The New Normal

About a month ago, when Sam was again complaining of an ache, pain, or other sickness, we decided it was time to home school.  He has been wanting us to homeschool since half way through 6th grade, but since most of his problems with school involved deadlines and organization, we figured being home wouldn't help that.  God has a way of making Himself very clear, however, and so three weeks ago we pulled Sam out of school and started the journey of homeschooling.

 I've done it before when Fred was in 4th, 5th and 6th grades.  It was good and hard.  I had 4 children at home, three of whom I was trying to teach, and one who just wanted his mama.  It's very different to have just Sam here.  He's in 7th grade and a very good reader--perfectly capable of reading for understanding and following instructions.  He has actually done very well, but this week the honeymoon is over.  There were more times of having to go back and do it again, more complaining, and less work done to the best of his ability.  I expected that, but it's still not fun.

We start each day with God's Word, which we were doing before, but for some reason it's different.  Maybe it's the time spent talking about it.  I can see the difference in Sam in just 3 short weeks.  He's happier, he's getting along with his brothers better, he's making better choices.  For that, it's worth it.  On  the down side, I may never see my husband alone again.  My day of school starts at 8:30 and finishes about 6 or 7.  After Sam is done, the others get home, and I am doing homework with them.  So those pictures represent the bulk of every day.  But they also represent the eternal souls that God has put in our care. 

Homecoming

 He remembered to be a gentleman, and Dad let him take the car.

                                                                            Bree and Fred

 I love this picture.  Bree posted it on face book in black and white and for the caption wrote, Fred Fulton, Holy Spirit, Bree Jordan.

                                                               Great group of kids

 When we arrived at Bree's to take pictures, some of the gentlemen were having trouble with their ties.  Bree's dad was out of town, so her brother googled "how to tie a tie."  It was so funny!  Chris rescued them.  He tied 3 of the ties for the evening.  Fred missed a step, so he had some help.

                                                   Sam and Peter at the tailgate party

                                                                 After the game

                                                          Ben ready for the monster slide

                                                                         Fred is #34

Let me first just say that so far I DO NOT like the new system for Blogger--I can't seem to figure out how to put the pictures on, so imagine these in reverse order!!! 

Life is, um, stressful right now.  There are things, things, things going on.  We started homeschooling Sam this week, which is the culmination of a bunch of other stuff.  So instead of going down that road, I wanted to share what has been bringing me joy.  I have always enjoyed high school football (seriously Chris!), but it's so much more fun now that I have a vested interest.  I love to watch Fred play.  He is in almost the entire game.  He runs the defense and does it very well.  Since it's inception 6 years ago, Mountain View has not had a winning football team, but this year they are 5 and 1 so far.  It's been an exciting ride.  Last week was homecoming, and the team won again--a hard fought battle.  We went to the tailgate party and parade before the game, and then enjoyed the evening with many friends.  The next evening was the dance, which Fred attended with Bree, his girlfriend.  This is all new territory for us, but it's been so much fun.  I'm thankful for these moments of joy. 

Random pictures

This is Peter's reaction every day.  Usually we don't see it until he gets off the bus. He shouts, "YES, yeah, WOO HOO!" every day.  The people waiting in cars behind the bus usually smile at him and sometimes honk.  They must understand the sentiment.  I guess he wanted to just pose before he got on the bus the first day of school.

Sam ready for his first day of 7th grade.  He gets to ride alone this year.  I think it's his first time in a school without another Fulton--well, a blood relation Fulton.

Fred and Ben on their first day of school--Fred as a senior and Ben as a freshman.  Fred drives in order to save us the trip to pick him up every day after practice.  Ben decided on taking the bus home over football practice.

The boys, led by Zachary, discovered that poke weed berries make great body paint!  Thankfully, it also washes off pretty easily.  I imagined them going to school the first day stained purple. 

Sam had a 13th birthday party with many of his friends.  I have to confess that this was the first birthday party I'd ever been to where wresting was one of the main attractions.  I can't imagine how I missed that in the list of party games!

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One of our pictures from a birthday showed Fred puckered and ready to blow out someone's candles, so now this is the running birthday joke. Sam handled it well at his birthday party.


There is some new format for this blog that I haven't figured out.  I thought it would be easy to write a little post.  I was wrong.  When I click anywhere, I get moved to a random picture. Yikes!  I hope I can figure it out before I start hopping to other people's pictures.  I'm guessing you can tell that by the fact that there are three of the same pictures posted.  I tried to edit this and get them out, but then the bottom picture disappears too.  I give up.  I'm sorry for the triple pictures.  Help me!

Blessings

These are some of the blessings in my life right now:

Late summer/early fall--It's my favorite time of year.  The sky is azure, and white  cotton balls dot the scenery.  The sun is so bright, but the heat isn't oppressive.  The mornings are cooler and crisp.  Gloaming (I love that word--it means dusk) is earlier so I can enjoy it while I'm still awake.

