Fast Paced

In all the hustle and bustle that was a typical Sunday with the Shedds I got to thinking. These little monkeys are growing so fast. Some days it seems like we're living life in fast forward with no way to slow down.

Elizabeth is in her final week of Kindergarten and it just doesn't seem real. She's had a wonderful year. She loves her teacher and has learned so much. She's such a smart little booger! She's reading above grade level and absolutely loves to do it. I do have to say though that this time last year she was so worried that her new teacher wouldn't teach her how to read. We've come a long way. She's good at math too. She did a "math exam" that she made the other day and although I was only allowed to see part of it I was amazed. She did 30-3 and 27-2 and every time she got it right.

Sarah has one day left in preschool! I really don't know where the time has gone! She has absolutely loved her teacher and her friends. She talks about them all the time. She decided who she is going to marry and already changed her mind. She's learned so much. She knows her colors and counts to about 20. We keep comparing her to her sister which is not completely fair to her. She's 6 months younger than Elizabeth when she was in this class. She is a little sponge though and absorbs almost everything.

Cole will be in preschool next year! Look out preschool teachers! With both him and Sarah I have been concerned about their teachers not understanding what they say, but amazingly the kids always seem to be able to speak more clearly by the time school comes around. I can't always understand everything Cole says, but we're getting there. He's definitely a boy. He's rough and tough and loves to climb and get into all sorts of things! He keeps me on my toes more than the girls ever did. This surprises me because he was such an easy going baby. I had hoped that he would stay that way...it didn't happen. He can be so sweet though. I had to be gone for a while one day and he had a babysitter. When I got home he said, "Mommy, I miss you!" He had never said that before and it just melted.

This has been a hard week for us. When we moved here we planned on being here for a few years and then moving on to bigger and better things. Plan failed...we loved the kids here and leaving them is a bit like leaving a part of our family. The kids have been so sweet though. They've written Jonathan letters and even signed his yearbook! I went last week and signed yearbooks too. I wish we could take them all with us! Anyway, as of now we're staying in Clanton. We're praying for one opportunity and not a choice. That way we know we're where God wants us. We hope to stay planted in Clanton for one more year! Then again that's our plan, and God has giggled at our plans in the past. At the end of the day as long as we're where He wants us we know everything will be ok.

Jobs

About 2 weeks ago I was timing my 2 mile run with some of my running buddies. I got a phone call as we went down the first hill (my phone is almost always on vibrate, so this was really strange). It was Jonathan. He asked what I was doing and I told him I was running. He told me he'd call me back later that he had something to tell me. I told him to go on and tell me now, so he proceeded to tell me that his position was being cut due to budget issues at the board of education. We've been through this SEVERAL times before, so I was ok until we made the first turn, and that's when I lost it. You see, I know that God will take care of us. He always does, but these kids he works with at Verbena, well, they're part of our family, and the thought of leaving them.....well it still sucks.
Needless to say my time was ruined and we walked the rest of the route. Seems like there is so much more at stake this time. It's not just leaving those kids. It's the thought of Elizabeth changing schools and the possibility of having to sell our house and Sarah and Cole not getting to go to the most amazing preschool on the planet. Those are the things that make me sad about the entire situation.
We are trusting God through it all though. He says he will never leave us or forsake us and we are clinging to that. If God calls us away from Verbena we know that He will find someone else to love those kids. He just better find someone that loves them as much as we do! Although I am sad of the thought of leaving I know that it is in God's hands and we will be more than ok. We will be blessed.
The week before Jonathan's phone call I was telling my running buddies (God bless you guys!) that this has been a year of God calling me out of my comfort zone. My guess is that this is just another part of that. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek God's will for our family.