The Simple Life

Well, things have been going well. The kids finally are getting back into the routine of school and I like that. I don't mind my schedule being thrown off every once in a while, but I really like structure. Andrew and Merci really enjoy going to school which makes my life a lot easier. In fact, 99 percent of the time I pick Andrew up he begs to stay longer. Sophia even wants to stay. However, I know if she saw me leave there would be a complete breakdown. Maybe I will start her in preschool in the next year so she can get used to it.

Merci is in choir at school and had a performance on Thursday night. They sang in front of the school board and it was really nice. They did one song, which was perfect because Sophia was talking really loud the entire time. Juan let me know how teary eyed he got when they started singing. I love a sensitive man. I told him he was a big wimp and we laughed together. Even though we were laughing we were looking in each others eyes and it was one of those unspoken moments. Merci is growing up. And so are Andrew and Sophia. But they are still in the "baby" years. Merci isn't. It is sad. Period. As many of you all know it has been a rough ride for her over the years. She was 2 1/2 when I met her and Juan. That is Sophia's age now. And now she is 10. It just seems so unreal at times the way things happened. I know God has a reason for everything and as much as I hate the situation she has endured, it has opened so many doors for us and brought us closer together. We have laughed together, cried together, and we have came together as a family.

I am slowly learning how to cherish the moments I have with my kids. I know when I was ten I couldn't wait to be a grown up. If I had a dime for every time my mom told me to enjoy life while I was young because being a grown up would come so quickly, I could buy my own island. And now when Merci talks to me about how she wants to decorate her house when she is older and the pets she wants to have, I can't help but laugh. I was her not too long ago. I appreciate my mom more every day I live. She is without a doubt the strongest, most unselfish person I have ever known. And no mattter who I ever meet, noone will compare to her. It is impossible.