Life Goes On......

It seems to me like the summer just FLEW by! Where did it go?  I have no idea!!!  How is it that sometimes the days are long, but the years are always so fast?!  I now have a 12 year old!!!!  And a 1 year old!!!  As well as a newly turned 8 year old!!!! And a 10 year old who is already counting down the months until his birthday in February! It is hard for Jacob when he is the only one who doesn't have a birthday in the 2 week period at the end of August--beginning of September, but once February gets here and he is the only one with a birthday he will enjoy it very much!!  In addition to the 3 kids' birthdays this summer, I also celebrated a birthday of my own and Ben had one too. For some reason I am still older than he his.....he can't seem to catch up to me--or pass me for that matter!  We are only about a month and a half apart, but he never lets me forget that I am older!  We have now started the routine of going to school.  The kids are in the 4th week of school now and I think we are getting it all figured out!  Benjamin wakes me up at 5:30 so I can change his diaper and nurse him back to sleep (yes, he still nurses in the morning).  I wake Ben up at 6:00 so he can get ready to go to work. I wake the older 3 kids up at 6:30.  On the mornings I feel like being a good mom I fix them breakfast.....all other mornings they get cereal. I am ashamed to say that I have only been a good mom for 3 mornings out of 3 weeks of school.  Well, hey I average 1 morning a week! Now that I look at it that way, it's not too shabby!  Thanks to Papa (who lives next door), he has been taking all 3 of them to school. They leave at 7:10 and he gets them all dropped off by 7:45. It helps me out so much because I don't have to wake Benjamin up to take the kids to school. He usually sleeps until 8:30 or 8:45.  It also gives me my quiet time with God in the mornings....and trust me I NEED THAT!!!  I feel so off-kilter when I don't get it, and it can ruin my entire day.  Ben has been working 7-3, so he picks the kids up from school and brings them home. They usually get here around 4, and Benjamin is always so glad to see them! Cole is in the highest level of band at his school, so he has sectionals on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30-5:15 which sort of throws a kink in things as far as driving in to town so many times, but it isn't too bad. Today he said he is just going to go to the band hall after school and stay there until sectionals starts, then I will pick him up at 5:15.  He is growing up sooooo fast!!!  I am not sure if I am ready for it.  Jacob's year started off rough.  He is new and it is a new school for all 5th graders because it is the first time that all of them are on 1 campus. There are multiple elementary schools, but only 1 5th-6th grade campus, and 1 7th-8th grade campus, then 1 highschool.  Anyway, several kids have been calling him names like 'tubby' and giving him a hard time about being a big kid. That is very hard for Jacob because he is very self-conscious about his size and 10 year olds have feelings too!  It makes me so angry that kids can be so mean.  I think things are getting better or else he just doesn't tell me anymore, but Jacob has such a big heart. I pray for him to do well and not give up no matter what others are saying or doing around him.  I pray for all of my kids every day. It is a tough world out there and I want my kids to know God, love God, experience God, trust God, and believe God in everything. I know I am not always the best mom and I am far from perfect, but I hope that one thing I do right for my kids is pray for them and give them back to God.  I am so blessed that He gave them to me.