will as he asked Jesus into his heart.  Sweet, sweet time. 

This summer, we also celebrated Carter's adoption day.  It's been 2 years now that he's been a Bennett.  We celebrated William's 6th birthday.....however, his actual party was 6 weeks later.  That will be in a later blog (when I finally get around to it).  Zander had his braces removed and he made the high school junior varsity soccer team.  In between all of that stuff, we fit in school physicals, continuing to organize our house, completed additional interior painting (still much more is needed), trips to the movies, neighborhood party, and every day life with 4 boys.

All and all, we had a great summer filled with many new memories to be cherished for a long time.  But.....I am READY for school to begin. 

William's Birthday Splash

I am so far behind on my blog....as usual.  William had a special birthday this year because it was his first "party".  In the past, we have had very small family gatherings to celebrate our birthdays.  Although those kind of celebrations are quaint, low key, and intimate, William desperately wanted a party.  I'm not a Chuck E Cheese kind of parent, although it does have it's merits.  No clean up, no planning, and kids are entertained.  However, places like that the kids spread out, the parents don't have the opportunity to visit with other parents, they are dark, noisy, and germ infested.  Being a summer month birthday, Will misses out on classroom celebrations at school.  He was so excited that we were finally going to have a "real" birthday party.  The planning of his party began in April (well, Will began planning then).  I, on the other hand, put this together in late July.....already weeks after his actual birthday.  I know, pitiful on my part.  But somehow, my summer got away from me.  We had 3 trips out of town and Ollie had surgery and so on and so on.....and all of the sudden the first day of school was nearing and poor Will had been 6 years old for 6 weeks before we had his party. 

So, a Star Wars party, of course, was finally scheduled and on the calendar.  I even had nice invitations printed up and we ordered a store bought cake for the occasion.  Such simple pleasures, but for William they were firsts for him and were very special.  Since it was a summer party, we ordered an inflatable water slide for the kids.  They had a blast and this was one of the best parties we had ever hosted. 

We had a great system.  Beau help post at the bottom of the slide to catch the kids as they landed into the pool located at the end.  Zander stood at the top of the slide to make sure only one child went down at a time.  I was in charge of chatting with the other parents, which I love.  Only a few classmates were able to attend the party as many of them were still traveling with their families for summer vacations, but Will had a wonderful time.  I think he will remember this party for years to come. 

 

William

Madeline

Oliver



Carter

Zander (yes, the big kids liked it too)

 A little boy can never have too many Legos!!
 

Happy Birthday my sweet Will Will.  We love you very much!!!



Going Home.....to Florida

This past August, I flew to Florida (without kids or hubby) to spend a few days with my parents and friends. I worked hard at getting the house in excellent condition, the refrigerator stocked full, and all the laundry washed and put away. It was only 4 days that I was in Florida, but I packed it as full as I could and I got to see just about everyone I wanted to. My dearest friend, Cami, put together a dinner party and invited families from our church where Beau, Zander, and I were baptized. This was such a special evening. This little church only had a few families and we met for about 3 1/2 years, but it was during this time that we grew to love each one of them. It was under the direction of our dear pastor and friend that this church existed. God had his hand on that church. We may not have grown in numbers, but we grew spiritually. We will always have a special bond with these families. We met each week in each other's home and shared a meal and spent time in the Word. We shared some of the most intimate times of our lives with these friends. We encouraged, loved, supported, prayed, laughed, and cried with these dear friends. Those 3 years will always be one of the most memorable times of my life. Our reunion that evening during my visit was nothing short of wonderful.

The Franklins

The Mickles

Part of the Rices

Cami and I enjoyed our annual birthday lunch (our birthdays are only 2 weeks apart) at a small restaurant that we love. As always, great conversation and time to catch up. We still talk regularly on the phone but our conversations are interrupted. On my way to pick up or drop off someone, on her way to an AP event, in between soccer, guitar, ballet, church, school, homework, doctor's appts, ....well, you get the point! So to actually share a meal with just she and I and to have NO interruptions is special in itself.

I got to see a special friend, Pat, that I used to work with many years ago. She is so inspiring because she is well into her 70's, still works (because she wants to), she and her husband (who is in his 80's) still go camping and kayaking, and stay active with their church. Despite our age difference, I have always had a sweet relationship with this lady.  She is quite an inspiration. 

My friend Pat and her husband Neil

I shared a meal with my friend, Wendy. Wendy and her husband, Bob, is the couple that Beau and I attribute our becoming Christians. Bob and Wendy and their 4 children are such a fun and loving family. Bob and Beau coached soccer together and it was from the sidelines that we could see something different about their family, but we didn't know what it was. We later came to realize that it was their faith. When you have a genuine love for God your joy literally oozes out of you.  They invited us to their church and the rest is history. You never know what will happen if you simply invite someone to church. God works in such big ways.

Bob and Wendy Nones, along with their 4 children

Another dear friend, Lauren, put together an evening at her home where she invited several of our friends from my college (and early Zander) years. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter the time spent apart, we can always reunite with no awkward moments or lapses in conversation. We reconnect and pick up just where we left off. I enjoy these ladies. We used to meet regularly (you know, before we all started having kids and busy lives). We may have even been known to get dirty stares as we shared much laughter around the table at Olive Garden. To this day, I'm not sure why the manager didn't ask us to leave. We have always enjoyed our times together. The stories and memories were just as funny now as they were when they originally happened. Lauren and her husband Tony just bought this beautiful home that had a pool and hot tub. A couple of the ladies left, the the rest of us enjoyed drinks in the hot tub......for hours. We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning continuing to catch up and enjoying each other's company. My friend Tina and I spent the night (well, what was left of it) at Lauren's.  A grown up slumber party!!! 

Lauren and Tony

Tina and Bobby

Best Buddies:  Tina, Lauren, Shanon, and Betsi

My last day there, I got to spend some sweet time with my friend Patty.  I always enjoy being in the company of this lady.   She is easy to talk with and be friends with.   She is such an encourager and loyal friend and I am lucky to know her. 

Patty

And of course I spent time with my parents.  It is always nice to return to the home where I grew up and shared so many great memories.  It's safe, comfortable, and relaxing.  The home has changed so much over the years as my dad has continually updated the interior and has taken on small projects.  Dad becomes antsy if he doesn't have some project to tinker with to keep him busy.  He is very handy and doesn't shy away from trying something new.  I love that about him.  Of course, he always somehow ropes my mom into helping out in some way.  They are quite comical to watch together. 

I am so thankful for my relationships with these families and I sincerely appreciate that my husband understands my need to go home occasionally.  Until our next visit......