The Day My Heart Stood Still

Ever wonder what your car would look like if a deer ran into it? Well here ya go:
Do you need a different angle?
Yes, that's my eighteen year old daughter's car where a deer decided to run right into the side of it...while she was driving. It happened on the night of our co-op showcase. She couldn't come because she had to work and after work she was heading to her dad's house for the night. On her way home, she saw a deer standing by the side of the road so she slowed down. It's fuzzy what happened after that. Basically, he ran right into the side of her car. If he hadn't slipped on the pavement, his huge antlers would have gone right through her driver's side window. Do you see the duct tape around her mirror? That's how close he came to smashing right through her window.

I never wanted to "let" her drive again. Not kidding. However, that is not very practical, nor would she just sit back while I revoke this privilege. There would have been an enormous battle ;)

Sometimes, trusting in the Lord is harder than at other times :)

A Brief Update

Kristen's first day of college went great! She had two of her five classes today (which she loved and cannot wait to go back tomorrow for number three out of five) and an opportunity to spend some time with friends :) She has at least one friend in all her classes which was not planned but really cool that it worked out that way! And she ran into a friend from co-op ! They have the same break time so I'm sure those two will be spending some time together :)

My girl is lovin' this new phase....and so am I :)

You Knew This Post Was Coming

Kristen has her first day of college today!!! I cannot even tell you how excited I am for her or how proud I am of her! I'm happy that she has friends that attend the same college, but I also know she'll have no trouble making new friends and I'm confident that she'll be a light for Christ in all those friendships :)

So, yeah, she let me take her picture on her first day!

Little sister woke up just in time for a quick good-bye snuggle :)
I'm very much going to miss her today and look forward to hearing all about her first day tonight at dinner, but you know what? I'm not as heartbroken as I was last spring just thinking about this. We've really eased into this whole independence thing and I think we are both so much more comfortable with this new place in our lives than maybe we would have been otherwise. I don't adapt well to change so slower is better! It really does help that she'll still be living at home, and it's equally important that she wants to. She is very close to her family and I hope that we'll all be a source of support and encouragement for her :)

Kristen, have a great, first day!!! I love you!!!

My Girl, All Grown Up

Last Monday and Tuesday, Kristen had her orientation! Monday was testing day. She had to take the math and language arts placement tests (everyone does) and she scored right on par! As a homeschool mom, I try not to let the state dictate what my kids are learning, and especially how they learn it ;) but it's so much harder when they are preparing for college. So many tests! You really get caught up in the comparison thing that standardized tests promote. I'm relieved that she can move forward with her education at her own pace, directing her own path.

Tuesday, parents could come and sit in on the morning of orientation, have lunch, and help with registering for classes. You can be sure I was there ;) It was really an experience! There was alot of information thrown out there during orientation and some of it was quite comforting. I feel that she will be in a safe, encouraging environment.

It was very special to me to help her decide on her classes. We've been doing this quite a bit over the last four years as I sought her opinion when I could on her high school classes, but this was much more broad! We were in the very last orientation before the semester starts so most of the classes on her "wish list" were full but we were able to come up with a full load of very good classes for her! She's especially excited about being in a book club ;) That's my girl!

We are all so very proud of you, Kristen and very excited about what is sure to be an adventure for you! I'm looking forward to our "Gilmore Girls" nights and hearing all about your school days!

He Shoots, He Scores!

It was Nicholas this time! He got his first goal today! I don't have any pictures but I didn't want to forget his very first goal! He was very excited :)

It's so funny to watch him on the field. When he pays attention and gets after the ball, he does good, but he doesn't always pay attention ;) This doesn't surprise me as this is his first year, it's just so cute though!

Brandon did good as well. No goals today, but he did make some very good passes and plays. I think he's really getting the hang of it.

So proud of my little soccer players! :)

Month of "Firsts"

A few months ago, we had a "month of lasts" where I posted, as we celebrated, some of Kristen's last special things from high school. Now it's time to celebrate the "firsts" coming up!

Today was the first soccer game of the season for our boys. The very first one ever for Nicky! They had a ball! They have been practicing so hard for the last few weeks and so today they were really excited about playing.

This is my first year having two kids in sports at the same time so I was a little nervous at how to divide my time because, of course, their games were at the same time ;) It ended up not being a problem at all! Their fields were right beside each other! Right from the start, Brandon was playing and Nicky was sitting out so we were at Brandon's field while still able to keep an eye on Nicky so we would know when it was his turn to play. When it was his turn we switched fields. Easy! As the games progressed, they did end up playing at the same time. Still, no problem since we could easily see each field no matter which field we were standing at!

Brandon scored his FIRST GOAL EVER! Of course I did not capture that on film as I was very busy shouting! It was very tense as the other team was right on him and they were all right in front of the goal kicking at the ball! Great job, Brandon! His star for the day, though, was for "most Christ-like behavior". That's the best star EVER!

Nicholas did really well too! He got right in there and went after that ball! His star for the day was "best goalie". He did great (well except near the end when he really wanted to chase the ball!)! Great job, Nicholas!

They will continue to have practice each week so the coaches can work on things they noticed from the games. Giving more informed directions based on observation. Should be fun!

Here's a few pics of my athletes :)

Our "month of firsts" started off with a bang!