It's beginning to look a lot like....

S-C-H-O-O-L! a big part of me is sad. a bigger part of me feels old. the biggest part of me is my BUTT and that's a whole other post! (why are you laughing? that's so rude! here I am having issues with all three of my kids being in school and you are laughing at the size of my butt! nice.)

Character Development...

I am working on a children's book and playing around with character development. This is Emma. She is nervous and shy and afraid of almost everything especially school. As I was deciding what her facial expression would be and how she would be dressed and what her body language would show I was thinking about how cool it is that we basically shape our children's character in the same way. We build them up by celebrating their triumphs and strengths and we support them when they struggle. As an artist puts her pencil to paper and begins a masterpiece she must know the exact pressure to apply to achieve a bold line. She must also know when to stop and let the artwork speak for itself. If we look at child rearing in this manner, we may be able to take on this Mt. Everest one step (stroke) at a time. Gently, patiently and without a doubt by relying on Jesus to work through us in shaping the most important masterpiece we will EVER create. God Bless Our Children!

She's a bit hesitant...

...of most things. Loud noises, monsters, big slobbery dogs, tall hairy men and especially school. She doesn't like the idea of leaving the safety of her mommy's shadow for that many hours in a row. And who will be there that she knows? What if the kids are mean? What if the teacher is a tall hairy manly monster? She is loaded with excuses why she can't go... “I can’t go today, Mama.” She started to pout. “My belly feels funny and the ‘button’ fell out.” “I have to stay home, Mama.” Her lip became twitchy. “My fingers feel lazy and my toenails are itchy.” “Something is wrong, Mama.” She seemed kind of groggy. “I have a cramp in my lip and my ears sound foggy.” Maybe tomorrow will be easier.....then again, maybe not!