More than proud

This has been a year already!  I already posted about Beth's engagement...well, she is married now!  B and K were married on Feb 22nd and it was beautiful.  Pictures will be coming.

What I want to talk about today is Naomi.  She has been doing gymnastics for a few years now.  She has been competing for just two years.  She started out last year in Xcel Gold and moved up to Platinum this year.

Last year she did very well and ended up being Beam State Champ!  She qualified for Regionals in Galveston.  We went and she was so excited to compete.  God had other plans, though.  During the bars warm-up she lost her grip and did some roll or something(I did not see it bc I was coaching another girl) and landed on her head/neck.  By the time I got over there she was surrounded by people telling her not to move and the paramedics were coming.  She could move all of her limbs but they were worried about a break.

Beth and I watched as they put a cervical collar on her and then back-boarded her.  That is not something I ever want to see again.  We rode by ambulance to the hospital and tried not to think of the worst.

Once at the hospital we waited for more than 4 hours and never saw a doctor.  In hindsight I wish I would have been more with it and requested a doctor.  She had morphine, an mri, and more videos made of her antics than we can post.  She is quite funny on pain meds!  After waiting for another hour they released us.  No pain meds, no instructions, no nothing.

Again, I wish I would have been more aware and calm.  But I wasn't.

After the fall she did go back to the gym a few days later and slowly started training again.  She worked her way up to a kind of normal routine in a few weeks.  However, the pain never went away.  She was in constant pain.  She also dealt with constant fear on the bars.

When she moved up levels she moved up in skills as well.  (of course!) Unfortunately being afraid of the bars did not help the situation.  Her first meet of the season we all almost had a panic attack.  Okay, not almost.  We did.  She was shaking the whole time and Beth and I were crying and trying not to run and get her off of the bars.  She did it though.  She got up there and did a routine.  It wasn't good and the score was low but she did it.

She did it at every meet, for the entire season.  She conquered her fear every single meet and got up on those bars and did the skill she fell on.  Every.single.meet.

She also improved her performance and scores at every single meet.

Finally at our State Meet she had one last chance to improve on her routines and qualify for Regionals.

Ya'll, that was the best bar routine I have seen from her!  She did all of her skills, she connected them, and she got her START VALUE.  Meaning that the judges gave her credit for all the skills and she did them good enough that they gave her credit for ALL of them!  That hasn't happened all season.

I could not be more proud of her perseverance and determination.  She has worked so hard to overcome her fears and she is doing it every single practice.

What a great way to end the season!

How did I miss this...??

I am not sure how I even consider myself a blogger.  I just can't seem to keep it up in the last few years.  Lots of things are note worthy I can't seem to find the time or want to, to document them!

This one, however, is one that should have been documented.

On July 11, 2018 Kaelin asked Bethany to marry him!  We knew it was coming and had seen the ring(it was at our house!) and actually kept it a secret for way too long.  Keaelin took her to the spot where he first told her he loved her and got down on one knee.

We are thrilled and are in the knee-deep process of planning a wedding.  As of today, we have 55 days until February 22, 2019 and Beth will be a Terrell no more.

I am a little sad but a lot happy.  I can not wait to watch their marriage grow and to see what God does in their lives.

 

**All photos courtesy of the amazing Raylee Jo over at https://rayleejophotography.com/  If you are in the area, check her out.  We adore her!!

Heartbreak and Peace

This past summer was a season of transition for our family, yet again.  It was a season of tears and prayers and questions.  If I am being honest, those things are still happening and probably will for years to come.

This summer with counsel from our pastor and a counselor, we decided that it would be best for everyone if Bug went back to her grandpa's permanently.  There were issues that I will not go into publicly for her sake; but, needless to say they were big enough issues for us to take this step.  We did not step into this decision lightly or gladly but with heartbreak and confusion.

We love that little girl as our own.  She IS ours.  We are just not the right place for her to be right now.  She has needs we can not satisfy.  It broke us as individuals and as a family to come to this realization but we are discovering Peace through it all.  God has shown up for us as He has for her and we are healing.

