My Blessings

In my opinion, I have the best kids in the world. I mean that. I have been completely blessed. I have often heard that once the teenaged years start, the poop would hit the fan... I'm still waiting for that to happen. I have two teenagers and one pre-teen.

Erin

My oldest, Erin, is sixteen. She sometimes gets a little moody, but she is such a good girl that i often overlook her moodiness. She always bounces back pretty quickly. Erin has a type A personality. She reminds me a lot of my sister. She always wants to do things perfect the first time she tries, she is completely organized (the direct opposite of me), she takes great care of everything she has, she is a straight A student working to become valedictorian of her senior class, and she is very sensitive of the feelings of others. This weekend she is going on a church retreat with her best friend Jessica. It will be the first time she has done this and she paid her own way. I truly hope that she and Jess will have a wonderful time, and more importantly, open their hearts to whatever God may whisper to their hearts. I am so proud of the relationship i have with my oldest child. Sometimes i think that we are too friendly with each other and that she will lose respect for me if i don't act more like a "mother" than a friend. Sometimes, she does talk to me with disrespect, but it is not often. So far i don't want to fix what is not broken, and whatever i am doing must be ok, because i see the woman she is becoming and i love what i see. I am so proud of her decisions and gentle heart. Oops, i just tried to upload her picture and it is up-side-down. Told you I was technologically challanged. Oh well, at least you can see it.

Matthew

Matthew is fourteen and i can honestly say that he is the best teenaged boy i have ever met. Matthew is a sweet, loving, funny, responsible, good-natured young man. He loves his family and sticks up for any injustice he feels is happening. He is very protective of his sisters and mother. I can hardly ever dicipline him because he makes me laugh so much while i am trying just by the silly things he sais. Thank God I hardly ever have to dicipline him. He is so good. He started playing football for his school last year and he was so busy--He would get up, go to school, go to practice, get home at 7, do homework, chores, work-out, and go to bed. I am so proud of the man he is becoming. He is very serious about his future and always keeps his future career, wife, and children in mind when he makes decisions about the classes he takes, the school he attends, and even how he reacts to certain situations. He is starting in his new high school next week--a decision he made because he felt his present school would not help him in his future. I love him dearly and consider myself extremely blessed to be his mom.

Rachel (on the left)

Rachel is my baby. She will always be my baby. She is the child who most resembles me (at least that is what i see). Rachel does not always have it very easy, but she rarely complains. She is a sweet, loving, friendly, mischievious young lady. In the past couple of years i have watched her deal with some difficult situations-some very similar to one's i went through at her age. She handles these situations much better than i did, and i am so impressed and proud of her. I completely enjoy her company-which is good because i will be homeschooling her in about two weeks for a couple of years. She is so excited to come home, and hubby and i think it will be very good for her. She presently hates school and is behind on a few subjects. My intention is to get her through this difficult period of time and re-teach her some things that her past teachers have missed. Hopefully, by ninth grade she will feel more confident and will do well in high school. I am really looking foward to this special time for us and am thankful for the opportunity to teach her not only academics but also other things that will help her throughout the rest of her life. She never got the opportunity to be homeschooled like the other two did, and we are both very excited. She has my heart in her hand and i love her.

So, as you can see, I have the best kids in the world. Need i say more?

I am thankful for my children

I am thankful that i have the ability to stay home to teach them

I am thankful that they have held on to the lessons i have allready taught them