...First Day of School...First Day of School...First Day of School...

Well, there is silence in my house except for the Rick & Bubba Show playing in the background.  And you all know why...it's the first day of school.  And everyone breath in through the nose & out through your mouth. 

Did I take any pictures of my children this morning?  Nope...because I'm a total slacker.  My camera has had one too many drops and the battery latch will not stay closed.  I'm very sad about this, I love my camera.  It's been with me a long time.  I'm going to borrow Elizabeth's camera this afternoon & take pictures of all my kiddos.  So we'll have 'after the first day of school' pictures.  Better late than never right...?

All 4 of the little chicks reacted differently to school starting.  It was so funny to watch.  I have 2 of the 4 starting new schools, so there is a lot of excitement with beginning something new. 

Hop is a junior & finally getting to shed the underclassman status & for him it is refreshing.  He was up late last night & this morning getting his summer work completed.  I love it when he waits until the last minute to finish all his work, it's great.  NOT!  I keep thinking my little 4 year old buddy is going to come through the door, but instead a man comes through it.  Yes, I'm crying, my babies are growing too fast.

Harry, the picky one, is a freshman.  He doesn't realize that there is nothing lower than a freshman boy...unless you have a sibling that is an upperclassman.  Harry has no trepidation (aren't you proud of me for using a good vocab word?).  He really excited but too cool to show it.  He's going to love being in high school, and I'm excited for this next phase in his life.

Elizabeth is a hoot.  I'm dropping her off this morning for her first day of middle school. She takes a big deep breath, giggles a bit (which she does whenever she's nervous), throws me a huge smile, tells me she loves me & hops out of the car.  Her classes have started right now so I hope she's having fun!

Henry was cool as a cucumber.  It's our family's last year in elementary school, so no big deal for him this morning.  He's like a senior in high school.  He knows his way around, the complete drill & what's expected.  It's nice when that can happen.  He has some of his best buds in his class, and we have heard wonderful things about his teacher, so it's going to be a great year.

In honor of school starting today, I'm including one of my favorite all time commercials!  I try not to laugh every time I see it & fail miserably.  But it's ok, laughter is good for the spirit.  Since silence is reigning in my house after a summer & house full of children & noise, I need something.  Below I put part of the prayer I prayed for my children this morning & I'm praying it for your children as well.

Have a wonderful first day school & be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

My prayer for my children and yours:
Dear Lord, I praise you for a wonderful refreshing summer for our children.  As they return to school help them to remember You.  Help them to know who they belong to & that You love them more than we do.  Help them to be a blessing to their teachers and friends.  Let them reflect Your love to everyone and to speak truth in love to all they come in contact with.  Lord we ask your protection over our children's hearts, their classrooms, and schools.  I pray against any attack of the enemy.  I stand against the enemy & command that he is not allowed in our schools because I pray the Blood of Jesus who covers us over our children.   Bless our teachers and administrators with Your wisdom.  Let Your peace fill our schools.  I humble myself to you Lord Jesus for our children.  If there are any who don't know you let our children show them Your love & tell them of Your great Name.  You are the I AM.  I praise You Lord!  In Jesus most precious Name, ~Amen.

So Proud of my Girl

This summer has been fun, fast, and is now coming to a close.  For me it's been especially fun because I have watched my sweet Elizabeth begin her journey in cooking. 

This has been the summer of homemade pizzas, and Elizabeth is the best at making one.  Her brothers, with their mouths full, will mumble that her pizzas are good.  From a boy that's a pretty high compliment.

Last night she made a full cake by herself.  I didn't even supervise...a little scary now that I think about it, but she did it beautifully!  (I can't bake so I'm pretty proud! and a little jealous.)

Tonight I'm letting her make dinner.  She learned how to poach chicken & why it's better to poach it than boil it.  I'm letting her choose the menu & she decided to make PoppySeed Chicken.  Hoppy will be excited, it's one of his favorite meals.  She is shredding, mixing, spreading & crumbling.  She has decided that broccoli will go great with our chicken.  I agree, so the picky one will be most upset that he will have green trees on his plate to eat.  (If he wants cake...he'll eat broccoli.)  The only part of cooking I don't think she's going to like very much is the clean-up.  Then again, I don't like the clean-up either.  (I think I'll be nice & help her with this part.  Misery loves company.)

I'm so proud of her.  I wish my mom & MeMaw were here so I could share this memory with them.  I know they would praise her accomplishments.  For those of us who cook a lot, PS Chicken and broccoli is a simple meal to prepare, but for someone who doesn't know how to cook, it's huge.  We've shared E's cooking ability with GiGi & Pop because they spent the night last night & were able to let Elizabeth know how much they loved her cake.  It's nice when people notice your hard work and let you know they appreciate you.

So today's post is for my girl...I'm so proud of her!  She makes my job as a mom easy.  :)

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~Elizabeth's very proud mommy ~ ashley