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Friday, August 31, 2012

He is 16 Going on 17

My younger son is 16, going on 17.  A very hard age to mother, I must say.  There are so many things a boy must learn as he grows up in order to be a man of integrity, honor and one who values a job well done.  Yet many of the things he must learn are dangerous, at least to me.  You see, he is my child and so it makes it hard to let him begin his journey to manhood.

He has begged to use the riding mower, and after countless hours of begging, I told him he could begin to learn from his father.  Of course, our mower is old and decrepit and so has to be coddled in order to use it.  For instance, every time my husband wants to mow, he has to drag out the compressor to blow up the tires.  See, our budget is tight, and tires are expensive.  So that meant that our son would also have to learn how to use the compressor without blowing the tire or himself to smithereens. 

So finally, after learning all the ins and outs of lawn mowing, he took his first spin.  I was happy to see that he didn't speed around--he took his time and was relatively cautious.  I was worried about my gardens and the above-ground pool, but he took a wide berth which was easily seen where the grass was not mowed!

Another manly thing I have let him begin doing is lighting our charcoal grill.  He now knows how to put the paper in the chimney thing and get that going.  He knows not to leave it unattended.  I do watch from the window though.  Next, he will be learning how to actually cook on the grill.

I have to confess it also took me a long time to let him cross our busy street to check the mail. 

We have also given him permission to look for a part-time job, and then, once he saves up for driving lessons, he will begin that adventure, one I am really dreading.

These are just some of the many transitional things we have allowed him to do this past summer.  This is hard for me, as I worry so much about my children.  But I am determined that he be trained so that he can feel prepared as he inches towards manhood. 

I pray that God will give me the wisdom to help my son be cautious and make good choices, especially when it comes to his safety, and that He will hear my fervent prayers for my son as he grows up.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Girl!

Well, people, the verdict is in!  The sonogram showed...a healthy little girl!  So happy for my daughter and son-in-law.  Our family has a lot of experience with girls.  I have four sisters and I have three daughters, so this will be fun! 

There hasn't been a baby in our family for quite some time.  My youngest girl, now 13, was the last baby in our extended family.  So it should be interesting to see how all the teens (mostly boys) in our families react with a new baby.  They are in for some fun, that's for sure!  I am really looking forward to how they respond.

I am so thankful to God for the good report of the sonogram, as well as for all your prayers.  Thank you all!

I will keep you updated as the pregnancy progresses!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Boy or Girl?

My eldest daughter is pregnant with our first grandchild.  I am so excited!  Everything is going well, even with the scare of her having a gene for carrying cystic fibrosis.  But through God's grace, her husband does not also have that gene.  God is good!

She has struggled with the usual morning sickness but is starting to feel better.  Tomorrow, though, she is having a sonogram where she and her husband may be able to find out whether their baby is a boy or a girl.  At first she was excited to find out, but now she is worried about everthing else they might see, for example, the lungs and kidneys. 

So all of our excitement is tempered with her worries.  Please pray for her and her little one that everything will be fine.  I have been encouraging her to pray also and to trust in God.  So your prayers united with ours will be so appreciated!

I will be certain to update you tomorrow evening about the outcome.  God bless you all!