We're Still Here

We are still here. Although you'd never know it from the length of time that has passed since my last post. Things are GREAT....just super busy. Both girls are doing so well in school. We love their teachers. They are making lots of friends. There are NO issues with crying! That is huge for us!

Once a week I help in Allie's classroom and then I stay for lunch. The girls' lunch times overlap so I get to eat with both of them at the same time. It is wonderful!

Our activities are in full swing. Lauryn is taking piano and Allie is in soccer. L is also asking to take gymnastics again, so we will see. We had to take a break from Girl Scouts this year, which was hard because our troop was so much fun. But it is so important to us that we don't run in circles, and that we have at least two nights during the week where we're not rushing to get somewhere. While they are young, we're going to try to keep it as simple as possible.

I am actually blogging this morning because Allie is home sick! She has a cough and a fever, but otherwise acts fine. It's disappointing because it was "mommy day", which is the one day a week where I would typically be at school volunteering all morning, then eating lunch with the girls. So we're a little bummed, but what can you do. I love being able to be at school to volunteer. I have two positions on the PTA board this year, as well as being room mom in both girls' classrooms. Plus my job at church...things are definitely busy!

Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to. Lauryn loves piano. Seriously loves it. We never have to ask her to practice...she does it on her own. Her teacher said she is easily on a fourth grade level and "was born to play the piano".

Here she is squeezing in some practice right before bed the other night.

Allie is loving soccer! She has become quite a bit more social since school started. She used to be pretty slow to warm up in new social settings, and would rarely talk at school or at soccer. This year she has completely come out of her shell!

Here she is socializing before the game :)
Allie definitely gets into the game. And the best part is that as she runs after the ball as fast as she can, she always has a smile on her face!


After the game....excited for the snack :)
Brent has been working so hard on growing a garden in the backyard. We had a few tomatoes and some "crispy" bell peppers (when it was 105+ degrees week after week this summer, the peppers weren't quite as fresh as they might have been :)

BUT...the okra survived. That plant grew like nothing we have ever seen. For months it just kept growing, but there were no signs of okra.

*Side note...we put my grandma's bird bath in the backyard right by the fence. We have lots of family memories of Grandma's birdbath! It's so nice to be able to have it in our own yard.
So anyway, one day we started noticing flowers on the plant. And then the okra grew.

And it wouldn't stop.

So we took full advantage of the harvest, and made our own homemade fried okra!

I can't even describe the difference in this okra and any other okra I've ever had. It was amazing. Hopefully we will make some more this weekend!
I want to document this day so I will always remember it. Today my grandparents' house will be officially sold to another family. When my grandma passed away in May, we knew this day would come at some point. It doesn't make it any easier. My grandparents moved into that house when my mom was 3 years old. They lived in that same house until the day my grandma died.

My girls have fun memories of their great-grandma's house, which makes me unbelievably happy. One of the best memories they have are of the ladybugs. Every single year when we would visit, they would go on a ladybug hunt...and they would find them every time! Sometimes they would find one on the upstairs porch. Other times there would be one on the corner of a step on the staircase.

This summer, when we were in her house for the last time, my girls went searching and as always, found their ladybug.

I want to always remember this next picture. This is the okra plant in our backyard. We put my grandma's bird bath right next to it several weeks ago. I have never seen a ladybug on this plant (or any other in our yard) until last week.

There are times when I know God is there simply because of my faith. But there are other times when I know He is there because I can physically feel Him.

Despite our grief and how very much we miss my Grandma, I know God is faithful and keeps His promises. I know she is in heaven, waiting for the day when we are with her again. In these times of sadness, especially today when we have final closure of her life on this earth, we can be comforted knowing that she is still with us.

Every time I wish I could talk to her to tell her how well Lauryn is playing the piano and how well Allie is doing in kindergarten, I will remember that she already knows. And she is smiling.