What has happened to my girls?

Most moms would agree that the most stressful part of their day is getting the kids off to school. At my house mornings bring out the best in all of us. :) My kids wander around the house like they are stuck on a foreign planet. What are school clothes? What are shoes? How do we get dressed? Why do I have to comb my hair and brush my teeth? Really? Really? Most mornings, I feel as if I am teaching them all over again. I try to get a routine down and get as much as I can done the night before. (this does not always happen, shocker) So, last week, I wake up, ready to face the chaos and get the kids out the door on time. In the kitchen , I find Kallie (7) and Rylee (5) dressed (with shoes) and smiling at me. They were totally ready for school and had even brought up their book bags and made their own lunch. They made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut the sandwiches and placed them into baggies and put them in their lunch box. They also included: drink, fruit snack, chip, and a brownie. I was shocked!! I rubbed my eyes, convinced that I was dreaming and looked again. Yes!!! They are learning!!! I am an amazing mom!! I told them I was so proud of them and that they were going to get to pick out a treat at the snack bar at school. This was answered with squeals of delight!! Who knew that simple reward would be worth so much to them. They asked me if they could make lunches again tomorrow morning and I said, "you can make lunches every morning!"

The next morning:

I hear the girls in the kitchen and I thought I would go see if they needed any help. I crawl out of bed and walk into the kitchen. The girls are dressed and all ready for school. I smile and ask if they need any help. They request a few items from the cabinet and as I reach for the door, my eyes happen to glance at the clock on the stove, 5:30am. What!!! It is 5:30 in the morning and my daughters are ready to get in the car and drive to school. I turn around and tell the girls that they have 2 1/2 hours until they have to leave for school! You have to go back downstairs and get into bed and rest. All I got was blank stares. "Go try to rest and I will get you up in a little while." I was glad to hop back into bed, but I am pretty sure that they did not get back to sleep. They were wide awake by this time. School will be a challenge today. I will be getting calls from the teachers asking when I get these kids to bed. We need to work on telling time!!

Strong personality ... yes, I would agree!

To say that our daughter Kallie (7) has a strong personality, is an understatement. She is strong and bold, she speaks her mind, she has passion, drive, and puts 110% into all that she does. She is funny and sarcastic, and full of life. She is beautiful and sweet! These are just some of the things that I love about her. All these traits help contribute to her firece competitiveness!! This girl won't let anything get in her way. As you can imagine, this sometimes gets her into trouble.

Ok, let's be honest, this gets her in trouble A LOT!! Let me give you an example ....

Steve comes home yesterday and tells me this story:

He in the fieldhouse doing some weight lifting with some of the students from school. Kal was with him, soaking up all she can learn from dad the best coach ever :) She wanted to lift weights with the kids and Steve told her no, the weights were too heavy and she could get hurt. Telling Kal that something is too hard or too heavy for her is painful for her to hear. She proceeds to explain to him why this just was not the case. You would think that by now she would have learned that you can't argue with dad, but she tries anyway. Once she realizes that this was not going to end well, she switches her attention to the girls in the gym. She goes on and on about how she is going to be a great b-ball player and that she has to be strong and fast. She is going to be way better than them when she gets older. (Her version of "trash talk")

My jaw drops and I tell me husband, "Please tell me that she did not say that!!" He responses with a smile. Oh, great!! Everyone is really going to love her. Steve said that the girls all thought it was funny, which I am sure only fanned the flame!! It seems that self confidence is not an area that we have to work on for her. Humility and tact will be our next hurdle!!

So Kallie, my sweet girl, I am so proud of you for all you do. Your heart and passion inspire me to be the best mom that I can be, but let us remember who gives us our talents and abilities. Jesus wants you to shine and your life to point to Him.

We are all a work in progress. Don't give up on us yet!!