dance clinic...

A Village tradition is Elementary Night at a home football game...Camryn & Wyatt were excited as now they are "officially" part of the elementary!

Sneaking a picture with Wyatt's very favorite cheerleader...Megan and her "George"



And of course Camryn had to see Megan too...



Camryn performing the "Color Shout" for Grandma & Papa...dare I say it that she LOVES to cheer?! :)



Eisley joined in and I'm pretty sure they were on the "white, white, white, white" part...



The best of friends...Crusaders through and through.



Camryn and Sophia...they quickly have become best of friends. These girls were too cute!!!



Performing with the Dance Team. A very cool tradition is the Dance Team hosts a clinic were they teach the little girls a dance on Saturday morning. Then that evening the girls get to perform...it is so cute, and so fun!! In fact it could be that I was once in the Dance clinic too. :)



With her team...


Cute Wy Guy...


Wyatt hanging out with his good buddy Kevin...



Love this pic...potential a Senior page picture??


Go VCS...it is awesome this year to share all the Village fun as a family!

a little, okay a lot behind...

So, I am behind...way behind. I am learning that working full-time and having both kids in school is proving that my blogging time has become a lot less. And really, that's okay...I really would not have it any other way.

But, I am in the process of getting caught up...so please be patient with me!

Posts coming...I promise!

student of the month...

We are quite proud of our boy...

Wyatt was selected as the Student of the Month for September. First month of school...he is student of the month. Mrs. L described him as such a well behaved little boy, sitting with his hands folded nicely at his desk or on the rug, never running up the slides, being kind...



I won't lie, my eyes teared up as Wyatt was standing up on the stage. He is such a little guy, but he has such a big heart. What a gift, Jesus blessed our family with!

Grandma & Papa were there...



Grandma & Wy...Papa was in Pennsylvania, but he sent his congratulations!



Of course Camryn was more than proud!



Of course Jason and I were proud...incredibly proud. Wyatt is just blossoming at school. He is doing SO well, better than I think either of us even imagined. He is amazing us with his daily list of what he did at school. And quite honestly, is shocking us with his desire to learn, grow, and do!



We love you Wy! We are so proud of you!!!

incredible blessings...

Sometime during the summer this song was sung by a dear friend of mine in church...as she sang these words tears rolled down my cheeks. It was as if her words were being sung straight to my heart, by my heart...

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

~ Blessings by Laura Story

There are times when the struggle of my heart creeps in...oh there are many sunny days now, many days when rain drops don't fall; but there are days when my heart stops suddenly and memories, moments come flooding back.

I have grown to realize that at no time is our journey truly over. The journey changes, becomes about different things, but never over. Someone asked me the other day when Camryn will be cleared from leukemia...the question stopped me. I had not heard the "l" word spoken about Camryn in a long time...and quite honestly the answer is never. Never, which is a very long time.

Our counter is still filled with medicine. Camryn still talks about what made her sick, her juice. Wyatt vaguely remembers a night in the hospital. We still see the doctor once a month. UCLA is still a very real reality.

But, the Lord's incredible blessings come...in the midst of the moments when my heart stops in its tracks. When I'm not sure how we came to be here, but here is where we are and I will forever thank my Lord.

I will never pretend to understand the journey, or the blessings that have come...

I only know that I am humbled, amazed, grateful; and yet, confused, hurt, and doubtful...

And my Lord loves me just the same.

disneyland solo...

Daddy is away at Men's Retreat, so what do the we do while he's away???

Go to Disneyland!

Yep, I braved taking the kids by myself for the first time...hey, they are 7 and 5, I figured by now I'd be okay to brave it by myself. Many woman have done it much sooner and yes, I am very amazed by them. :) The kids and I had a fabulous day!

We didn't stay overly long which was nice since the park was super crowded and it was hot...but, we got there at 9:00 so we beat the rush a bit! We did the kids usual favorites and just had fun together...I love that more and more our lives are normal and we can enjoy things like families do.

