As the new year is beginning I thought I would reflect on 2010, think about what is going on right now, and what might be to come in 2011. The first thing that comes to mind when reflecting on the past year is how much the boys have changed. Hayden went from being 6 mths old to 18 mths old so of course a lot of changes took place. He began walking at 11 mths old in May and in June we celebrated his first birthday. We had a cookout with family and close friends. Since then he has learned to jump right in there with Daddy and Isaac when they wrestle, is feeding himself more and more, and has in the past month started to say more and more words. I feel like he is on the verge of saying a lot! He tries a lot of words now and really seems to pay attention when others are talking to see how to say a word. He understands a lot and is great about shaking his head yes or no when you ask him a question. Isaac went from being 3 to 4. Isaac became a big brother when he was 2 1/2 and has been a great big brother ever since. He didn't show as much jealousy as I thought he would and he really seems to enjoy Hayden. I think he has my love for little ones. Sure there are times as Hayden has gotten older that they will fight over a toy or both want my attention at the same time, but for the most part they get along great and I love to watch them interact. You can already see the love and the bond that they share. Hayden adores his big brother and Isaac loves his little brother. This past Summer Isaac became quite the swimmer! He has always loved the water. We were going to try and set up swim lessons with someone that Terry works with, but that never worked out so Terry just taught him different times that we were at the pool. Terry's parents' house in Tallahassee, Florida has a pool so he got a lot of swimming in there. By the end of the summer he didn't want to wear his swim vest and was jumping off the diving board and coming back up to the top of the water by himself (although we always made sure that one of us was close by in the water). This past Fall we decided to continue building his swimming skills by signing him up for lessons at the Collins Hill Aquatic Center. I probably signed him up for too basic of a class, but I didn't want him to be in over his head either. Another milestone for Isaac was starting preschool this past Fall. He goes Mon, Wed. and Fridays from 9:30 to 1:30. At first he wasn't too crazy about saying goodbye each morning. Most parents drop their kids off in front of the school, but you can also walk them in to their classroom. He was fine if I walked him in, but he didn't like for me to just drop him off outside. I think he didn't like seeing me drive away. There were some tears shed, but he pretty quickly got used to saying goodbye whether I walked him in or dropped him off. He is loving school and his teacher, Ms. Heather had a lot of positive things to say at the teacher/parent conference in the Fall. She said that he always reminds her of things she needs to do and she said that he is one of the brightest kids in the class. I know there have been many more wonderful moments in the boys' lives over the past year, but of course I can't cover them all now and now that I am blogging I can record more of them in the coming year!
When I started thinking about Terry and I, I first thought well we haven't hit milestones, we haven't changed in the past year, but then I quickly remembered that there have been significant moments in our lives as well. I really believe that God is working on both of us. This past Fall I decided that I wanted to plan a Ladies retreat for our Bible class. I did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I knew that I needed a weekend away and that many others needed one as well. Although a little stressful at times I really enjoyed planning it. We had a great time! Also this past Fall our friends Brent and Robin who have been Upreach leaders for our Bible class for the past 6 years (with help from different people at different times) asked Terry and I if we would take over this role. They had been fulfilling this responsibility for a long time and needed a break. I love organizing events, I love our class, and I wanted them to have a break so I was anxious to say yes, but didn't want to do so unless Terry was on board. I knew that he was having his busiest, most stressful school year that he has ever had so I wasn't sure if we would want to take on another responsibility. He knew how much I wanted to do it and agreed to take on this role with me. Well, right after we were asked to do this an announcement was made at church that our long time preacher had been having an affair with the previous children's ministry leader. This was a big shock to all of us, but I was proud of the way our elders and everyone handled the situation. For many of us instead of turning us away from Campus this renewed our commitment to this church family whom we love. We didn't want this to tear us apart, but instead make us closer and stronger. Robin and Brent decided that it wasn't the right time to step down as Upreach leaders and committed to leading with Terry and I. Our friend Taylor who had been teaching our Bible class was asked to preach in the auditorium so Terry stepped forward and said that he would teach. He said that being asked to be an Upreach leader and then with what happened with our minister he felt called to take a leadership role. He spent many years when he was younger working in youth ministry and now works in a leadership role as a teacher and head of his department at GACS so for the past several years he was happy to let others lead at church. He said that he thought many times, the men in our class should step forward and teach. He realized that it was time he stepped forward and took more of a part in our class. He has done such a great job as a leader and a teacher. He has walked our class through the Experiencing God book. He has a great way of getting his point across with music and stories and takes in everyone's comments as well. About a month ago Terry was asked to become a Deacon at our church. I am very proud and blessed to be his wife!
Well, I took quite a bit of time talking about the past year so I will try to make my present and future thoughts a little shorter. When I think about what is going on right now it is what has happened in the past year continuing. The boys are continuing to change and I love watching them grow (although I wish they would slow down a little bit!) Terry is going to continue to teach our class and we are looking forward to continuing to lead in our class. The women's ministry leader asked me to be a small group leader for our upcoming Spring retreat for our church. This is something that I have never done before. I am a little nervous, but mostly looking forward it. As I mentioned earlier, Terry is have a very busy year and it has been pretty stressful for him so we will both be glad when it is over.
The future, hmmm...I really don't want to make predictions because that has gotten me in to trouble in the past. See I like to plan and know what is going to happen and how it is going to happen and when it is going to happen, but I have learned that it is best not to make plans, but instead watch and listen for God's perfect plan for our lives. I have found that when I make plans I get caught up in how I think things should go and get a false sense of being in control. However, when I completely put things in God's hands I see things work out perfectly. As many times as I have seen my plans fail and God's succeed I still have many moments where I try to make plans and be in control. You would think I would have learned by now! Why are we so thick headed and slow to learn! Well, fortunately God is forgiving and willing to give us as many chances as we need to get it right so I will keep on trying to give up complete control.
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