Oh how I've missed blogging....

Hello friends. It's been a while since we met via my blog hasn't it? I guess since it's my first time back after a little blogging hiatus, I will catch you up on where my little family is now. So much has happened but I will try to keep it short for time sake.

Jeff has just started his last semester at Mizzou. He will graduate in May and I'm so proud of him. Working two jobs, going to school, managing being a GREAT father and husband, and volunteering what little time he has left to run sound at GracePointe hasn't been easy. Many nights his family is in bed sleeping while he is burning the midnight oil doing homework. He won't know what to do with himself when he doesn't have school anymore.

I have started back to work after being blessed to be a stay at home mom for 11 1/2 years. I now work 29+ hours per week at GracePointe Community Church. I find myself wearing many hats just as I did while being at home with the kiddos. After two years of homeschooling we put all three kiddos into public school. They have made the transition much easier than their momma. On the rare occasion that I get a day off and am able to be at home, I find myself wondering around an empty, very quite house. Managing working more outside of the home, singing on the worship team, volunteering at the kids school, and taking good care of a household has had it's challenges. Gone are the days of waking up late, getting paid to teach Jazzercise, going home to have lunch and then getting a few hours to myself while my babies slept. However, I'm really trying to just enjoy this season in my life. Enjoy the age my children are now. I am even trying to enjoy the fact that I have very little free time because it means they are keeping me busy with fun things.

Emmitt (11)has grown into a pretty fantastic young man. (He looks more like a teenager now than a tween). He is really enjoying school and made friends very easily. He made his daddy proud by learning to play the Saxophone this fall. In December he took Second place in the schools spelling bee. (Gained a few grey hairs watching him participate in that let me tell ya). He's always been a smart boy but lately he amazes me. He is averaging a 400+ page novel every other day now.

Careleigh (10) is having the time of her life at school. She looks forward to picking out her outfit and fixing her hair for school everyday just like a teenager. She has done really well in school and had manged to be a great help to her teacher. Sadly she stopped dancing after 8 years. She wanted to try other things. She started Gymnastics a few weeks ago and will be starting piano shortly. In her free time you will find her curling or braiding the hair of a doll head that she got for her birthday (Just like what stylist use while they are learning to fix hair in beauty school).

Delaney (almost 7) is the funniest little girl I have ever met. I have had more than a hand full of talks with her about having a "filter" for her mouth. She says WHATEVER is on her mind, nice or not. She was given a goal of reading 100 books from the time that school started until the end of the school year. To date she has read 240 books and still going. Her teacher (who we adore) stopped me on Friday to tell me what a bright little girl she is. She said her vocabulary is out of this world and her hand is always up because she always knows the answers. My favorite and most important comment is that she has Christian character traits with the other children (whew, doddged a bullet on that one). She also stopped ballet and decided to start Gymnastics with Carleigh. The first night she was already doing flips. The sky is the limit for that red head.

That's the last year and a half in a nutshell for us. As I join the blog world again I just want to give a little disclaimer. I don't have life, parenting, working or motherhood all figured out. Just last night I couldn't sleep because my mind was full of to do lists, goals and flashbacks of my little angel babies. What I do know is that I'm perfectly imperfect. Hopefully we can help each other on this journey called life. I enjoy feedback and would love to hear any topics you might want me to blog about.

Have a great week and remember when God created you he said very loudly "Ta Da"!

Marsha