Busy, busy, busy!

Things here continue to be CrAzY! Ryan and I keep re-evaluating life and trying to decide what in the world we can slash, eliminate, quit, etc. to make things a little calmer. So far, we've come up with almost nothing. Many of our commitments will end at the completion of the school year, and we will not be recommitting to all of them next year. It's a constant balance between caring for our family, providing community for our children, and ministering to other. It seems like right now, we're drowning in our commitments. But, I think that we're just in a naturally busy season of life and in some ways we need to accept that.

I really think things are magnified by the fact that Ryan is currently taking classes to finish the degree he started 18 years ago. He's doing great and he finished his first quarter today! But, it's taking a lot of his time and energy, which means he has less time to help here. It's certainly affecting all of us, because he is typically so engaged with us and he is a huge help to me. He will be finished in August if he continues at his current pace, but it is brutal for all of us right now.

One thing that has come to an end is Isaac's Upwards' basketball season. I'll be honest, we are SO not a sports family. Part of it is because that's just not what we enjoy. Part of it is because we have never really felt that it is the best way to invest our time, our children's time, or our money. We know lots of families who have benefited greatly from sports and have used their involvement to shine a light in the lives of others. It's simply not something that has been a good fit for our family.

This year, when Upward Basketball season rolled around, Isaac asked us if he could play. We had allowed him to play 2 years ago, in Kindergarten, and he did NOT enjoy it. But, since he was interested, and it was a small time commitment, we agreed. He definitely was more engaged than the last time, but he was also glad to see it end. His timid personality did not lend itself to aggressive ball handling, but he definitely came a long way in just 8 weeks. He gained some confidence and began to understand the basics if the game. We were very proud of him and his effort!

Isaac and his good friend Ian, whose dad was Isaac's coach. Thanks Coach Ryan!

Checking out his prize at the Upward's Awards Ceremony.