Journey With Jen

My babies are so big.  Okay...well, guess I should #1 stop calling them babies.  (even though they can still act like it at times!)  But, every time I do family pictures, I realize it even more! Joey is 16 now, Luke is 14 1/2, and Faith is 11 1/2.  It seems unreal to me in so many ways.  How did all those years go by so fast?  When did they get so old?  Luckily, I don't age as quickly as they do!! ;D I hope that you get pictures of your family this Thanksgiving.  And, I hope that your table if full with family around and abound with delicious food for all. 

Can you believe that it is already this time of year??  I looked at the calendar and it is hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving.  This Thursday will be my first of the Thanksgiving meals that I'll prepare.  It's turkey and dressing day at school, so I'll have over 400 servings to prepare.  Geez!! Of course in the midst of the holidays, we still must fund-raise!  So, we figured that we could help you out as well.  :)  So, we are once again doing our fall fundraising bake sale.  Joey will be baking once again!! You get to enjoy!  I know that everyone wants something homemade for Thanksgiving, just let Joey do the cooking.   Two Layer Chocolate Cake:  $20 Snickerdoodle Bunt Cake:  $15 Two Layer Red Velvet Cake:  $20 24 Butter Croissants:  $15 Homemade Pumpkin Pie:  $15 Please let me know what we can help you with.  Thank you for supporting our fundraising efforts! 

God has put this one my heart for a while, but I've really, well, put off talking about it.  It seems that lot of people recently have switched over to the home-school idea and don't give our schools the praise they deserve.  Public schools get a bad rap.  So, here are my two cents.  Take it what you will but if you have something negative to say, I'll just remind you that we all have a right to our own opinions and this is just my own.  These are just think from my perspective. When my children were smaller, I was a big reader to them.  As they grew, I taught them A, B,C's and numbers.  I taught them sounds for each letter so we could put together words.  Even beginning addition.  Before kindergarten, Joey knew all of that as well as could write his name and color in the lines beautifully.  Luke did have a few learning issues but I worked even harder with him.  Faith was even reading BEFORE kindergarten.  She was 4 years o...

My little 5 pound baby boy has turned into a 16 year old!  Well, Monday is his birthday.  It is just hard to believe that he is in 10th grade just two years away from graduating!  :(  Can we stop time for a little while and let me just enjoy these days while I can?  Once school starts the busyness increases.  Band practice twice a week after school.  Friday night is high school football with (of course) the band.  I just want to enjoy these years with him.  Not rush through them.  I love this picture of him.  Monsters Inc. was the first movie that I ever took them to in the theater.  I look at this picture of him and Mike and think of the first time he saw it in the theater and was amazed how big the screen was!  I've been teasing him that for his 16th birthday that I would throw him a Quinceañera.  He always tells me that he is not Mexican and it's the wrong birthday.  :D Faith is still fundraising for ...

Back to the busyness of life.  School.  Band practice.  Soccer practice.  Game days/nights.  Meetings with the school for this or that.  Church on Wednesday nights.  AAAhhhhhhh!!!  I love those few and far between nights when there is nothing. Now, those nights are even filled.  We have kicked into fundraiser time.  My oldest son, Joey, is a tuba player in high school.  This coming summer they head to New York City and play at the Statue of Liberty.  How awesome is that???!!!! Parent meeting for that trip is this week.  Then my daughter, Faith, played in some 3 vs 3 tournaments this summer.  They placed high enough to where they are invited to play in Disney World in January.  I know...how awesome, right? Well, both of those trips will have some pretty price tags along with those opportunities.  We've started a few school fundraisers for band already.  I'm sure this week, I'll have to sign up for ...

there will be days like this.... my momma' said.... Remember that song?  Life.  Sometimes life gets in the way of the happy ending. Life.  When your alarm clock goes off, you walk in the dark hallway, and step in a mess your puppy left you.  Those days when you are so tired, you fall asleep at 5 p.m. on the couch, then wake yourself up by snoring too loud.  Of course, that's when you look around and the kids are laughing at you, then make the mistake of asking for supper afterwards.  (that was a fend for yourself night!) Life.  It's not always easy.  Our jobs.  Our kids.  Even their things.  We have so much pulling at us daily.  Those days when I wake up with a headache... I am already taking Tylenol before my day has really begun.  Not a good sign! I watch old shows and wonder what it would be like to just slow down for a while.  The kids weren't in a couple sports plus extra curricular activities like ...

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.   But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."   1 Peter 4:12-13 God never said that our life would be easy. He warns us that it won't be.  We were at Target and my oldest, Joey, found a t-shirt that he really wanted.  It said, "May your life be as interesting as you pretend it is on Facebook."  When did we start covering everything up?  Glossing over life so that the image looks better? It's not real.   After all of the small talk, then what happens?    I get so tired of fake things. My kids laugh at me because I can just get through growling at them for something and a second later, answer the phone is the most pleasant voice like everything is fine.  (they, of course, do this when my normal mood h...