Softball and T-Ball seasons are winding down. Little Man has thoroughly enjoyed his first season, although at times he does complain about having to get up to get to a game or practice - but once we're there he is so excited. Before his first practice he came to me and said in his most excited voice "I've been waiting for this day for 3 years and it's finally here - I am SO excited!!" It's been a blast.
It's also been crazy. Many of the girls games are at the exact same time as Little Man's - just across town. Thankfully my parents have been more than wonderful about taking the girls or Little Man to a game while I'm at the field with the other one(s).
Doodle Bug is playing well - you can tell she's played for three years now. She's doing very well with hitting, catching, and paying attention. Lulu started out more focused than two years before, but she would still spin around in the outfield occassionally (at least she wasn't picking flowers or chasing butterflies this time). A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to practice with her, one on one. Since then her hitting, catching, and running have improved dramatically! Their last two games, she's actually played better than Doodle has. I need to get out there and work with Doodle and Little Man by themselves - give them some personal attention as well.
Did I mention that my mom is paying them to play? Yes, every run they score, every ball they catch - or attempt to catch - get's them a quarter and dime respectively. The girls are racking it up!
While practice and games have been going on, our van has been in the shop - three times... First time was to a long list of "To Do's" done. Second time was a bad starter - well, third time was too - the first starter they put on was bad.. The most recent problem was a sensor in the transmission. Glad it wasn't the transmsision itself because we wouldn't have been able to fix it. But as always, God is good. I had no problem saying "Your will be done" but I did have a problem with trusting His will. "You do realize we can't fix a major repair, right?" I found myself saying to Him. His reply "Trust me." Well, unfortunately it wasn't easy for me to do. Thankfully, He came through as promised - the repair cost $130 less than what we were quoted - it took less to repair/test - so not only did He know what He was doing - He had an extra blessing for us and we didn't even expect it. He is GOOD!
Along with school (kids and mine), work, raising a family, and scooting around town to various games and practices we are trying to be much better stewards of the wonderful salary God has given me. We've switched to even more store brands and are buying less 'convenience' foods (pre-cooked bacon anyone? not us anymore), and packing more of a punch with coupons. So far this month we've saved $31 in coupons alone - not including BOGO deals or store brand savings. It's awesome! Yes, takes me maybe an hour a week to hunt for/cut all the coupons, search the store ads for the best deals, but it's WELL worth it. We're hoping to cut our grocery bill down by 25%. So far, we're down 21% from last month and hoping it continues.
It's also time for the kid's school year to end and to get ready for next school year. The girls have come SUCH a long way in their schooling this year. Lulu's highlights include her reading and writing - she is writing wonderful short stories. Doodle's highlights include math (a struggle last year) and her writing. Her first drafts are getting better, but once she revises her stories truly go from good to great. Little Man is doing well also, always asking to do more. He went through all of his preschool books in just a few months, so we've been supplamenting with advanced preschool and kindergarten materials. He can't wait to start official school in the fall. My baby's growing up!
That's all for now. Praying you are all doing well.
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