I smiled at watching them run all over Tom Sawyer's Island...yes, we still call it that even though Disney would rather us say "Pirate's Lair". Watching them chat about where they wanted to go next...and of course stopping at their favorite place. Small World!

Sometimes it's fun to just do the out-of-the-ordinary, on a very ordinary day...

a moment...

Every day around 2:50 I walk pass the kindergarten class rooms and arrive at room 1, look in the door and see a smile that meets mine...Wyatt Jason.

Today as we chatted he grabbed my hand and we walked hand in hand pass the classrooms to our usual waiting spot for Camryn. As we walked I will admit I choked back the tears, this is a moment I want to freeze forever, and ever. My little guy grabbing my hand and holding on tight.

I learned long ago that I had to hold my children loosely as they are not mine, they are incredible gifts. Sometimes I wonder how differently my perspective would be had I not walked the journey of motherhood that I have. I wonder if I would save the things I do, if I would let my kids do what they do, if I would allow what I allow, I just wonder how differently this would look.

I am constantly reminded that the Lord is holding us in all our moments, even the ones that hurt so deeply. I will admit that this September has had a very different feel from any other September to date. Usually September held lots of tears for this momma, as I went back to work after spending weeks at home just playing my way through summer. It was always very hard to head "back to school" year after year. I always longed for the day two little faces would be traveling with me...always. I remember praying and hoping that day would come when Camryn turned 5 and then that dream shattered.

And quite honestly everything since then has felt a bit fragmented...that we were living looking through broken windows and walking on broken glass.

Then Wyatt was going to school...and then Camryn and the dream began to refocus. And I won't lie it has taken me awhile to fully embrace it all. I think in some ways I feel as though I am walking through someone else's days. I have wanted these days for so long, and now that they are here I can't help but just savor each one.

I savor the little hand that grabs mine daily.

I savor the smiles when I pick them up from school.

And I savor most the moments when I sneak a glance at them throughout their days, whether they are on the play ground, walking to class, eating lunch, just any given moment when I see their faces...it is the biggest perk of my job by far!

And I continually thank the Lord for carrying us here, because really he did. No doubt, we never would have made it without his hands carrying us through. I thank him for the silver lining to the dark clouds now...the moments of normalcy...the moments when all I can say is "thank you."

But, most of all...

A moment when a hand grabs mine...and even better when both my hands hold theirs, for a moment that is all this momma will ever need.

"normal"...

Today Camryn did something little girls do...she went to her first "friend" party. Of course she has been to other parties, but this was the first one that was not a friend of the family or cousin. It was a party for a school friend and let me just say Camryn was over the moon to get to go!

When Camryn got the invitation I think it just might have been the coolest moment...she was so excited to be invited to S's party. We quickly put the date on our calendar and rsvp'd to the event.

We got there and I have to say that this was a new experience for both Camryn and me. I wasn't sure if parents dropped off, stayed or what exactly was the normal thing for parents to do. As we walked in it became obvious that parents were staying and welcome to stay and hang out. Camryn walked in and was a bit overwhelmed and shy, but quickly found S and S two of her best friends and all was well. I found another mom I had met at Meet the Teacher Night and chatted with her...okay, I talked with her for almost the entire party and it was wonderful. It felt nice to make a new friend and get to know some of the other moms of girls in Camryn's class...afterall, some of these girls could be her friends well into high school.

We enjoyed our day...it was nice to watch Camryn just blend in, to enjoy herself, and have friends.

Friendship is something Camryn has longed for, for a very long time. She has cried many times over the fact that she really didn't feel like she had any friends. And I know one of the best parts of school for her is having friends! She loves her friends and I daily thank the Lord for these precious girls who have shown Camryn grace, love, and acceptance!

I am praying that her friendships with these precious girls continues...and I am thankful for some neat moms to know and walk this journey of school with!

Thankful for the normal moments that are finding us...so grateful!