We will never fully heal from this, and rightly so.  There will forever be a hole in our heart that only Bug can fill.  For now, we will have to rest in the assurance that Jesus loves her so much more than we ever could and that His plans for her are far above what we could imagine.

Prayers for our family and for Bug and Grandpa would always be appreciated.

Following God is not easy.  It is not painless.  It is not for the faint of heart.  But, He is faithful to walk with us as we strive to follow His lead and to cry with us over the hurts of this world.

Family

Our family is growing.  Our girls are maturing into women who love God and others and we couldn't be more proud of them all. Beth and Sarah are wonderful adults and it is fun to be friends with them and watch as God directs them.  We are so completely blessed with all of our girls and  we can't believe that God was so good to us.

 Beth and Sarah have made their choices in guys and we love them both.   I can't begin to say enough that praying for your child's spouse while they are growing is invaluable.  God has their path laid out and it is our job to direct them toward Him at every turn.  We don't always succeed in leading them well but we try and we keep trying every day.  

God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.

First Gymnastics Meet

Naomi had her first gymnastics meet last weekend!  She was so nervous and the last month before the meet she spent freaked out and couldn't throw her double back handspring.  She threw it last month and had a bad fall and lost it.  She wanted that and her back walkover on beam for this meet...

She got them both!  She worked hard and really focused in practices and it paid off.  We are so proud of her.  She placed on every event and got 3rd All Around!!  Her team took home 1st place!

We can't wait to watch her the rest of this season!

A New Job!

I started coaching gymnastics at the Y just about a year ago in September.  I loved it.  I loved being back in the gym(again) and I loved the kids.  I quickly added hours to my schedule and started helping with pre-team and then eventually team.  I was busy, as evidenced by several posts lamenting that fact!  I was really happy, though.  The kids were wonderful and I heard back that they were enjoying gymnastics.  

But then changes started happening.  I won't go into details but there were things happening that I couldn't support. And I kind of got in trouble for speaking out about something in a staff meeting.  Trust me, it needed to be said and I was the only real adult in the room.  

Anyway...since these changes were coming, I sought out other employment.  I found out that a local gym was hiring and it was a gym that I competed against when I was young.  I took Naomi over to try it out-I wasn't leaving her in a gym that I didn't agree with policies and procedures.  She loved it but was wary about switching gyms.

I talked with the manager and she told me that night that I had a job if I wanted it.  I did!  I gave my notice at the Y and told my classes that I wasn't going to be teaching there any longer.  Several families asked where I was going and decided to follow me.  Of course, I told them that they were welcome to come to the other gym but there were great coaches staying where they were.  They came anyway.  And then I heard that more coaches quit and girls I recognized showed up at the gym I was now at.

Naomi transferred over and quickly started moving up levels.  At the Y they told her she was at a lower level than this new gym and she was clearly ahead of what they indicated.  It took some time for Naomi to get fully comfortable at the new gym but she is loving it now and she has moved up to the Gold Excel team!

We start our competition season in a few weeks and I will be traveling with the Silver team  I am so excited to see the girls compete and improve throughout the season.  

I don't have as many hours at the new gym and it is working perfectly with our new addition to the family.  God has taken care of us and His blessing keep showing up when we least expect them. 

Construction

We had about a weeks notice that Phoenix was coming back to live with us.  Not much time to turn our storage room into a real room for her; and we didn't make it!  lol  It took two weeks to finish after she moved in but we got it done and it is a beautiful room.  She got to pick the color for the walls-how terrifying!-and we picked out the rest.  I think it all came together very well.

It was way worse than this...I had already cleaned up some before this pic!

Naomi helping with the mudding/taping that we ended up doing wrong.  

walls, tools, ladders, cool construction things!

She is moving in!

Add caption

See the wall color?  That is her favorite color!

Papa brought her name letters for her new room

her own bookshelf.  Now, to fill it!

I would show you a picture of her room now...but honestly I can't even get in there-it is that messy!  But, it is hers and she is here to stay.

