Sandy Dandy

Sun shining through lots of green leaves, window rolled down and sunglasses on, we're on our way to Panther Flat. The scrawny, unhealthy malnourished Sandy was transforming into a confident and healthy 7 year old. My little dandelion was turning into a beautiful flower. It couldn't be helped, she was changing for the better, her mind and body were becoming restored and secure. With it came a renewed perspective of her self image. Her sense of self had changed. So while in the front seat of the Yukon she made up her mind. She wasn't Sandy any more, so she told me she wants to be called Cassie. This wasn't far fetched since often when she would tell people her name was Cassandra they would ask if she liked to be called Cassie. It was exciting for me because she was taking off the old life and putting on the new. She was identifying with change, a change for the better. I simply told her that it would be a lot of work to change her name that each time she heard the name Sandy, she would need to correct them with her new name Cassie. She started that day and never looked back. She continued to grow confidence and strength.

Cassandra means: Shining Upon Mankind

Abbygono

Lydia

Two sweet girls with big grins surround me; I’m sitting in my purple chair, just having an average day, nothing special. A Disney movie plays in the background and I ask Lydia a question and she says plan as day, “my name is not Lydia!” “Well what is it?” I ask. She responds quickly and I can’t make out what she said. After many attempts to pronounce her “name” I give up. I kindly tell her that I’m going to call her Lydia and that’s that. Sandy chimes in and says with her steady stutter that she’s right that’s not her name. Weeks pass and every once and a while the name thing comes up again. Confused and wanting to move on from the subject I say, "okay well, in our home her name is Lydia". Feeling a little mean I ask Lydie if that’s okay to call her Lydia, she nods with disappointment in her eyes. So I can’t leave it at that, I could see that I needed to dig deeper. Still not able to pronounce it I ask her when she had this name and why people called her Lydia. She tilted her head to the side and said at her dad Todd’s house, she had this name at her dad’s house and with shoulders raised she told me she didn’t know why people called her Lydia. A little bewildered I looked to Sandy for some answers; with a little disbelief I asked Sandy if this was true. She nods yes. Lydia was a good story teller so at times it was hard to know what was truth and what was a little bit of imagination and since her “name” made absolutely no since to me, I was skeptical. It sounded made up, could it have been another language, maybe but it seemed unlikely. It just sounded like gibberish. So I asked her who called her this name, she glanced at Sandy and pointed. “Oooohhh” I answer with my eyes wide and my chin lifting up, the light bulb turned on. Phew glad that was cleared up. At their dad’s house they were visited by a social worker periodically and she noted that they seemed to have a language between the two of them. A language only they could understand. She noted that it was very robotic sounding, but that the sisters responded to the sounds as if they were communicating. So I ask Lydia one more time to tell me her name, her special name that her sister called her when she was little.

Since then her special name pops in my head and it takes me a minute to remember what it is and what it means. Just a jumble of letters and then it hits me hard that it’s Lydia. I can say it now, knowing that it doesn’t have to make since, that it is what it is.

Abbygono.

Holding her like an infant in my arms I lean in close to her sweet face and whisper

~I love you Abbygono~

A Milestone!

School Days

Sending Bryce off to Kindergarten was exciting and nerve racking, I had this deep desire to hold onto him tight! I didn't want to let go of the little guy he is to me. I'm expecting him to come home today a full grown man. We'll see.

His step into the unknown.

Home Sweet Home

My precious BRYCE, full of fire and spirit, enthusiasm and curiosity.

I love these silly faces and fun moments with you!

I love that all over the United States, children are taking pictures on their front steps, getting ready to walk away from the security of their home into the unknown of SCHOOL! Face book was filled with those wonderful faces, clean and excited. Brand new clothes and in Bryce's case a silly face to go with it. :) Thank You Grams, Auntie Jamie and Uncle Austin for the outfit! He picked it out of several to wear on his very first day of Kindergarten.

And he's OFF! No looking back, just confident and ready for the day ahead. Yesterday in the car, he looked so little in his big car seat, gazing out the window he says,

"tomorrow is a BIG day for me"

I teared up and couldn't help but smile.

He is growing UP!

Mrs. Webster seems like a wonderful woman and I know God's hand is on her heart.

Last night anxious about his day, I prepared his lunch, with all the yummy goodies and even a special note. We picked out his school clothes for his very first day and got his backpack all ready to go. I went to sleep feeling like it was Christmas,

excited and nervous mixed into one emotion.

So when morning came prayers were said and some tears were shed!! Kindergarten is like everyone says it's going to be, mommy tearing up and feeling overwhelmed with a since of achievement and loss all at once. The worst part was walking away and knowing that he's different, today will be the beginning of a new stage in his life and a whole new adventure. I have peace knowing God's watching over him right now.