Cicadas and Cottages..

                 

These last few weeks of summer Campbell and I have been noticing cicada shells everywhere at Boys and Girls Country. They seem to really like our porches and breezeways. He and I have been talking about the molting process and these empty shells that they leave behind. The other day we had the opportunity to witness a newly emerged cicada fresh from its empty shell. He was fascinated by the luminescent colors of its new body in stark contrast to its old brown and hardened shell. I was amazed at how much bigger it seemed compared to the empty shell; it’s almost unbelievable that a creature so large could have fit into the shell it left behind. We quickly decided he needed to do one of his “Bug’s Bytes” episodes before it gained its strength and flew away so be watching for that cute little segment on my Bug’s Cottage School Facebook page. 

Speaking of Bug’s Cottage School I have settled on an easy to follow and plan series for his homeschooling this fall called 180 days of...fill in the blank with the various subjects. I decided to use this easy method and supplement with my own bible lessons and teachings. So far I have gotten the science book and one of his language arts books and I have really liked them thus far. I think they will be very simple for him to follow but that they will also challenge him to ask questions and begin thinking for himself some, too. 

Our on campus tutors have been giving all the kids reading assessments these last couple of weeks and I asked if they could asses Bug also. I was pleased to learn he is on a first grade reading level but I still feel good about our decision to do a K-6 curriculum this year for socialization reasons and officially start first grade next year. 

As some of you may have seen on Facebook he had his annual check up on Tuesday and not only has he grown several inches he also has grown leaps and bounds with his anxiety at the doctor, too. He let them weigh him, measure him, do his hearing test and eye test and he even got a shot all with no tears or major stress!! There was a little pain management chart with smiley faces hanging on the wall that he noticed by himself and when it was time for the shot he referred to the chart and told himself it would probably only be about a two, a slight frown, and he could handle that. And he was right!! He was so proud of himself for being so brave!  And mommy was even more proud!! The doctor said he still noticed some immaturity for his age but was glad to see the improvements being made in anxiety levels in particular. 

He has also conquered swimming this summer!! He has been going to a little swim school here in cypress (Our Morgan works there and though he is not Bug's swim coach, its fun to see him while we are there!) once a week for several weeks now and we have been working with him at our Boys and Girls Country pool. The water is something with which he has always had a love/hate relationship. He has had major anxiety most of his life surrounding getting his face, namely his eyes, wet and even baths and washing his hair have been a struggle. But he has slowly overcome much of that anxiety with the help of his love for car washes and his discovery of swim goggles! He now absolutely loves going under the water and this last week he finally let go of his fears and took off swimming on his own, performing his scoops and kicks he has been taught all summer in swim school with such seriousness. I stood there watching him with tears in my eyes as he literally conquered the crossing of an ocean of anxiety he has held onto for years.

 The boys in our cottage here at BGC have made major strides this summer, too. Several of them have gotten jobs that they are working hard at earning money for themselves and gaining a bit of independence. It’s been neat to see them mature through this as they take one more step toward adulthood. 

This last week they were able to go to church camp in Florida with our church, Community of Faith, and they all had a great time. They got home super late last Friday night but they all were talking non-stop about the fun they’d had. We actually had to make them go to bed even though it was past 1am; if we hadn’t I think they would have talked to us all night because they were on such a high. Two of them had made professions of faith/re-dedications while at camp and were baptized this past Sunday. We are so proud of them and we are praying that this will truly transform our cottage in miraculous ways as we have seen it do in our other cottage in the past. Bug was also asking questions about baptism and though I speculate he mostly just wants to go swimming in the baptism pool, I am not taking his questioning lightly. He loved Vacation Bible School at mom and dad’s church this summer so much and I am hoping to continue through his bible time in homeschool this year to foster and grow his knowledge and understanding of Jesus’ love and what it truly means to ask him into your heart. Please pray for all our boys, including little Bug, as we minister to their spirits that the Lord is touching in mighty ways lately. 

I can’t help but draw a comparison from our life lately in the cottage to the little cicada transformations we’ve seen all around us. God is growing us all, casting off the old, worn out shells, and creating new beginnings for us each day. Campbell will always have autism. My boys will always have broken pasts. But together with the the Lord and as a family we can be made stronger and better with each passing season if we trust Him to transform us from the inside out. 

Cliff and I are also transforming this summer through the help of our campus summer weight loss challenge. We’ve worked hard to keep up with our daily exercises and healthier eating strategies. Hopefully our new bodies that will emerge at the end of the summer will be the opposite of the cicadas and be smaller instead!!

Please pray for us as start our first of two, long weekend style, cottage vacations we will be taking. 

This first weekend we are going to a trampoline park (pray for safety), working the Houston Dog Show, going to an improv comedy show and attending a Houston Dynamos Soccer game. I’m really looking forward to it and pray it will be a great time of family bonding and fun!

I will leave with a few more pics of life lately at BGC. 

Carlos got to help out at a Coding Class that was put on by the group Code Ninjas to teach our kids
about this growing field. 

Bug got in on the action too, as Josiah from C11 taught him a few things about coding. 

Jeremiah and Bug rocking out in the music room! Jeremiah has been a part of a little BGC Band
that has formed this summer and Campbell has enjoyed listening to practices and joining in on
the fun, too. 

Two of our boys, Carlos and Erick, along with a c8 young man, David,
were among those who won the
bottle rocket challenge during Geek Week at BGC. 

I was honored to get to go with Naidi from our College and Career and Ms. Jean Kreutzer from Days for Girls
 to accept an award for 2018 Youth in Philanthropy for our project on campus with the Days for Girls organization.
Thanks to Melissa Simon for helping us hear about this!!