A Busy Season

The Spring is always a busy time for our family.  Soccer, kids working, school, and this year I am working.  We are crazy busy.

Here is a summary in pictures.

Sarah is Graduating!!

On our trip home from a soccer tourney in Springfield, Mo our van broke down in the middle of nowhere. (more of the story to come)

Naomi scored a goal!  A PK at that!!

Our Jr High team took 3rd place after double over time, PK's, and a sudden death PK!

Beau is getting HUGE!

My family got me these awesome mugs for my birthday!

This is not all that has happened in our household but these pics give a glimpse into our hectic lives.

Is it over yet?

This has been a week for the books.  We finally got a stretch of good weather and have had all of soccer games so far!  On top of that I have had work and Naomi has had gymnastics...

Here is how it has gone so far:

Monday: me (and Naomi)-work from 9:30-11:30 am, Beth-work 11-3, high school soccer training from 2-4, jr high game from 3:30-6:15, Sarah-work 5-10:30, me-work 6:30-8:30, Naomi gymnastics 6:30-8:30.

Tuesday: me(and Naomi)-work from 8:30-11:45am, Hannah dr apt 10:40, prom dress shopping 12:30-1:30, soccer games from 2:30-6:30, me-work 7:00-8:30, Naomi gymnastics 7:00-8:30,

Wednesday: me-work 9:30-11:30 am, trip to the mall-12:00-1:00, soccer training 2:00-4:00, Beth work-5:00-10:30, Sarah shopping w/friend-5:00-?, date night-5:00-6:00, Steven rehearsal 6:30-?, Renita catch up on life at home-6:30-until she falls asleep!

Thursday-me(and Naomi) work 9:30-11:15am, high school soccer game 4:00-6:45, junior high soccer game 5:00-7:30

Friday-Good Friday...and rest.

Saturday-catch up on house work, soccer paper work, get ready for tournaments, do laundry, spend time with family, take a nap

Sunday-church, family time, Easter, lesson plan for the week of gymnastics

This week may just kill me and it isn't going to ease up next week either.  But, soccer season is only about three more weeks...I can do it!

On an up note, our teams are doing very well.  Junior High played a tough game on Monday against a very good team and came away with a 1-2 loss.  Tuesday both teams played and Junior High won 5-0 and High School won 2-0!!  Our teams were complimented by the refs on the integrity with which they played last night.  The other team was, shall we say violent, and the refs were impressed that our girls did not retaliate or play dirty as well.  I love our girls!!

This is a season of busyness and it is making me stronger, right?  oy vey but it just might kill me first!

It's in her blood

Naomi loves theater.  She was able to perform with a group for nursing homes and care homes.  They got together once a month to perform.  She was so awesome!  I love watching her do theater. 

Here is her song from Honk!  She was the Cat.

A Week in the life

Last week we were supposed to have a full week of soccer.  Games on Monday, two on Tuesday, two on Thursday, and one on Friday.  Well, we had our game on Monday for Junior High and ended with a 0-0 draw.  They did a great job and learned a lot.  Tuesday they played again and ended up winning 2-0!  They didn't get the full game because of weather.

The High School game was cancelled by the ref because of weather.  Thursday both games were called because of rain and soggy fields.  Fridays game was cancelled, who knows why.  It was a frustrating week.

This week looks to be about the same.  We had training on Monday and it was gorgeous outside.  Today, Tuesday, it has been raining ALL day.  We are supposed to have games tonight...but I am not holding my breath.  I hope we can have them.  Thursday and Friday we are supposed to have games as well, but the weather forecast is not giving me warm fuzzy feelings.

Here's hoping we can play some soccer!

I only thought...

August of 2016...oh my.  I can not believe it has been that long since I have posted.  Well, yes I actually can.  Life seems to have gotten busier as the kids got older and I lost any semblance of control I ever had. 

I am just holding on. 

Barely.

What has changed since August of 2016?  Well, we got a new dog.  I started working again.  Sarah is a Senior in high school.  Hannah is a freshman.  Naomi started gymnastics.  And so many more things.  I wish I would have kept up and then we could look back on it and remember; as it is I have to use my oh so faulty memory to try and re-create the memories.  Looks like the girls will be missing a chunk of their lives to my brain fade!