Football--I think it's because I have a vested interest, but I just love watching Mountain View play.  I love their energy and their will.  Sitting in the stands or walking through the stadium and seeing old and new faces makes me feel at home.  The band is amazing this year!  Another football mom was talking with me through it, so I didn't want to be rude, but when the entire band turned toward us playing Ode to Joy, my heart skipped a beat.  It was beautiful.

School--Back to school was and is one of my favorite times of year.  There are meaningful things to do each night.  There are papers to fill out, teachers to meet, books to read.  I'm excited for Ben.  It's his first year of high school.  So far he is liking it. 

Cyrano--Sam is trying out for a play with a local Christian theater, so he has to memorize and recite a monologue.  He's decided to use the scene from Cyrano where Cyrano is insulted and gives the man more ideas of how he could have more eloquently insulted him.  Sam has done a great job and he's so funny to listen to.

Just some of my blessings on this difficult day.

God Prints

As I look back over the last year, and especially the last few weeks, I can see God's hands so clearly in our situation.

--My dad started going to church. After he had seizures in August of 2008, he started attending church with my mom in Keysville. When Kim and I talked about him, she said that sometimes she would just look at him and think "What a miracle that he is here." Truly it was.

--My mom had knee surgery in July. I was torn between going down and staying here. Summer had been hard, and Dad was not always very pleasant since he was hurting so much. He had a hard time when Mom had surgery in March though, and ultimately, God changed my heart and I went. I got to spend time with him just 3 weeks before he died. We had some good conversations and it was good. I'm so thankful that I listened to God and went.

--When Chris called me and told me that I needed to come home, I was about to meet up with my prayer partner of 10 years. We talked while I headed home to God-only-knows what disaster. She was the first person I called after Chris shared the news with me about my dad. She told me that all week God had put my dad on her heart, and that she had been praying for his salvation all week. When I finally got to my parents' house, Mom told me that she and Dad had a conversation about salvation the night before and he told her that he knew he was saved because he had asked Christ into his heart. That is a gift from God!

--At the service for my dad, the pastor chose to read Psalm 139, the Psalm I had memorized several years ago when I struggled with anxiety, panic and pain. How precious that God would remind me of those things then.

--The sermon on my first Sunday back was on God's grace. I had had my doubts about my dad's relationship with Christ, but our pastor and the Lord reminded me from the Word that God's love and grace to us is unconditional, not based on our performance but on God's faithfulness.

--I was able to pray with my family for the first time ever, and to share God's Words of peace and comfort with them in many different ways.

I'm sure there are many many more evidences of God's faithfulness throughout this trauma like the church people who brought food and baggies and paper products through the weekend, my friends here who have taken care of us since our return, and God's sustaining hand to help us walk through each day. He is truly so faithful. The scripture that He has been bringing up to me since about May is Isaiah 43:1-2. It worried me for a while. I'd ask why I needed to hear that.

"...Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel....."

How grateful I am for those words!

My Dad

The last picture I had taken with just the two of us. This totally epitomizes my dad. Look at his expression. I'm mean, not to be messed with. But he's wearing a boa and crown so how rough can he be? Abbey had him around her little finger. I guess I probably did too.

Doing his favorite thing--walking through car shows.

My parents on their 43rd wedding anniversary in June. I love this picture of them.

My dad passed away on Friday, August 13th. What a terrible day! I think the reality is starting to sink in. With the shock that comes with such suddenness and then the tasks that need to be attended to, and the people who surrounded us, we were pretty busy over the last week. But now as we get back to "normal," there is time to think and realize. I stayed with my mom for the week in order to get some things done for her and with her. When I hadn't really done anything by Thursday, it dawned on me that perhaps I may just be there to be there. We shared a lot and cried some and laughed a lot. Coming home Friday was hard, but getting to my home and having to make lunch for everyone seemed impossible. Each day is better. Time is a healer. God is so gracious and merciful to us. We have friends who have called, sent cards, brought meals, and held us up in prayer. I'm sure I'll post more later, but as I went through some pictures, I just wanted to post them for right now and remember.

Nieces

I adore my nieces and nephew. I wish they were closer so that I could see them more often. I suppose it's similar to grandkids--I don't have to discipline them, but I get to enjoy them. All but one of mine are younger than my own children, so I get the joy of little ones again when I am with them, which is not enough. I just got to spend a couple of days with Ashley in South Carolina. I hope to see Lily, Tommy and Rosie for a day in September. It's been two years since I've seen them! In June Abbey and Nichole came up to spend the week with us. We had so much fun. Being the mother of sons, I miss out on many "girl" things, which I suppose isn't all bad. When Abbey and Nichole were here, I had the opportunity to indulge. We shopped, we ate, we laughed, we tried on clothes, we went to a tea party. We even tried our homemade slip and slide. I am so blessed to be Aunt Paula. The boys love being with their cousins as well. They get to do things and experience things that are outside of their normal lives: girl things. I love that my boys are so close with their cousins in Virginia, and how I hope that they will have more opportunities to connect with their other cousins. Those are connections that are unique to cousins--a belonging that doesn't exist in other relationships.