Keeping It Real

I just love this post from a long-time ago friend, Celia Whitler, at www.celiamusic.net/blog.

Her husband, Ron Whitler, was our youth director at church for many years.

It was on a mission trip in high school with Ron and Celia when G and I started "hanging out" together.

It was with Ron and Celia at G's house when we first announced that we were officially dating. I remember that moment like it was yesterday, standing in the kitchen at G's mom and dad's home, we must have both been wearing such goofy grins because Ron instantly knew that something was up with us.

It was Ron and Celia that sang in our wedding six years later.

It was Celia that wrote a song for us. She asked G and I to write her a letter about the other, and from those letters, Love Makes You Crazy was written. No, not really. That made me laugh, though, because it is so true! I can't find a place to download the song that she wrote for our wedding, but when I do, I'll post it here.

You can hear Love Makes You Crazy here, http://www.celiamusic.net/, which I absolutely love, even if it isn't the one from the wedding.

Needless to say, Ron and Celia were important and influential in our lives when we were young. They moved to Tennessee years ago, and now we keep up with them via the cyber world and the annual Christmas card. They are both blessed with amazing talents and gifts!

Chutes and Ladders

S and I enjoyed a rousing game of Chutes and Ladders this morning. As we played, I became quite taken by the rules in which S made up and imposed on our game. He had an idea of how the game was to be played, but he interjected his own rules and regulations as he saw fit.

As I was sitting beside him, I began to see myself in the game of life that I play every single day. I have an idea of how my life should work and how it should be done, so I interject my rules as I see fit. As hard as I try to make this game my own, I know this is not the way in which it is to be played.

The rules have already been written. They are not in my handwriting. Even if I think I know a more tactical move, it is not mine to take. This game of life that I think is mine is not. It has never been mine. It will never be mine.

The very best and most strategic move that I can make is to simply take a step back and let the One who created it remain in control. He is the one that allows me to play. He is the one to make the rules. He is the one that I should thank and praise for the opportunity to play.

My most important job is to play in a way that reflects these simple facts and glorifies the Creator.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalm 143:10

Sweet, sweet S

For every white hair that he gives me, he fills my heart with even more joy, uninhibited love and pure adoration.

Did I tell you how much energy this one has?

Sweet, sweet S!

Self-Control

How funny it is to hear S use the word self-control. He learned it just today.

Today between tantrums.

Now that I've had a chance to really stop and think about our day, I'm realizing it was really not a day filled with several tantrums here and there. It was in fact, a day long tantrum. You read that right, a day long temper tantrum. I never dreamed I would see behavior such as this from one of my children.

And yes, we did have a few moments of respite interspersed, but the rest of our day was full of kicking, screaming and gnashing of teeth. From both me and S!

This little one has my number. I can literally see the hairs on my head turning white.

On the rare occasion that I can separate myself from the frustration of the situation, I can actually empathize with little S. I can almost feel the magnitude of the emotions that are in his tiny body. And for all of the times that he is upset and exasperated, there are a greater number of times that he is overcome with exhilaration and joy. You take the good with the bad, right?

I don't know about you, but I take great comfort in the fact that during those moments in which I lose self-control, God is looking at me with those same loving eyes seeing my good with the bad, too.

The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty enough to save you. He will take great delight in you. The quietness of his love will calm you down. He will sing with joy because of you.
Zephaniah 3:17

I love knowing that God looks at me just as I look at my children. I may not throw the kind of tantrums that I saw today, but I certainly fall short in my own ways, too. My temper runs short, my words can sting, my tone can be less than lovely. Even through all of that, He is looking at one of His own children and is parenting me just as I parent my children.

What a difference this thought has made.

Still Here

Everybody seems to be feeling better, and we are settling in nicely to the autumn term at school and home and work.

And since we are speaking of settling in and adjustments, I thought I would share our state of the family address and let you know how we've really been doing since our arrival in this new place. I know, I know, it's been over nine months since we set out, but I feel the need to air this all out as I see our "transition period" coming to an end. I also have a feeling that one day I'll need to revisit some of these things I've learned. In the words of my dear friend Gina, I've had some breakdowns to have some breakthroughs, and I know that these lessons will serve me well!

