My just turned 8-year-old, Maddie, climbed into bed with me yesterday to snuggle. Because it was a day off school, I had told her the night before that if she happened to wake up early, she was welcome to warm up next to me. We both fell back to sleep until later when I heard her climb out of bed and quietly exit my bedroom. I arose a few minutes after she did and padded into the kitchen. There she was, sitting in the "quiet time" chair in the living room, reading her devotion for that day. What a beautiful sight! It was one of those moments in which I was ecstatic to have her mimic my own behavior in the early mornings.
Of course, when I was spending some time reading Scripture, she was "done" and began to talk incessantly until I finally gently reminded her that I was still needing some quiet for my own devotional time. She replied, "I know...I just can't stop talking!" My sweet, precious, little chatterbox who is learning to spend time with her Savior...
Showing posts with label big moments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label big moments. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A Little Tennis Anyone?
It was a slightly misty moment for me as I watched my son, Nick, walk off the tennis court last night. I've done fairly well holding it together as a mom of a senior student, but last night was an indicator that I may be losing it soon. After four years of playing tennis in high school, four years of hard work, four years of persistence, four years of sporadic playing, Nick played his first Varsity doubles match. And, it was a good night. A proud parent's dream. A true gift from God to see.
Label me sappy, but it truly was Nick's shining moment after years of being patient, years of being a faithful team member, years of working hard with not a word of complaint. He and his doubles partner started off colder than the ice in my refrigerator and lost the first set. Trust me, I was getting a little nervous. This varsity debut was not starting off well. As the match progressed, however, they began placing shots well, taking their opponents off guard and gaining ground. The second set ended 6-1. Tied at one set each, they began the third set for the tie-breaker. South teammates began to rally at the bleachers because this last set was going to seal the fate of the entire school match. If Nick and his teammate didn't win, the school would lose to our opposing team. No pressure!
In a blaze of glory, like Mavericks, they took out the other doubles pair with a 6-0 victory! Their victory gave Bloomington South their first Conference Indiana win. My boy was part of a great moment.
It's as if someone lit a fire underneath those two boys, they exchanged lack of confidence for a "we can do it" attitude, and they tore the court up. These are the beautiful gifts that I thank God for. These are extraordinary moments in my ordinary day in which I see God work. He gave Nick the spotlight, and as a parent who knows the effort and sacrifices he has made to be part of this team, it is something I will always treasure.
Label me sappy, but it truly was Nick's shining moment after years of being patient, years of being a faithful team member, years of working hard with not a word of complaint. He and his doubles partner started off colder than the ice in my refrigerator and lost the first set. Trust me, I was getting a little nervous. This varsity debut was not starting off well. As the match progressed, however, they began placing shots well, taking their opponents off guard and gaining ground. The second set ended 6-1. Tied at one set each, they began the third set for the tie-breaker. South teammates began to rally at the bleachers because this last set was going to seal the fate of the entire school match. If Nick and his teammate didn't win, the school would lose to our opposing team. No pressure!
In a blaze of glory, like Mavericks, they took out the other doubles pair with a 6-0 victory! Their victory gave Bloomington South their first Conference Indiana win. My boy was part of a great moment.
It's as if someone lit a fire underneath those two boys, they exchanged lack of confidence for a "we can do it" attitude, and they tore the court up. These are the beautiful gifts that I thank God for. These are extraordinary moments in my ordinary day in which I see God work. He gave Nick the spotlight, and as a parent who knows the effort and sacrifices he has made to be part of this team, it is something I will always treasure.
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Crazy Month of May
It's that time of the year. No, not spring, although I'm thrilled that it's finally decided to show up. Nope, not the end of the school year, although I'm ecstatic about not getting that 6:15 wake up call for a few months. What I'm talking about is the "divide and conquer" scenario that husbands and wives do frequently in the month of May. In a world of spring concerts, awards nights, end of the year school carnivals and every other end of the year celebration, there's bound to be some conflicting activities. When one has three children, this can almost be a regular occurrence.
Thus, this past Wednesday evening, my hubby and I enjoyed a leisurely five minute meal before he escorted our youngest to her kids' choir musical. Nick and I skedaddled out of the house several minutes after them to attend his underclassmen awards night. For the life of me, I don't know why the powers that be don't coordinate with my schedule, so that our entire family could celebrate our children's accomplishments.