The new dog.  Beau.  Bethany adopted him from a place in Kansas City that sold him to us sick.  We got past that and then he ate a lava rock.  I am not kidding.  He ended up needing emergency surgery or he was going to die.  We chose to have the surgery.  Many people have scoffed at us for that and even downright questioned our decision making abilities; but they are not in our shoes and have no say in what we do.  We did it and I don't regret it.  He survived the surgery and is recovering nicely.  And by that I mean he is huge and into everything!  He is a cutie patootie and I am sad to think about Beth moving out and taking him with her!!! 

My job...I started coaching gymnastics at the Y.  again.  It started out as a few morning classes and morphed into every morning but Friday and every evening except Wednesday.  I soon stopped working on Friday nights because soccer started and time evaporated from the schedule.  I actually love my job, the people, and especially the kids.  I love teaching them new skills and watching as they accomplish what they didn't think they could.  I am now teaching a competitive team and love watching them grow and get better as gymnasts.

On that note, Naomi started gymnastics in August and has since moved up the ladder and is getting ready to start on Team!  She works so hard and is determined to compete.  She also helps me teach in the mornings and is loved by all the kids. 

Sarah is graduating next month.  oy vey  She just recently got back from a missions trip to Canada and is planning on one to Peru this summer.  God called her to missions way back when she was a pixie girl with white curls and He has kept that plan for her.  She is excited to start this next phase of her life but I would be lying if I said I was just as excited.  I mean, I am, but I am also thinking of my momma's heart and how empty it will be without my Sarah in the house every day.  Why do they have to grow and follow God's path for them instead of staying with us forever?!  She is an amazing young woman that I am proud to call mine.

Hannah is a freshman and we are starting to look at college classes next year.  She is killing me with math and science!  I am glad that she loves them but I will be even more glad to have her ask the hard questions of someone else!  Oh yeah, she just broke her arm during soccer practice!  It is a minor break and will heal quickly but does make taking care of her extremely long hair a challenge.

Steven is still at his job.  Praise God he has stability and is doing something he enjoys.  We celebrate 25 years this May and it really only feels like 10 most days.  What a blessing to have someone willing to put up with me for this long. 

Speaking of my love, he bought me a new laptop to replace my ipad!  So now I can really keep up with the blog and not jump through stupid hoops to make it work on the ipad.  I love my ipad but blogging on it was infuriating.  We'll see how I do!

My girls and my man for Father Daughter Banquet.

My love and I. 

Sweet Sixteen

This post will probably turn into a few because I just can't put into words what I am feeling.

Bethany turned 16 this year.  Sixteen is a big one, right?  We wanted to do something special for her so Steven and I decided to take her to see Sporting Kansas City play.  She loves that team, so do I, and it would mean a lot to her.  But that didn't seem like enough.

So, in December we threw her a surprise party.  Not a big one.  Just a small one that had the people she loves most in attendance.  The weather was yucky so some couldn't come but the ones that did made it very special.  

I was charged with keeping her occupied while the rest of the fam got the room ready and people ushered in.  My job was pretty easy except when it was time to go she didn't want to!   And I had to keep her dressed up for the party-something she doesn't like very much.  I did it though and we made it to the party without her suspecting anything.  

I told her I had to go get Sarah's Bible that she left at church and when we got in there the doors were closed but we could hear people.  Bethany freaked out!  She thought we were going to get in trouble or set off an alarm.  I almost didn't get her in the party room!  She finally came in though to a huge surprise.  Her best friend was there and families that she treasures.  We ate cake, messed around and then the best part.  We had a time of prayer/blessing over her.  Each person prayed a blessing over her and it was one of the most touching and memorable times I remember.  We also had a blessing book that each person wrote in for her.  I hope to have more people write in it over the years for her.

It was a special day that I hope she will always remember.  She is an amazing young woman...that's all I can say right now.  I'm crying too hard to see the keys!  What a treasure God has given me.