She gets in the car and is ready to write. No one is telling her what to do or where to do. No obligations anymore, no bells signaling changing classes, no need to do homework, no places to go. Just an exhale of breath and the ability to choose, and what she chooses is to write. She writes and writes and writes. Her voice coming through the walls quietly, spaces in between for silent editing. How did I get so lucky to be her mama? Why did God give me a writer? What a joy.
Our girl made dinner for the family tonight! She needed to complete a project and we needed to eat. Those two things lined up beautifully on this sunny-then-very-stormy Thursday evening, so we spent some time in the kitchen together—Livia with pots and pans and ingredients and me with my camera and some verbal guidance. The end result was that Livia learned how to make a roux, a cheese sauce, and she honed some stovetop skills she’s been developing over time. The mac and cheese was good, though next time we agreed to add sharp cheddar for more of a kick. Recipe posted below.
Ingredients:
16 ounces elbow macaroni
1⁄4 cup butter
1⁄4 cup flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or 8 ounces cheddar cheese
Directions:
– Cook macaroni according to package directions.
– In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour, and cook for 3-5 minutes stirring constantly to form a roux; add salt and pepper; slowly add milk, stirring well after each addition.
– Cook and stir until bubbly.
– Stir in cheese a small amount at a time until fully melted.
– Drain macaroni; add to cheese sauce; stir to coat.
There she goes! With grace, beauty, excitement, butterflies, and an iced coffee to start her day. I could not be more proud of this 8th grader. God has given Jeremy and me an amazing kid who makes us laugh, surprises us, loves us, and becomes more and more each day a tremendously cool person. Livia Raine, we love you incredibly and we pray that God matures you this year into a woman of courage who honors Him. Happy first day, kid!
First Day Pics Roundup!
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
When she was little we practiced pew-sitting. We realized that it was a rare occasion that our squirrelly little one had to sit still next to us, and so we literally practiced on the 8-foot pew—picked up somewhere along my parents’ many moves across the country—now taking up space in our dining room.
When Livia was three each Sunday felt like a little bit of a crisis for me as a stay-at-home mom eager to receive rest and rejuvenation. Our church tragically burned down that summer, and I remember writing our pastors an email and begging for children’s church to be reinstated, you know, for the single moms who really needed a break (and me, PLEASE!). God bless those people who love crazy three year olds; for me it was, let’s say, a challenging time.
As it turns out, our daughter didn’t stay three forever. She grew in stature and in maturity, and sitting at church became easier and easier. We moved from those days of goldfish snacks and soft-sided toys to crayons and books, and then to listening fully to the sermon and participating in the service.
I will say this for church: it is one of my favorite spots of the week. There are myriad of spiritual reasons why I need church—why anyone does—and that is to get my heart re-routed to what God says is important. I have the memory of a gnat and forget day-to-day, if not moment-to-moment, who I am and Who God is. Worship on Sunday becomes a “reset” button for the rest of my week. But I’ve found a delightfully unexpected joy in the regular act of church worship, and it is the quiet action of sitting with my family, hearing God’s word.
Every Sunday we go to church. It’s what we do. In the early days of our marriage, Jeremy and I had lengthy discussions about why we went to church, and interestingly enough, our strong-headed natures (which caused lots of fireworks the first two years) kept us faithfully attending church. We were students, which meant we were really tired and always behind in some sort of classwork, but when one partner was lazy the other wasn’t. We went to church. That same stubborn determination continued when we had kids, only it was remarkably easy to make it to church for a period of years as we had moved to the same city block as our home church. It just gets embarrassing when you sleep through a service instead of rolling out of bed and down the block with the other parishioners.
So now we are in church every week because we need it. Because we love it. Because God does something different there when His children are gathered to worship Him. Because our souls get fed the spiritual food they crave. And because we are loved well by that rag-tag group of human beings, from every walk of life it seems, gathered together under one roof because we are each other’s family in Christ.
In the pew at Redeemer my little family is focused on the same topic for 90 minutes each week. The Holy Spirit moves in us differently, and we welcome the work He is doing. I get to reach out on one side and hold my husband’s arm. I can reach out on the other and pull my daughter to my side while singing choruses. (Note: she’s now moving farther and farther away from me in the pew. Y’all behind me can watch the Progression of the Teen Independence these next few years. Get yo popcorn.) We are a family, and we go to church together. I am not in control of Livia’s thoughts about church, and the way she’ll interact with God and His people in the future is not up to me. But I hope the truths she finds in our church—and in our home—will carry her forward in this life until she meets the Lord face to face.
Father God, bless this girl as she starts 7th grade! May many middle school blessings of mercy, joy, grace and perseverance be poured over her this year. In Jesus’ name, amen.
All first day shots!
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
One of my favorite things in the world is to laugh, and I thank God for a daughter I laugh with on a regular basis. My mom and I can still get pretty darn giggly together if something strikes us as hilarious, and Livia and I have the same connection. A simple silly thing can absolutely take us down and pretty soon we’ll be wiping tears. It’s the kind of laughter that replaces sit-ups. Or so I tell myself. Come to think of it, I fell in love with Jeremy rather quickly because he, too, made me laugh. And he still does! In the middle of a serious life, laughter makes everything better.
Oh, Livia Raine. How I do love you!
UNO is a favorite of ours and we’ve been playing since Livia knew her colors and numbers. In fact, the yellow card holder needed in those days is still included in our UNO bag, though it’s no longer called for today. Early on Livia showed quite a bit of skill in the game, and I recall having to ditch “mommy-nice” play when she was still little. Since it’s my blog and since I so rarely beat Liv, I’ve included photographic evidence that today I totally KILLED IT. This moment will never happen again, so yes, I will brag about the one time I triumphed.
