Graduation

The long awaited, bittersweet day finally arrived. Mikayla has graduated from high school. She graduated Magna Cum Laude at age 16, the youngest in her class.

We are so proud of her, and still so awestruck by what the Lord has done these past two years. Giving her scholarships to attend this pricey, college prep school, helping us pay for what was left, bringing in more funds for many fees that came up, and even more for trips to SC for a national fine arts competition, a Civics trip to D.C., a choir tour throughout NY state including NY city, and yet another trip to Pennsylvania for a Senior trip. Money aside, we are still awestruck by what the Lord can do in a young person's heart when they yield to His will. Many know the story of scholarships won to attend Bob Jones University after we had decided that she would have to stay home and work. We could never have done this. "But with God, all things are possible." We have decided that God must have something for her to do that He is in a hurry to get her ready for. We will not stand in the way of this, since it came about the very next morning after she struggled to accept His will, and finally yielded to whatever HE wanted. How could we see it any other way?!! Of course, she did her part. Studying hard to make those wonderful grades in high school!

The pinned ribbon on the shoulder is proof of all that hard work.

Need more proof?? How about that diploma?!! How about the sparkle in those gorgeous eyes??!!

Dr. Rand Hummel of the Wild's of New England spoke. He was FABULOUS! We were discussing on the way to the ceremony how much the young people, being excited over graduating, would actually listen and remember what the speaker had to say. We figure it would be hard for them, considering. But Dr. Hummel has spoken to young people for years. He has this down pat. He kept it light hearted, yet always brought home his point. He also turned and spoke right to them several times. They couldn't help but listen. He reminded them of statistics of Christian school kids leaving all the Biblical teachings behind once graduation was through, and challenged them to do right. We were so impressed with him!

After the message the seniors and all the rest of the students that had been in the chorale this year sang a beautiful rendition of "O, How I Love Jesus". This is the point where the mother of the graduate could no longer hold back the tears. I blubbered through the whole song while I was video taping. I'm sure that it will look very wobbly throughout that section. Next, they sang a newer song, "My Jesus Fair" while Mikayla accompanied them on the piano. I had pulled myself together long enough to snap a picture and continue taping, but lost it again somewhere in the middle of this. More wobbly taping. God has been so good, I was overwhelmed. The whole ceremony was exceptional, and we were so blessed!

 The end of the line of graduates since her name is at the end of the alphabet. haha.

 And a family celebration at Olive Garden after with some giddy kids, Nana and Grandpapa from Michigan, and Grandma Campbell to end the day.

" But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
" He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Happy Mother's Day!

Something to think about:

I hope I raise a child who says “thank you” to the bus driver when he gets off the bus, “please” to the waiter taking his order at the restaurant, and holds the elevator doors when someone’s rushing to get in.

I hope I raise a child who loses graciously and wins without bragging. I hope he learns that disappointments are fleeting and so are triumphs, and if he comes home at night to people who love him, neither one matter. Nobody is keeping score, except sometimes on Facebook.

 I hope I raise a child who is kind and respectful to old people.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that life is unfair: Some people are born rich or gorgeous. Some people really are handed things that they don’t deserve. Some people luck into jobs or wealth that they don’t earn. Tough.

I hope I raise a child who gets what he wants just often enough to keep him optimistic but not enough to make him spoiled.

I hope I raise a child who knows that he’s loved and special but that he’s not the center of the universe and never, ever will be.
I hope I raise a child who relishes life’s tiny pleasures—whether it’s a piece of music, or the color of a gorgeous flower, or Chinese takeout on a rainy Sunday night.
I hope I raise a child who doesn’t need to affirm his self-worth through bigotry, snobbery, materialism, or violence.

I hope I raise a child who likes to read. 

 I hope I raise a child who is courageous when sick and grateful when healthy.

I hope I raise a child who can spot superficiality and artifice from a mile away
I hope I raise a child who makes quality friends and keeps them.
I hope I raise a child who realizes that his parents are flawed but love them anyway.
I PRAY daily that God will grant me the strength to raise children who are Godly, and want to serve Him with all their heart, mind, and soul, not going with the trends of the times but by the Bible.
I pray for the parents of my children's future spouses that they will hope to raise their children this way, too.

  -pictures are of Mikayla dancing while we sang "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen",that is my son's first shave( yes, the kids are embarrassed. they'll live),  Lanie's apron she made with Grandma, and all my favorite people relaxing during Thanksgiving holiday.

Therapuetic Post

There has been much on my mind of late. That seems to be the way of it, the last few years. Blogging is quite therapeutic in a way that I never really thought possible, so here goes.
Mikayla, our oldest graduates in three weeks. We can hardly believe we are at this point. She will graduate at 16, the youngest in her class at Dublin Christian Academy( although, not the only 16 year old to ever graduate from there). She won't turn 17 until July 12. Sometimes, I  can't help but see her like this....

