I’m worried about, oh, I don’t know…EVERYTHING. I am worried his first, second, and third day will be an two hour and forty-five-minute long fit. I am worried he is going to pee his pants, because he STILL will not use a big potty. He uses his little potty like a boss, but I am pretty sure we’re not supposed to take it to preschool. I’m worried he’s going to spend the whole time crying, scared, upset, freaked out. I’m worried he is going to be scared of the other kids. I’m just…worried. I know he’ll adjust but I wish he didn’t have to adjust. I wish he could just bound in on his first day and love it, and do great, and be happy, and magically overcome his speech delay.
Adjustment is going to be hard…and I’m getting tired of hard.
To get Jonah ready for school, I made a photo book of pictures of his classroom and his teachers that I took when we visited the classroom. I wrote a little story about him going to school to go along with the pictures. He L-O-V-E-S it! Score! But will he love it when it turns into real life? I don’t know…I can only hope.
We’ve also been doing a countdown (which is what the picture above is all about), and he’s really into that too.
But here’s the thing.
He starts school Monday, and Monday and Tuesday are supposed to be BELOW ZERO next week. Which means it is very likely that school will be cancelled. So…the countdown may countdown to…nothing. Anti-climactic anyone? I hope the weather cooperates, because I REALLY need this ball to be rolling. Wherever this train is going, I want it to pull out of the station, so we can get moving on progress. Progress, progress, progress…
And maybe my worry can at least become less generalized. Stay tuned!
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the fact that I had forgotten to be neurotic about Christmas this year. I wasn’t in my usual state of panic, for whatever reason.
You guys are never going to believe this. Christmas still happened anyway.
And it was actually pretty great.
The kids didn’t flip out because we didn’t do Advent activities every day. Our Christmas cards arrived before Christmas (the day before, but who’s counting?).
Sam even got the Legos he wanted.
It was weird. I felt like I was less prepared than usual, but everything went much more smoothly. I kept my wrapping supplies on the dining room table, and instituted a wrap-as-I-bought policy. I wrapped all the kids’ stuff on Monday, and I didn’t have to stay up half the night on Christmas Eve doing it. That’s a first!
I didn’t bake nearly as much as I normally do, and I don’t think anyone noticed. I made a few batches of cookies (including these, the best cookie recipe ever. Just add crushed candy canes and only bake for 9 minutes. You’re welcome.), but that was about it.
But, despite my lack of freaking out, we had a great Christmas.
Two weeks ago, my family had the privilege of attending and being a part of a December wedding.
The bride: our favorite babysitter, Krisha, whom we’ve known since she was 12.
I stole this picture from one of Krisha’s bridesmaids. They were just havin’ a little fun the night before the wedding…
The bride’s mother: My very BFF, Luanne.
The flower girls: my Sophie and Krisha’s niece, Marler:
Sophie is three years older than Marler but they get along so well. Marler is very special to our family; I was privileged to be there at her birth with her mom, grandmom, great-grandmom, and auntie. (Today, as I write this, it is Marler’s 4th birthday, as a matter of fact! She is a New Year’s Eve baby.) And holding her on my lap as she watched her precious auntie get married was pretty special too.
It was such fun and such a privilege to be involved behind-the-scenes, as I was the unofficial flower girl wrangler, I kept the girls occupied while Krisha and her maids got ready and got pictures and I got to be there for the fun things like seeing Krisha get her dress on, and praying together for Krisha before the wedding.
They were pretty pleased with their curly hair (a first for Sophie!) and lovely dresses.
Soon enough it was time for Krisha to make that momentous walk down the aisle to her very eager groom, and since I was back with the flower girls to tell them when to go, I got to blow her one last kiss before she took off to be given away.
And then it was ON: the flower girls did great, the pastor gave a wonderful sermon, the music and the tears flowed freely. And in just a few minutes, our Krisha was not a bride but a wife. Corey’s wife!
Immediately after the ceremony, the bridal party was ushered into a side room to await photographs. I was in there as Flower Girl Wrangler, and snapped this sweet photo of the newlyweds as they found a quiet corner to be together in. I know I’m a total stalker, but I have it on good authority that everyone is glad this photo was taken.
Anyway! After the photos, the real fun started; it was at the Dayton Art Institute, and the wedding was amazingly beautiful and the reception was over-the-top FUN! Sophie danced her booty off and had the time of her life! Here she is LOSING HER MIND on the dance floor:
Of course there were lots of sweet dances, too! Krisha’s mom and dad are our very best friends, so I shed lots of sappy tears during these!
Mother-daughter dance. It’s a THING!
Krisha’s parents EVEN let her dance with her new husband!
And then the bride got down with her BAD self (and her friends):
Joshua was very excited about the wedding, because he LOVES Corey, the groom. He is his 2nd-biggest fan after Krisha, I think. Corey, though a full-fledged grown-up, likes all the things that Joshua likes: Marvel Superheroes, Star Wars, you know…he’s a “cool nerd”. It’s a thing. And I’m so glad Joshua looks up to him and likes hanging out with him! Since Krisha isn’t going to be our babysitter anymore, we’ll still get to hang out with her and Corey as friends…I’m glad he enjoys our kids, too.
One really fun part of the wedding was the awesome photo booth set up by the official photographers, Braun Photography. The Rapsons got an epic pic!
It’s too bad Jonah wasn’t there for the pic, but let’s face it, NO ONE would have enjoyed the wedding if he was there! He’s three, and he’s crazy.
Sophie and I and my friend Becky had some more photo booth fun later!
Don’t act like you’re not impressed…
And before we saw them off to start their new life together with candle-lit lanterns on a cold December night, Krisha and Corey and her family had some photo booth moments as well:
This was a special wedding for me. I got to see one of the people I love most in the world embark on a marriage to a wonderful man, both fully seeking God with all their hearts. I got to see my dear best friend glow as she was the gracious hostess, mother of the bride, and example of beauty and grace, and I got to see my daughter have one of the most special and memorable nights of her young life. It’s a night I’ll remember forever, this wedding in December.
