Uff Dah!!!

That word sums up how I feel with all that is going on. Being a working outside the home mom is not easy. I never really thought that it was- in fact I wondered how working mom's kept their house clean since they were gone all day. Now I know how they do it. They stay up until all hours of the night doing it. I'm tired!!!!! Yesterday I had a little break down. God is providing for our every need- I just wish it could be in a much simpler quicker way. Yes, I would love to open the mailbox and find an anonymous check for the amount we need to pay this darn thing off!!!! But I have been reminded every time there is a job for me that God is providing for us in this way and that I need to be satisfied with that and praise Him for it. Believe me I am praising Him for how He is providing, but I'm still praying for another way. Pastor Matthew gave a sermon a couple of weeks ago on suffering that was so good. I don't think I have ever taken away so much from a sermon! He reminded us that when we ask " Why do bad things happen to good people?", we need to remember that there are no "good" people. We are sinners and we deserve so much worse than we are getting on this earth. We don't even deserve the breath that comes from Him let alone the many, many blessings that He bestows on us!! We are truly blessed and these reminders have been so encouraging to me when my mind wanders off and asks "Why??" I don't mean this to be a sob story. God is teaching us and is really bringing Him closer to Him through this. Isn't that what it's all about? So for now, I will clean the bathrooms at 9:00pm and I will run on the treadmill when I can, and I will try to make the most of every opportunity with my children, because God is good!!!

Heels, Bikes, Teeth, and New Beginnings...

What do all of these things have in common? They have all been topics of interest this week in the Kvernen household. The most exciting news is that Connor has lost his first tooth!!! It pretty much just fell out of his mouth because he didn't want to pull it out. He and Carson are very different in many ways and when to start yanking on the loose tooth is one way they differ. He was pretty excited that it hardly bled. Carson tries to yank his out the minute he discovers that it's loose so naturally there is a lot of blood involved. Carson has lost his second one by the way. He claims there are more loose, but I'm not convinced yet :) The other big news is that Kaelynn started daycare this morning. Once she was reminded that today was the day, her energy level picked up and she was ready to scoot out the door. Here she is holding her tote of extra clothes and blanket for rest time. I wasn't quite sure how the whole rest thing would go since she stopped taking an afternoon nap before the age of 2 (not my choice by the way).

When we got to the center, there were three girls in the classroom who were playing Barbies- Kaelynn jumped right in. She hardly noticed us leave.

When I asked her how her day was, she said it was good. They were getting ready to go outside to the playground for the second time and she was pretty bummed that she couldn't go. Sounds like she's ready to go back on Wednesday!!!

I so enjoy my days with her. Last week we went to a park in town that has great bike paths. Kaelynn loves to bike! When I say loves- I mean loves. I bet we rode a mile and a half that day and she never once complained. She just wanted to keep going.

We stopped at this water fountain to have our snack. I love the sound of water fountains!!

Her latest craze are high heels. She has always been a fan of them, but she has become kind of obsessed lately. If she is at home she has her heels on. She even plays tennis in them.

What I love about this video is that two minutes before I took this, I gave her a lecture of what could happen if she continued to play tennis in her heels. At the end it seems she learned her lesson, but don't be fooled. She put them right back on!!! She's one tough cookie!

Changes ahead

The boys have been in school for a week now and we are pretty well adjusted to the new schedule. They are still getting up with enthusiasm and getting off the bus with smiles. It sounds like Connor's class is a little rowdy this year. His teacher has already sent home a note asking the parents to talk with our kids about classroom rules. Unfortunately Connor did contribute to the rowdyness one day this week, but we had a good talk and he has had better days since. I have loved being at home with Kaelynn. She loves to ride her bike and has quite the endurance for it. We have taken several long bike rides and enjoyed several parks around town. We have certainly done our share of errand running, which is so much easier with one than three. We have played house and "pay" (also known as "store"), and have read many a book! We have baked cookies and banana streusel muffins and danced and laughed and even wrestled a few times :) It's a bummer that these days are going to be fewer as the weeks roll on. I will be substitute teaching in the West Fargo School District very soon- maybe even tomorrow :) I was hoping to just sub on Friday's which are Andy's days off, but a recent financial hardship has forced me to teach more often. We will be sending Kaelynn to a full day preschool/daycare two days a week. In the midst of the struggle though, we still feel very blessed. The preschool we are sending her to is run by a woman at our church and most of the teachers there attend our church. They usually only take kids five days a week/full-time, but are ministering to us and letting her be there just two. I actually think it will be really good for her and I pray that she will thrive. So as much as the situation sucks (sorry), I know that God is good and will provide for our every need. He has proven that to us over and over in our lives!!!! We are praying that the changes ahead bring glory to His name! P.S.- I am excited and nervous about teaching. It's been a long time since I've been in the classroom, but I think it will come back pretty quickly!