Now, for how we've each taken to this London adventure . . .

I'll start with big G. You know G. Nothing, literally nothing, can ruffle his feathers. Lucky for him, he is married to one who knows how to shake it up and do some ruffling for him! For each concern and fear and worry that I carry, G is quick to discount and dispel every one. So to say that he had to go through some sort of adjustment period here is ludicrous. G is always adjusted. He has never not been adjusted. It's just the way G was made.

G is doing very well at work and is certainly enjoying his new role. Language and cultural differences don't seem to be a barrier as he has led the sales teams here to the top for the company. And I just have to tell you that I learned all of this second hand as G is much too modest to boast about his stellar performance!

The work environment is a bit different, but again, nothing can phase my dear husband. In fact, he has taken quite nicely to the more social environment, especially enjoying the pub right up the street from the office! He is working with great teams in the European offices and is truly doing an amazing job. Each and every time that I have the opportunity to see someone from G's office, without fail, the first thing they tell me is how much they are learning from G and how wonderful he is to work with and for. I have no doubt!

Moving on to little G. When big G was in "talks" with the company about this relocation, there was only one moment in which we paused to think about reasons why we should not make the move. And that one moment of thought was regarding G. At that moment in time (which was last fall), to say that he was the happiest kid on the block would be an understatement. He was doing great at school academically, he had a tight group of buddies at school, amazing friends in our neighborhood, he was enjoying sports and the teams on which he played, and most importantly, he was happy, confident and secure. Did we dare shake that up? After thoughtful prayer and consideration, we made the decision to move our family to London and have yet to look back!

As G started at his proper English school here, we did see a different little boy, one who was more reserved, guarded and lacked a bit of the confidence that we were used to seeing in him. I worried, and big G without a worry in the world, helped me calm down and see the big picture. After about 2 months of settling in at school, we slowly began to see the "old" G emerge. He held his chin up higher, he stood a little taller and he talked in a more poised, confident manner. He was back! He fell in with a sweet group of boys and is once again just flourishing at school.

There were some curricular differences that we had to address as well. His school here was more advanced in maths and handwriting, and we worked for hours and hours at home to bridge the gaps. He now knows his times tables and division facts and can write beautifully in "joined-up" writing.

G has kept up with American sports including baseball and basketball, and he has taken a keen interest in football (soccer to you!) once again. He played soccer when he was little, but decided to play American football these past few years instead of soccer. Now he is spending his weekends on the football pitch, and he uses his spare time tracking the football teams here, complete with wall chart noting players, trades, and rankings. When in Rome, do as the Romans, right?

All of this goes to show that it took G just a couple of months to fall right in to life in London. He is flexible and adaptable and quite resilient. I could learn a lot from my son!

Now, the little boys. I'm not really sure if they realize that they have been plucked from their cozy little nest in Texas and plopped right down in the middle of a cultural and historical melting pot of a city. Their daily routine probably looks pretty similar to them, only they are seeing it from the stroller instead of the car seat, which is one of the things I love most about city life! The boys have just rolled with whatever comes their way and have been great little troopers. Again, I could learn a thing or two!

Another great surprise to come from our move is the inward turn it forced our family to take. Coming to a city not knowing a soul can be seen as quite daunting . . .

. . . or as a gift you give to your family in terms of time spent together. And that is another aspect that we absolutely love about our time here in London. It's just us. We're all we have. We're all we want. We're all we need. I can see the benefits in our children from the time that we have spent together. It's truly been the great surprise of our move.

I think all three boys are doing amazingly well and are benefiting from our time here. I look forward to the next few years in anticipation of more personal growth and change in each of them. It's going to be a fun ride!

I keep typing because I really don't want to write about my adjustment. I just had big G read what I had written thus far and all he said was that I left myself out. Did he realize I did that on purpose?

You see, my adjustment has probably been the roughest and the slowest. It's not that I've been bad or sad or depressed. I just haven't been great. And I'm used to feeling great pretty much all of the time. I guess you could say that I've been just okay. Definitely not myself. Just okay.

