Zac Brown at Church

Today we visited the church of some friends of ours. At this church the elementary school kids stay in the service with their parents for the first few worship songs. Seth was sitting next to me and he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Mom, that guy in the band looks like Zac Brown." And you know what....he was right! Little things like that make me smile!

It's a New Year!

We rang in the New Year last night in true Perry style. We went to Grandma's house for a little while and then came home and made dinner. After dinner we played Toy Story Uno. Everyone pitched in $1 and the winner of the games got to take the money. Strangely enough Seth and Evan won all of the games. I sent Ron a text half way through the game and asked, "Is it still wrong to cheat if you're cheating so that your kids will win the game?" We then watched Dick Clark's countdown on TV. Seth fell asleep but Evan and Levi had no problems staying awake. Evan and Levi are more like their dad but Seth takes after me. I was ready to go to bed at 11:30pm but made myself stay up until midnight.

2010 is gone and the kids are growing quickly. God has a plan for our family in 2011 and I am excited to see how that plan unfolds! Happy New Year to all of our friends and family!

Cans for Pounds

I'm super proud of my husband! About a month ago he looked at a picture of himself and wasn't happy with what he saw so he decided to do something about it. He sent out a bunch of emails to people we know with an idea. He simply asked people to sponsor and help support him in his endeavor to make a change. He set up a 90 day challenge. He's would work hard to lose weight in 90 days and for every pound he lost his sponsors would donate 1 canned good. So if he lost 20 pounds then each sponsor would donate 20 canned goods. At the end of the 90 day challenge he would collect the cans and take them to the Beacon Light Mission (a local homeless shelter). He also invited others to take on the challenge themselves.

This is such an awesome way to make a change not only in himself but also to bless others in need!

He is about one month into the challenge and he has lost 27 pounds. He has completely changed the way he eats, he's working out every day and making healthier choices. I can definitely see a difference in him. Not only in his appearance but also in his outlook. Working out is now fun for him. He challenges himself every day but he enjoys it and it's something he looks forward to doing. He also looks at food differently. He's more aware of what he's putting into his body. He's cut down his portion size and no longer goes for pastrami sandwiches and chili fries. Instead he's been eating more fruits and vegetables. We've changed the way we cook at home. We've been cooking with more veggies and less meat.

He's not in this alone either. Others have taken on the challenge as well. I'm not exactly sure of how many sponsors they've all got but the last estimate was over 1,000 cans have been earned so far! That's amazing!

I can't express how proud I am of all of those participating. The sponsors who are generously offering their support and canned goods are to be praised for giving of themselves. Those who have taken on the challenge are to be praised for their hard work and effort.

The Bible tells us that God pours His blessings upon us each day. I know that is true. I experience God's blessings each day. Even on my worst day I have a reason to praise God. Thanks to all of those participating in Cans for Pounds. You are taking these blessings and in turn blessing others!

Here's a link to the Cans for Pounds Facebook page. "Like" the page and you can find updates, work out information, photos, and the amount of pounds that have been lost!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cans-for-Pounds/112035508870081


Cans for Pounds - an amazing opportunity to create change. Change in self and change for others.

Bumps in the Road

"Maybe Kindergarten isn't such a good idea." When you're a mom/teacher these are the last words that you want to hear from you're own child. These are words that my little Evan first told me a couple of weeks ago as he was adjusting to life as a Kindergartener and no longer a Preschooler. He's experienced a few bumps on the yellow brick road to Kindergarten graduation. Each time he feels the bump he reminds me that Kindergarten isn't such a good idea. Each time he says those words I want to cry but I just look into his sweet little face and tell him that Kindergarten is a great idea and that he'll be great. But I'm his mommy and I wish he didn't have to experience any bumps in the road of life!

What I Learned Today

Here's what I learned today....it's sometimes hard to let your kids learn to do things on their own. Now I know my friends that have kids older than mine will say, "Yeah, we could've told you that." I think though it's a lesson you must learn on your own. I often hear moms giving advice and while I do take it all in it never really sinks in completely until I actually FEEL it.

Here's how I came to learn this lesson. We were in the car on the way home from school today and Seth says, "Mom, I need a napkin. My tooth is bleeding." I got him a napkin and asked to see the loose tooth that he's been secretly playing with for the past two days. It was so loose I could have easily pulled it out. I asked him to let me pull it out and he said, "No Mom, I can do it by myself." It took all my willpower to allow him to do it on his own and not just do it quickly for him. It took him about 15 minutes to finally get the tooth out. The look on his face and his excited shouts of accomplishment just sealed the lesson into my brain and my heart. He is no longer my little boy that I need to do everything for. He's learning to be more independent and he needs to learn to do things on his own. His self esteem depends on it and he'll learn life lessons from it. My job.....to be his biggest cheerleader! I love that little guy.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

August has arrived! That means that we have 4 weeks left of summer. I haven't really been preparing for next year too much this summer. I think I've actually sat down and written things down or researched ideas online maybe 3 or 4 days of summer. We've spent a lot of our summer days at the beach or at the park. With Seth playing summer baseball we're at the park for his practices twice a week and at least once a week for a game.

Speaking of baseball....we just signed Seth and Evan up for Fall baseball at Torrance Little League. Evan will be playing T-Ball for the first time!

Another summer event - Auntie Donna is here! Ron's Aunt Donna lives in Canada. She has come for a visit. Everyone is always excited when Auntie Donna comes to visit. She is a very sweet lady.

The summer is winding down and as always I'm looking forward to returning to school but this summer has been different. I am counting down the days till school starts but I am enjoying this summer more.

Big Day for Seth

Today is a big day for Seth. This morning he had his first baseball game of the season. He's playing on the Orioles. He's very blessed in that he gets to play on the same team as his good friend, Peyton. The kids all did a great job and I was a proud mama watching my son go out on the field and play.
Another reason that today is a big day is that tonight is the first time he will spend the night at a friend's house.
These two events make me realize how fast my babies are growing. I know they are still little but they won't be for much longer. Where, oh where are my babies going?