Proud parent that I am, may I just slip in the four honors Nick was awarded...2 year 4.0 GPA, Outstanding student in Sounds of South, National Honor Society and Outstanding Algebra II student. On a more serious note, I believe next year, I'll have to send the school my calendar so they can schedule these things around my oh-so-busy month.
Another little piece of trivia from the evening is that we be-bopped out of the awards night as soon as Nick was awarded his honors. Before you gasp at me with "I would never do that," please walk a mile in my shoes. With a former last name like "Weston" in which my family waded through the entire alphabet to get to me, you can just imagine the temptation to leave after the name "Carlsberg" was called! So, we gave in and escaped the drudgery so we could use our time more wisely. I believe checking email and eating ice cream cones is a much better use of my time, wouldn't you agree?
Next weekend we get to divide and conquer again when Tony heads to "Gymnastics Awards Night" with the girls, and I enjoy beautiful music courtesy of Sounds of South at their finale in which Nick is singing. One of us will take the camera; one of us will take the video. A few hours later we'll meet back at the homestead for a little recap of our evenings. We'll collapse on the couch and breathe sighs of relief that we have maneuvered through another crazy May.
It's quite possible that you may hear a high-pitched scream for joy Tuesday, May 27 at approximately 2:30 or 3:00 pm belting out, "Yippee, school's out!"
Thus, this past Wednesday evening, my hubby and I enjoyed a leisurely five minute meal before he escorted our youngest to her kids' choir musical. Nick and I skedaddled out of the house several minutes after them to attend his underclassmen awards night. For the life of me, I don't know why the powers that be don't coordinate with my schedule, so that our entire family could celebrate our children's accomplishments.
Proud parent that I am, may I just slip in the four honors Nick was awarded...2 year 4.0 GPA, Outstanding student in Sounds of South, National Honor Society and Outstanding Algebra II student. On a more serious note, I believe next year, I'll have to send the school my calendar so they can schedule these things around my oh-so-busy month.
Another little piece of trivia from the evening is that we be-bopped out of the awards night as soon as Nick was awarded his honors. Before you gasp at me with "I would never do that," please walk a mile in my shoes. With a former last name like "Weston" in which my family waded through the entire alphabet to get to me, you can just imagine the temptation to leave after the name "Carlsberg" was called! So, we gave in and escaped the drudgery so we could use our time more wisely. I believe checking email and eating ice cream cones is a much better use of my time, wouldn't you agree?
Next weekend we get to divide and conquer again when Tony heads to "Gymnastics Awards Night" with the girls, and I enjoy beautiful music courtesy of Sounds of South at their finale in which Nick is singing. One of us will take the camera; one of us will take the video. A few hours later we'll meet back at the homestead for a little recap of our evenings. We'll collapse on the couch and breathe sighs of relief that we have maneuvered through another crazy May.
It's quite possible that you may hear a high-pitched scream for joy Tuesday, May 27 at approximately 2:30 or 3:00 pm belting out, "Yippee, school's out!"
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Three Children...Three Reasons to Be Proud
I've been thinking about this post all week, ever since Monday evening that is. Last weekend was one of those proud parent moments. Fourteen-year-old Alix competed in the Level 8 Gymnastics State Meet and received a high enough all-around score to compete in the regional meet held in Peoria, IL in May. It was a nail biter to the finish. Let me tell you, I'm one of those girls that likes to win by a long shot, not sit on the edge of my seat wondering if my team is gonna eak out a win in the last seconds of the game.
Alix finished the first three events, bars, beam and floor, needing a 9.075 on vault to get the 34.50 required all-around. No pressure. All of us were praying. In fact, Alix' coach texted a couple of other parents whose daughters had competed earlier to pray because of this awesome task set before Alix. It's a good thing that Alix' best event happens to be vault. Still, one doesn't want to have to rely on getting more than a 9. It would've been better to have breezed into this event only having to cinch regionals with...say...a 7.0. Much better on the parental nerves, I'd say.
So, Alix speeds down the track for her first vault (she gets two tries and the judges score the best one). When she lands, she takes about a million steps backwards until she stops. This is definitely not the vault we are looking for. Tony turns to Maddie and says, "You better pray for Alix." Immediately, Maddie drops her head, folds her hands and prays. Vault number two, Alix races towards the vault, catapults over with her souk and sticks it with one itty-bitty step. Hallelujah! Cheering ecstatically, we know this is most emphatically 9-worthy. Impatiently, we wait for the score to flash. Finally...the score pops up with a...9.1. Yep, we got it by the hair of our chinny chin chin, with a .025 to spare. Good thing I'm not given to chewing on my silk nails, or I'd have had some nubs for sure.