There are obvious reasons that it has taken awhile for me to come around, the least of these being my quirky personality. Please don't start laughing! I can gladly admit to the fact that change is difficult for me, that I like structure and routine, that I like to always have a plan and even better, a written out plan in the form of an organized to-do or task list. That's the way in which I function and perform to my best abilities, and we have certainly been lacking in these areas since we moved to London. In fact, I have learned that I tend to simply cease functioning in such an erratic and uncertain environment. I think I have been on auto-pilot since January, and I am finally taking the controls back in my own hands.

I think another thing that I have been lacking has been any sort of real connection with anyone other than our immediate family. The boys are great and all, but a girl sure needs girlfriends! Once we got in our home, moved in and settled, there was no real excuse anymore for my lack of initiative in making connections with other adults. Truth be told, I have never had to do that before. I have lived for 30+ years in the comfort and security of my own little social circles without ever having to make much of an effort to keep up with these friendships. They just evolved. We were able to keep up with our friends, stay connected in the community, and enjoy our social life without extending too much extra effort. It was pretty nice!

That doesn't work quite so well in a new place where your social circles do not reach! And I think it was this aspect of our move that was inhibiting my level of comfort and enjoyment and contentment. I just didn't feel connected, or shall I say, I didn't feel connected with anyone in the over 2 crowd!

Once we returned from our trip to Dallas, I picked myself up by the proverbial bootstraps and got on with the next task on my list, becoming involved in my community and establishing friendships with those around me.

So far it's going well! With the help of our wonderful Maya Poppins, I have been able to get out of the house, to speak something other than toddlerease, and to find myself once again. I have joined the Kensington Chelsea Womens Club, I am volunteering in the library at G's school, I have joined a Bible study, I am in a book club with some mom's from G's school, and I am actually "lunching" with new girlfriends. I'm happy to say that I truly feel great again and am back to my old self. Yes, I think I've got my groove back!

All in all, I think our "transition period" is coming to a close. Each of us have come around and settled into our new life in our own ways and in our own time. I'm not sure what to expect next as I have yet to find the manual on how to relocate your family to a new country with ease and grace. It's on my to-do list to find, though!

Nothing Better

There's nothing better than having the autumn air turn brisk enough that you need to turn on the heat, in mid-September mind you! And there's nothing better than having your sick children hunkered down under a cozy blanket snuggling right under your chin.

Except when one of the sick children is just truly inconsolable.

Other than that, there's nothing better than an afternoon spent snuggled up with your children in a nice, warm cozy home! Even if you are covered in ooze from their little noses.

Please, oh please, let the medicine start working soon!

First Days of School

Here are photos of the boys as they are off for their very first days at school.  Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

S started at a sweet little nursery last week.  He was very ready to go and absolutely loves it.  Yes, that does mean that he is potty trained now as that was a prerequisite for the program.  There's nothing like the idea of afternoons at school for a spirited, active 2 year old to motivate a mamma to get the job done!  

S is greeted each morning just like his big brother is greeted at his school, with a handshake by the head mistress.  Everybody seems keen on good manners over here.  We're certainly not complaining!  I just never thought I would see our little firecracker, always full of more energy than can be contained in his pint sized body, formally shaking someone's hand upon his arrival at school.  Never say never, right! 

Here's to you, Joe and Julie

Me love you long time!

I can't tell you how much we enjoyed seeing you and the boys.  And getting to meet precious Carter was one of the highlights of our trip! 

We miss you all terribly and can only hope that in a few years we may just all be in the same place once again! 

We're Back!

We arrived in London about a week ago after a fabulous visit to Dallas. We squeezed every minute out of every day to catch up and visit with our friends and family. That made it pretty tough when it was time to say goodbye and once again cross the pond!

I'll post some photos of our time back in Dallas when I have a few minutes on my hands, like in the year 2012.

Just kidding. No, actually I'm not!

Since we've been back, G has gotten off to a super start in the Senior School at Knightsbridge, S has started in a nursery three afternoons a week, B turned 1 on Sunday and is walking/climbing/wrestling and holding his own with the big boys, Maya Poppins is coming regularly so that I can come up for air every once in awhile, and big G is back in business at work. Ahh, life is good!