Christmas 2012

Bold Bright Wishes Christmas

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Big Girl Princess!

Our family has  A  L  O  T  of celebrating to do this week!  Well, at least mom and L do anyway!

Most of you know the struggle we've had with pottytraining our strongwilled child.  I started trying with her last summer thinking she was ready.   I thought we would have all summer to work on it and she would be wearing panties and using the potty before school started and I had to go back to work.  Well......summer came and went with nothing, much to my disappointment.  Friends told me to just wait on her and that she'd tell me when it was the right time.  At school her teachers were helpful and understanding.  They tried to work with her, but unfortunately we didn't have the consistancy we needed since she had three different teachers (or more...I think I lost count :/ ).  I will give credit to Ms. Kylie though.  We loved her and she is an awesome teacher for that age group!  I'm incredibly thankful for her patience and kindness towards my daughter. 

Fastforward to this summer.  I decided I was going to bite the bullet no matter what!  Thinking I was doing something wrong I downloaded a book to my Kindle appropriately called "Training the Strong Willed Child".  I won't begin to tell you what a joke the advice in this book was.  Let's just say they haven't met MY daughter.  After researching online and finding that I had tried all the advice out there, that I agreed with anyway, I resorted to bribery!  Suckers, chocolate, ice cream.  We even bought her a little swimming pool.  She still wasn't interested but she was at least beginning to show signs of trying.  Then last weekend we took a trip to KC and left D for a few extra days to have some special time with Gram.  We returned home with just L and the hopes that this was my opportunity to focus solely on her and pottytraining. Tuesday I stuck her in a pair of panties.  She even sat on her potty chair for a while and just watched tv for a little bit. We had a little bit of luck with that.  She had a couple of accidents through the day but nothing that couldn't be easily cleaned up.  Then that evening we had a BREAKTHROUGH OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS!  She actually told me that evening after dinner that she needed to "go peepee"!  It was music to my ears.  What made it even better was that she didn't want to sit on her potty chair.  She took me to the bathroom, sat on her pottyseat and went in the toilet like she'd been doing it all along!!!  The next few days I was worried and feared we might not have the luck we'd had the day before but she surprised me.  She actually made it to the potty most everytime with only a few accidents.  The impressive part was that she told me everytime she needed to go.  After she stayed dry all day Friday, though she convinced that she is serious about it now and finding pride in her accomplishments.  She walks around saying "I'm a big girl princess", a title bestowed on her by her daddy!
Amazingly just after less than a week she's wearing panties at the house and pullups outside---and staying dry!!!  She even told me she needed to go a couple of times at church this morning and did it both times.    This mommy is happy---happy for her!  Most of all I am proud for her and thankful that I can clearly see the light now at the end of the tunnel called Pottytraining!

The Cat Is Out of the Bag!!!

So I guess it's okay to post my big news now that those who needed to know first know (if that doesn't sound like a mouthful)....

I resigned my teaching job at the beginning of last month in order to stay home with the kids AND (just wait, it gets better)...

HOMESCHOOL! 

I can just hear some of you now--- "What?!", "No Way!", "Really?!" 

The answer is yes!  We have decided to follow God in faith and obedience in a new direction for our family.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited!!!  My heart has always been with my family and I always wanted to be a stay at home mom.  However, I never considered homeschooling as a part of my future.   God, like He always seems to, had other plans though.  When I was in middle school I knew I wanted to be a teacher one day and as I went through high school I realized this was God's calling for my life.  So that is what I pursued as I started college.  Then I met the man of my dreams and we got married, (Aww!!!), I graduated with a BS in Elementary Education, got a job immediately out of school and started my teaching career I had so long dreamed about.  Eventually D and L came along.

I love teaching.  I love the spark in a childs eye when they finally get "it" and knowing that I helped them to realize whatever "it" is drives me.  For the past 4 summers though the desire to stay home and be with my children as grown stronger and stronger.  They are my first priority after my relationship with God and then J.  I love my family fiercely, but we never felt like it was the right time.  Then last summer J and I committed to pray about it during the school year. 

God finally revealed His plan to us in April.  He began to provide in ways we hadn't seen coming and as J and I were talking about it for what seemed about the millionth time one evening we realized God was answering our prayer.  J asked me "Hasn't God called you to teach?"  This btw is a question he asks me every summer when we have this very same discussion, but it was as he was asking it that God put in my heart that He had called me teach OUR children. 

I am honored in more ways than I can say, yet I know this is how it should be for us and  I don't know if we will always homeschool but I do know that I'm not going to look ahead but instead obey God in the present.  God's timing and perspective of His plan and our lives is perfect!!!  So much more clear than ours---this is what keeps me grounded and unfearful of the crazy thoughts going around in my head telling me I can't do this or I'll mess up my kids!  Then there's the fact that He has put so many other sweet homeschool friends in our path with the knowledge and experience to help guide us down this road. 

So here we go...School starts August 1st in our house, exactly two weeks from today!!!  Please be praying for us and we'll keep you posted on our adventure!

My Calling

Have I mentioned just how much I. love. summer?!  There are so many things about it I don't think I have enough time to mention all of them.  So I'll just tell you my all time favorite thing which is being with my family---being a wife and mother.  I don't care what anyone thinks.  Being a housewife is God's ultimate calling for my life.  I am filled with so much joy when my kitchen is clean, laundry is done AND put away, things are organized, my kids are happy, and Josh can walk through the door to dinner waiting on the table and us with smiles on our faces (even if it has been a CrAzY day in our house).  I know this doesn't mesh with society's current idea of what a housewife should be---I've known for a long time I was born in the wrong decade---but I do know this is what God wants for me and my family and not just during the summer but every day of the year.  I am so blessed to be the manager of this family and I am honored that God has blessed me with the titles of "wife", "mother", and "homemaker".