Later, I asked Maddie what she had prayed. "I just prayed for her to stand. Jesus was right behind her holding her up." Oh, the faith and prayers of little ones such as these. He most certainly was standing right behind Alix! I truly believe we witnessed a miracle that day, and Maddie certainly played an important role as she called out to Jesus on behalf of Alix.
The next auspicious occasion came the very next evening when we attended our son, Nick's induction into the National Honor Society. A record 130 inductees crossed the stage that night. I'm usually close to tears on proud moments such as these; however, with Maddie waving wildly at everyone she knew walking down the steps, my weeping was kept at bay. Then, the DQ (Drama Queen) blurts out, "When I get up there someday, I'm going to say (in her best British accent) 'thank you so much'." Our friends sitting next to us got a huge kick out of that comment. I guess there's a reason why none of the students are making speeches because of the possibility of someone like Maddie taking the opportunity to perform. Nope, I believe that when Maddie crosses that stage someday, she'll shake the principal's hand, accept her certificate and her pretty carnation, and if she attempts to go near a microphone, she'll kindly be escorted down the stairs!
Tony, Nick and me at the induction
Alix finished the first three events, bars, beam and floor, needing a 9.075 on vault to get the 34.50 required all-around. No pressure. All of us were praying. In fact, Alix' coach texted a couple of other parents whose daughters had competed earlier to pray because of this awesome task set before Alix. It's a good thing that Alix' best event happens to be vault. Still, one doesn't want to have to rely on getting more than a 9. It would've been better to have breezed into this event only having to cinch regionals with...say...a 7.0. Much better on the parental nerves, I'd say.
So, Alix speeds down the track for her first vault (she gets two tries and the judges score the best one). When she lands, she takes about a million steps backwards until she stops. This is definitely not the vault we are looking for. Tony turns to Maddie and says, "You better pray for Alix." Immediately, Maddie drops her head, folds her hands and prays. Vault number two, Alix races towards the vault, catapults over with her souk and sticks it with one itty-bitty step. Hallelujah! Cheering ecstatically, we know this is most emphatically 9-worthy. Impatiently, we wait for the score to flash. Finally...the score pops up with a...9.1. Yep, we got it by the hair of our chinny chin chin, with a .025 to spare. Good thing I'm not given to chewing on my silk nails, or I'd have had some nubs for sure.
Later, I asked Maddie what she had prayed. "I just prayed for her to stand. Jesus was right behind her holding her up." Oh, the faith and prayers of little ones such as these. He most certainly was standing right behind Alix! I truly believe we witnessed a miracle that day, and Maddie certainly played an important role as she called out to Jesus on behalf of Alix.
The next auspicious occasion came the very next evening when we attended our son, Nick's induction into the National Honor Society. A record 130 inductees crossed the stage that night. I'm usually close to tears on proud moments such as these; however, with Maddie waving wildly at everyone she knew walking down the steps, my weeping was kept at bay. Then, the DQ (Drama Queen) blurts out, "When I get up there someday, I'm going to say (in her best British accent) 'thank you so much'." Our friends sitting next to us got a huge kick out of that comment. I guess there's a reason why none of the students are making speeches because of the possibility of someone like Maddie taking the opportunity to perform. Nope, I believe that when Maddie crosses that stage someday, she'll shake the principal's hand, accept her certificate and her pretty carnation, and if she attempts to go near a microphone, she'll kindly be escorted down the stairs!
Tony, Nick and me at the inductionNot to be outdone by her older brother and sister who had amazing accomplishments this past weekend, Maddie received honors as well at the reception following the induction ceremony.
Maddie speaking to one of the assistant principals (mouth full of cookie): "I just ate 6 cookies."
You know, I forgot to ask if she now holds the school record for cookies consumed by a 7-year-old at a school reception. I really do need to check on that...and find out why in the world her parents had no clue what she was up to. This is exactly why we now have a book by our bed entitled, "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Kevin Leman.
The conclusion to this post: ALL of our children are extremely talented in very unusual ways! Perhaps Maddie's claim to fame will be Prayer Warrior Extraordinaire...I would be very proud indeed.
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