 When in reality, she is like this...

 She amazes us everyday with her goals and her accomplishments, and we are so proud of her. We have mixed emotions about her graduating. Mostly, we are happy to be closing this chapter that we have called 'Boarding School', but we are a little anxious about the future with college looming, and sad/happy that she is so grown up. We have made the decision to have her stay home this year( barring a miracle, which HAS been known to happen around here) to work and save for college. She will be working on taking some CLEP exams and maybe a course of two. (Still working all that out) It will save us a bundle once she actually gets to the college campus to 'begin' her college career. She will also be adding as much music as she can to further prepare her to enter the college music world. Plus, there is still much that this sort of grown up kid of ours still needs to learn. Like how to work at an actual job and manage money, realizing that it really doesn't grow on trees, and what working and saving really takes. This is something that we feel boarding school has taken away from us as her parents. At home, we would have had her get a job this year and pay for her own 'stuff'. We have prayed and prayed for wisdom literally all year about this decision ,and haven't made it lightly. It has been a very hard decision to make, and it will not go over well with her. A lead balloon comes to mind... We have still done all the scholarship applications and FAFSA in order to see what we're up against. It MIGHT be doable, but we have other kiddos at home who also need a good education...and food...and shoes...and pants that cover the ever growing ankles...why DO teenage boy's ankles grow so fast? But, I digress. All of those scholarships and grants will be there next year. Also, we have saved for a long time to be able to put braces on this kid. She needs some teeth pulled to prepare for those, and we have the chance to put the more expensive, quicker kind on her because of our wonderful dentist friend. God is so good to us to give us this gift. BUT, she has to be seen by him every six weeks or so. That is not possible if she is in SC. Soooo...somehow we have to tell her all of this, not that it will come as a huge surprise to her, just that we know she has been holding out hope.
Our next kid, who Mom can't help but see like this...(Aww, he was the cutest baby boy in the world!)

He is, in reality, like this...

 Or even this, more often than not.

This guy has hit High School now, too. He is finishing his Freshman year as I type. There is a big push at our house to finish Algebra 1. That has not been pretty this year. I spent the first half of the year trying to teach him myself. Oh, the frustration!!! Both on his part and on my part. We finally broke down and threw my curriculum out the window and bought him an online class that has been working well for him. He has continued in band at the High School and had the amazing opportunity to join the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra. His concerts have been astounding. What a blessing it has been! At the end of this month, he will go to Quebec City with this group on a tour. Seriously, I NEVER could have imagined the opportunities that God has opened up for these two kids this year! Next year will bring big changes for him, as well. He is looking at joining the Building Trades class at Region 3, our local technical school, while still continuing to do his AP courses at home, along with orchestra. I have researched and found another way of getting those AP courses that I feel are important for him to have, but in an easier way than what I have previously used. Same content, just streamlined a bit. The Region 3 class with take all day, so I had to do something else that made it so he wouldn't have to sit for hours in front of lectures on DVD. I am a bit anxious about his AP Biology course, but feel college bound kids need this. Nathanael, at 14/15, has begun to figure out that working and receiving a wage is a good thing. He has been walking neighborhood dogs this year, something that, amazingly, people will pay quite nicely for. He has also been working in wood piles and doing yard work for folks. He had also been a huge help helping in Gospel Club this year. He has helped write and preform with the puppets, helped with game time, crafts, and just general crowd control. Also, he plays trumpet, organ, or piano for church services depending on where he is needed.  He is hoping for a job at the Ford garage this summer, vacuuming, cleaning, and detailing cars. He is now taller than his Dad, and I can't keep him in pants that fit. ;)
Last, but certainly not least, our youngest continues on her merry, no worries way. I often see her like this...or even just before this in the NICU.

 She has come a long way this year in her academics. She struggles to learn things like math and reading. It's been a challenge to get her to read independently. I'm still not sure we have accomplished this very well. It still seems like hard work for her. She has recently discovered audio books, and although I don't want this to become a crutch for her, I'm very happy to see her curled up with a book, even if she is just following along with a tape. She IS on grade level with her math now, although still not confident at all in that subject. She loves History, Science, and English and does quite well in those subjects. Reading is about on a fourth grade level. I have to remember how far she has come. Because, a fourth grade level, though not where I want her to be, is still a fourth grade level. She has also made strides socially, and that is a work in progress too. She recently had a sleepover party that she did so well with. Sometimes, I worry a lot about her, but most of the time, she overcomes whatever the problem is (just a bit later than her peers), and I breathe a sigh of relief. I guess some kids are just late bloomers, right? She had such a difficult start in life, too. BUT, She will be in the sixth grade next year with some more remedial work in her spelling. We will also be working on hard on that independent reading. So, here is our Lanie Lou at twelve...

And some pics of her recent birthday party.