Memories of 2010

Wow!  So much has happened this year!  Our family has once again been incredibly blessed.  We are not ending the year, not to mention the decade,  any wealthier or better off, however we are healthy, happy and we have each other.  Here are some of the things we'll remember about 2010:

1. The ice storm that left us without electricity for three straight days.  It swear it felt much longer than that!!!  I learned alot about myself.  Like I would never have survived living on the prairie, I wasn't made for winter and I take a lot more for granted than I truely realize.

2. I planted my first garden and it actually produced all the way into November!!!  It was great watching it grow and being able to walk out my door to grab tomatoes, peppers, squash, and zucchini. I will definately do it again in 2011.


3. I finished my last year at Lincoln.  It was my first public school job.  I started out teaching fourth grade and the following years after that I was blessed with the opportunity to teach first.  It's where my classroom was located for 7 years.  I feel like I did a lot of growing up and learning about the world and myself there. 

4. Our family vacation to San Antonio.  It was so much fun!  Even if we lost Lilly at the hotel, D cut his toe at Sea World, it stormed while we were there and our whole half side of town was without electricity an a/c for the entire night.  Except for all that, we had a great time...D fed the dolphins, the Riverwalk was beautiful, and we found a restaurant ALMOST as good as Ted's!

5. I did a book study with some friends in my house over Femenine Appeal.  It was awesome and something I can't wait to take part in again.  Hmm wonder what we'll read next???

6. Started the school year in a different building.  The building I actually went to kindergarten, first and second grade in.  It was interesting and felt like I had come full circle. I teach right next door to my own first grade teacher now!

7. D started kindergarten and his reading has taken off!!!  I'm so excited to listen to him read to me. 

8. L started speech.  It has been a blessing for us all.  She's only been going one day a week but we've seen so much progress in only a short amount of time.

9. My sister and I started a monthly girls night out.  Each month we take turns choosing the restaurant and activity (usually shopping, but we're both good with that!).  I think we're closer than we've been in a LONG time and we have a blast when we get to go!

10. Christmas 2010:  We all got sick, we kinda missed out on a normal Christmas for our family and L had her tonsils and adenoids removed. May not be the greatest ending to the year BUT we are all on the mends and hopefully L will be more healthy in the new year :)


Happy New Year to all of you!!!

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!!!

With the ending of the old year and beginning of the new one I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!" I am thankful for my God who gives new beginnings no matter what time of year it is! May all of you have a beautiful new beginning to the new year and the new decade!

Round 2 a Success

L finally had her tonsils and adenoids removed this past Monday.  This happened a week after we were originally supposed to have it done but like most everything else that happens in the Ravan household you don't always get what you expect.  Oh well, at least we had a good doctor willing to work with us and one who understood we wanted to do it while it was Christmas break.  So we got up Monday morning early at 4:15 in order to be at the hospital for surgery prep at 5:45. 
The nurses were wonderful as always in Norman.   Can't say I've ever had a bad experience with any of them.  In order to get L to relax and thankfully not leave us screaming they gave her a sedative which helped to calm her.  I can't say I've ever seen my daughter that calm.  It was almost humerous!  We were able to talk to her without her trying to poke our eyes out or choke us (one of her ways of playing) and instead she just smiled sweetly and answered our questions with a nod or shake of her head.  After the sedative had taken complete effect they took L back for surgery along with Pat, her stuffed horse.   I was extremely nervous and prayed most of the time she was away from me. 
After about an hour L's nurse finally came to give us a report.  I had begun to think after about an hour of not hearing anything that there were complications or something else.  I guess it's my nature to think the worst.  L's nurse was extremely kind.  She said they'd finished and L would be returned to us soon. 
L was brought to us by her surgical nurse and the anesthiologist who'd administered her sedative.   They oohed and awed over her telling us how pretty she is and what a doll.  Of course I know all this but I just cuddled my daughter and tried to comfort her.   She was initially upset because of the IV in her hand.  As she faded in and out of sleep she tried to pick at it so I had to hold her hands in order to keep her from pulling it out.   Then the nurses left and Josh went to grab a bite of breakfast for us.  In the short amount of time he was gone L's stomach acted up and I had to call a nurse for help!  It was scarey for me, but the nurse came quickly and helped clean L and I up.  She said it was normal for that to happen and gave her some medicine to calm her belly.  She was my hero for a brief few 5 minutes!!!  I know I would never be successful at a job like hers.
L slept for probably a good hour before any of the drugs started to wear off. We actually had to wake her up so we could get her started on a cup of milk.  She had to be drinking and keeping things down before they let us leave to come home.  She did so well from that point on.  She actually drank a whole pint of milk pretty quickly without any problems so they let us check out about 11 am.  We had gone fully expecting an overnight stay so we were glad to be leaving so she could heal comfortably at home.
When we got home I didn't expect her to eat anything but the first thing she asked for when we walked in the door was a "chocolate cookie", also known as an Oreo.  She also ate ramen noodles and crackers.  I was thrilled!
We are into the third day now, what many people tell me will be one of the harder days.  They also tell me her breath will stink like something's crawled down her throat and died.   My plan is to take one day at a time and cover my daughter in prayer. 
To all our friends and family THANK YOU for your prayers and concern for her.  We will keep you updated on her recovery and we love you all!