Five on Friday (May 19, 2017)

Rejoice in our confident hope, be patient in trouble and keep on praying. Romans 12:12

We have several someones close to us going through hard, hard days and I have cried more tears and prayed more prayers in the last month than maybe ever before in my life. All around us people fail, face unimaginable hardships, give up. Each week when I sit down to write my Five on Friday post, it seems silly to keep this little list of family happenings. But I look back through the past weeks and months and cannot ignore the blessings in the little moments. How could I not document those things? (I literally walked to the mailbox after writing this paragraph and found a sweet card and coffee gift card waiting for me.)

And then there's the big fat Life as a Lewis 2016 book that arrived in the mail last week, and it did my heart good to watch Camden sit down and read for two solid hours. He smirked and laughed, rolled his eyes and groaned, but it was worth every penny of the $100+ and 361 pages to watch him read and remember.

1. Rory attended her first beginners tumbling class this week. The girl has been saving her pennies for over 6 months now; she was responsible for registration and the first month's fee; we'll pay for the next several months and see how it goes. Making her pay for an extracurricular may seem harsh, but pennies are a little tight and she has a track record of wanting to try all the things and then skipping out or giving up a few weeks in. It was an hour of solid exercise, learning new skills, and the only competition is herself. As in, improving her own skills week to week. It's also something her brother hasn't tried first.

2. Camden had his one and only middle school field trip Tuesday to the Tennessee Discovery Park. He requested banana nut bread for both buses full of kids and so I obliged. In fact, there's a list on our fridge of 5 different occasions that required baked goods for kid activities. I feel like these are just the beginning days of being a full-time chauffeur and cook for the kids as they grow older, and I want to look at those acts of service as love gifts to them instead of an inconvenience.

He also took his own money and brought me home a necklace for Mother's Day from the gift shop. Rory is the spender of the family, but Camden holds onto his money and spending it is a big deal for him. It is a sweet teal cross, and he was so proud of it.

3. Rory participated in a multiplication bee with the other 3rd and 4th graders at school Thursday morning. Math is her biggest challenge, but she did so well and made it to the final 5. Those girls went round and round spitting out multiplication facts with 1 second on the clock until she finally stumbled and was eliminated. When I hugged her goodbye, she burst into tears from the disappointment.

4. My friend Amy accompanied me Wednesday for chemo, and the time flew by. Definitely the smoothest process I've had so far. My favorite nurse was back in the chemo room, my bloodwork was the best it's been during the cycle, and we were in and out in 4 hours.

5.  My mom and dad were here for a short 2 night, 1 day visit. I don't remember if I've mentioned it, but they are retiring and moving to Tennessee this summer (along with both sets of my grandparents). Because they're building a house, we've had lots of visits this winter/spring. I have cried off my make-up here and completely left off my brows, but I'm still glad we took this quick picture this morning as they were headed out the door.

Happy Friday! 

(last one of the school year)