Finally...back online after almost six days without internet service! There have been so many times I have wanted to get to my blog and I haven't been able to. I guess I could've picked up a pen and paper, but I've gotten so used to typing out my thoughts that somehow it just didn't seem the same. Writing everything out by hand is so much slower. I find I keep up with my thought process a lot better (meaning things don't fly out of my head before I can get them down) when my fingers are flying over the keyboard.
I've missed blogging through a several important events. First, an update on Hannah's trip to camp. She had a blast and came home all smiles and feeling quite full of herself. Even though we sent note cards with pre-addressed and stamped envelopes for her to write home, she didn't even bother. Turns out she pulled herself together and began having a great time from the moment she could no longer see me waving goodbye from the church parking lot. Go figure...
The day after she returned we got to celebrate her homecoming with fireworks. Actually, it was Independence Day, and since Joey didn't have to work, we really enjoyed just hanging out and having some down time. Joey got to take a nap on the couch, Kaelie got to spend the day at the pool with her friend, and Hannah and I went to the new American Girl movie, Kit Kittredge. It was really good, by the way, and one the whole family can enjoy. That evening we all went out to Texas Roadhouse together (we figured you couldn't get much more American than that) and then to the firewords display.
The next day, July 5th, Kaelie turned 13. Yes, I am now officially the mother of a teenager. We spent the morning standing outside in a downpour for the first day of the all-star softball tournament. Both girls made the teams for their age divisions, but neither got to play because all the games were postponed until the next day. Suddenly, Kaelie's birthday was freed up and she had no plans. I let her call two of her bestest buddies and took them to Kaelie's favorite Mexican restaurant, which just happens to be at the mall. We dropped them off and let them have dinner together, they called when they were ready for us to come and pay, then they went off and left us again to shop. I was really impressed with Kaelie for letting Hannah come along to shop with her and her friends. Hannah was feeling a little sad about her big sis becoming a teenager and I think it made her day when Kaelie said she could come with them. Joey and I made ourselves scarce and did a little shopping of our own, and when we realized that it was kind of like a date, we decided that maybe this business of having a teenager might not be so bad after all! Afterwards, we all went back to our house for cake and ice cream, and all in all the impromptu birthday celebration turned out to be a big success.
Since then, we have been busy with softball every day. Hannah's team lost their first game but they won the next two. They were supposed to play in the semi-finals tonight but alas, another rainout. Kaelie's first game was rained out twice, they finally got to play last night and lost. Their second game scheduled for tonight was also rained out, so who knows how long this tourney could drag on!
Sooo....the operative word for the Altizer family in July thus far is BUSY. The verse I have to keep coming back to is Ecclesiastes 3:1. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Right now for us it is softball and swim team season, then comes volleyball and soccer seasons, then basketball season, then track season. :)
Seriously, I have to keep reminding myself that this season of my life needs to be about my children. Yes, I have to take care of myself and my needs and that is important too, but childhood is so very short and so very special. I had my turn to be a child and do lots of wonderful activities that my parents sacrificed for as well. Now Kaelie and Hannah get their turn to be children and I want them to be able to seize the opportunities that they're given. No, softball is not my favorite sport, in fact I find it rather boring, and I have whined and complained about the schedule. But they really wanted to play and Joey is coaching their teams and it has given them some great time and interaction with their dad.
So, I dutifully sit behind the fence, I cheer when they and their teams hit the ball and make plays and I try to shout words of encouragement when they don't. And I'm realizing that it's more than softball season that will soon come to end. Their childhoods will also, and as my friend Denise wistfully reminded me today, before I know it they will be 20 (her oldest son's age) and I will be missing this sweet and precious season. Such a lovely thought to ponder as I approach my own birthday tomorrow!
1 comment:
This season is such a special one, isn't it? So much fun, such delight, but so hard, too!
My sister, her daughter, my daughter and I went to see Kit Kittredge, too. We all loved it. It's so nice to see a good, wholesome movie that is entertaining, too!
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