George turns 7

We literally celebrated this kid's birthday for an entire week.
His actual birthday was on a Wednesday this year.
The Monday before he spent the night with Nonna (my mom) and went shopping for birthday presents on Tuesday.   
Wednesday he woke up to a balloon bath and presents.

That morning we brought a treat to Bible study for the friends he has in his class.
Then we made eggplant parmesan for dinner per his request.
Lastly, we had to have cake!

On Friday his Mima and Pipa (Tim's parents) came in town.
Saturday night we took him to celebration station with one set of cousins who couldn't be here for his party on Sunday.
Sunday we had a family bowling party after church.

It was a perfect party for a 7 year old.

We literally only invited immediate family and had 25 people there.

Who needs friends?

After the party we left for Disney for more celebrating.

George got chosen to be in one of the street skits they do at Hollywood studios.

It was hysterical, and he played along like a pro.

You wouldn't be able to tell from these pictures, but the night we got there we actually had to take Lexi to an after hours walk-in clinic for a high fever.

She ended up just having a virus, but it was sad to see her so sick on the trip.

We tried to make the best of it, since it was his birthday.

It is so hard to try to please all your kids when you have multiple, but I also think it helps to teach them patience and consideration for others' needs.

All in all, I would say George had a pretty great birthday.

I can't believe I have been a parent for 7 years.

As always, I want to write George a letter to commemorate this year.  

I always post a small portion of the whole letter on the blog.

George,

          You are my firstborn and the one who made me a mom.  It is the most special title I hold, and I thank God for giving me you to hold that title.  You are such a special little boy who has taught me more than I could ever teach you.  You are kind and considerate and encouraging and sweet.  You are constantly telling your siblings how proud you are of them and how much you love them.  I know they look up to you in so many ways, and I couldn't imagine a better hero for them.  You have taught me patience and love in ways I never knew possible.

          This year was a different one for us with the adventure of homeschooling.  Now that it is coming to an end I have to say that it was so much better than I imagined in so many ways.  It was hard, but it was good.  It gave me such an insight to your mind that I would have never gotten if you would have been in the classroom with a different teacher all year.  I am very thankful for this time I got to know you better.  We worked through so many things that I wouldn't have been a part of if you would have been in a traditional school.  You allowed me to truly learn about daily discipleship and working together.  You gave me a gift this year, and I will never forget this special time.

          You have grown in so many ways this year.  You have surpassed any expectations academically, soared spiritually and even grown in height.  You just seem like such a big boy.  You are growing so fast, and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to watch.  I know God has something so special for you.  I just feel honored to have the title of your mom.  Your love for your family is not something we take for granted.  You love us so well.  There are no words to describe how much you mean to me.  You have a piece of my heart that is reserved for only you, and no matter how big you get that piece will always be yours.  I am so very proud of the young man God is shaping you to be.  I am even prouder that you desire God to shape and guide you at such a young age.  I look forward to this ride of your life.  I love you more than words could say.

                                                                                                      I love you, my firstborn,

                                                                                                                                   Mommy

Upward Football 2014

George played Upward football this year.
We really enjoy the level of competitiveness and the focus of Upward sports.
Tim was the coach again this season.

We are so proud of George and the leadership he showed throughout the season.

 

Easter 2014

So Easter happened about a month ago, and I want to record our memories of it.
We started our Easter celebrations on Saturday with an egg hunt at Calvary church Eastlake.
The eggs drop from a helicopter, so the kids thought that was the coolest.

We had two sweet surprises that day.

My brother, Peter, and his family joined us for the fun.

And then randomly one of the families that we had stayed with in Fort Myers was in our area for a few hours, and they joined us too to watch the kids grab eggs.

It was a fun day.

On actual Easter Sunday we got up, checked out some Easter baskets, and went to church in our color coordinated best.

I love to match my kids on Easter.

No real reason, I just like it.

When we got home we changed and cooked a mid-afternoon feast to celebrate the risen Savior.

Then we did another Easter egg hunt for the kids.

My aunt had given me this outfit for Lexi last Easter.

It was too cute, so we may have taken too many pictures of her in it.

Easter is such a special holiday, and I always want my kids to celebrate the true meaning.

I am so thankful that my Savior rose again to give me life.

Funny story I don't want to forget from Easter morning . . . 

George was talking with me in the bathroom while I was drying my hair.

He asked me if Easter was the most important holiday because it celebrates Jesus' resurrection.

I said that it was very important.

He then proceeds to tell me about other important holidays like Christmas and Independence Day and then asks if there is a day to celebrate the Civil War?

I couldn't think of one.

So he asks, "Mom, if the civil war never happened would we still have slaves and would you be one?"

I was cracking up.

I guess being the only one with dark skin in this family has confused my children.

And that about sums up the Bettelli Easter 2014.

Littles vs. Bigs

George is going to be seven years old in a little over two weeks.
I feel so unprepared to parent a seven year old.
George has always been our guinea pig (as the oldest), but each year seems to bring more and more depth to the parenting journey.
He is having a family bowling party, and we went to place the deposit and "practice" our skills last week.
It was just he and I.

 When Lexi and Ethan are around George and I don't get to have a lot of real conversation.

Most of our conversing goes something like this, "George get me Lexi's shoes . . . " 

Or, "George help Ethan get out of the car while I get Lexi."

Or, "Help me hold Lexi's hand to walk into the store."

He is a huge help to me with the day to day, but I don't want to forget that he has things he wants to say too.

On our bowling date we had a chance to really talk.

It was so nice to see him enjoying my attention all to himself.

He kept saying, "This is so fun, mom.  This is so fun."

(Please note the missing drawer front.  I will let you guess which child is responsible for that.)

I was walking with one of my friends last night, and she has two kids Ethan and Lexi's age.

She asked me if it gets easier as they get older, since they can do so many things for themselves.

For whatever reason that comment just started to resonate with me.

So many people focus on the "tough" times with littles.

There are a million books written on how to get through the young (under 5) years with our kids.

And I get it, believe me, it is totally physically exhausting to keep up with the demands of "littles."

But I think sometimes we feel like school-aged kids don't require as much attention.

And if we can just push through until our kids are older the parenting will become easier.

I am completely guilty of putting George's needs on the backburner because my other two's needs seem so much more dire or emergent.

I believe that is just not fair or right.

While George and most older children can get dressed by themselves, wipe their own butts, and clean up their own messes (for the most part), they still have hearts that need their mama's attention.

I actually think that can be more emotionally and spiritually exhausting than cutting up food and filling bottles all day long.

As our children grow, we need to be careful not to back off the parenting intensity because they are less physically needy.

Their hearts become more needy as they grow.

They need our love.

They need our conversation.

They need us to lead and direct.

They need us.