Good Friday

I forgot to post about one of the most important things that has happened in my life as a mom so far. On Good Friday, we went to church. The "we" included: Stephanie, Jacob, Emma, Jessica, Jacob, Grace, Jadyn, Grant, Madalyn, Delaney and I. We went to Stephanie's church. At one point during the service, they showed a video clip of what Jesus may have gone through on the cross. Technically, we can't know because we weren't there, but I would imagine that whatever He went through was way worse that we could imagine. Anyway, as the clip was playing, I looked down the row of kids and saw Grace bawling. Not just tearing up, or silently sobbing, but weeping openly. I asked her if she wanted to sit by me and she told me she would be alright. After a few minutes though, she was down next to me. She said to me, "Jesus did THAT for me? I never thought it was like that." We just sat there, holding each other, weeping over what Jesus did for us and Grace's new realization of it. It was one of the very most amazing moments of my life.

Tongue and Nose

This morning on the way to church Grant says, "My tongue won't reach my nose. Why?" Uhhhhhh....because it is not supposed to. And THAT is disgusting. I'm just saying.

Jacob's 10th Birthday - Double Digits!!!!

After opening many packages of clothing on his actual birthday, Jacob was very happy to find - hidden in a very large box, stuffed with pillows and blankets - his very own iPod Touch. To date, the thing has not left his hands for more than a few minutes. Geesh. I will admit that this was the most I have EVER seen Jacob smile while receiving a present. I guess making him wait for it, and hopefully, be more responsible with it, was worth it! Yes, yes it was.

Jacob is battling strep throat (worst case ever - seriously). This morning I found a note that he had written sometime in the last 3 days. It said, "Mom, I hurt really bad. Help me." That breaks my heart into a million pieces. Pray for my baby, please.

Grandpa's Boy

On the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house yesterday, Grant says to me, "Hurry up, Mom, Grandpa NEEDS me." Oh, don't you just know it boy. Don't you know it.

Jadyn's Gymnastics Debut

I still haven't stopped laughing. Jadyn started gymnastics today. She has been wanting something to call her own for a while. We settled on gymnastics. I thought the stretching beforehand was going to be the end of her. She is not really flexible or coordinated. But she looked darn cute in her leotard with rhinestones. She is my diva! Anywho....the next thing they did was a front roll (somersault to you and me) down an inclined wedge - start at the big end and roll to the small end. Well, my sweet Jadyn could NOT do it straight. She rolled off the edge of the wedge every time. So she moved on. The next feat of gymnastics prowess was a front roll on a flat mat. Oh joy! Now remember that this is gymnastics and form is everything. So as we mount up to start our somer...er...I mean front roll....we have to have our hands in the air with our arms touching our ears. So Jadyn is standing on the flat mat, arms stretched above her head, ready to roll, when all of a sudden she just jumps. Jumps? She ended up doing a face-smacking belly flop onto the mat. Oh my word. If I wasn't laughing so hard (on the inside, of course, what kind of mother do you think I am?), I would have been embarrassed. But she was awesome. She just got up, brushed herself off, looked at me (and saw me cheering her on) and tried again. Man, I love her. She is one truly amazing kid. She just kept going. Next station - handstand. Yeah right.They had to put their hands on the floor and crawl their feet up the wall, then stay there - straight - for 10 seconds. Sure, it looked easy, but when my sweetie pie got up there, it was a bit of a challenge. She was everywhere on the wall but straight up. Her feet were mostly spread eagle and never pointed. And, at one glorious moment, she even slid down the wall, sort of worm-like. Again, like a trooper, she got up, looked at me again, and carried on. The class finished on the balance beam. It was tough enough for my girl to do it frontward, but when the coach said they were going to do it backward, I had visions of a broken arm for sure. But she did it. What a girl!!! She made me laugh so stinking hard tonight. BUT...as I type this, she is teaching me a lesson. She did not give up. She did not cry or quit or pout. Things certainly did not go her way. But she kept picking herself up and kept on trying. I love that my kids can make me laugh. I love even more that they can teach me invaluable lessons.

The minute we walked in the door from gymnastics, Grant has all his clothes off, save for his underwear. Next thing I see? He is fighting with Jadyn, trying to pull the stinking Hannah Montana leotard with the rhinestone belt off her. Oh.....I forgot that I didn't tell you that he dressed himself yesterday. He came downstairs ready to start the day, in the very same aforementioned leotard (complete with rhinestones) on top of Jacob's baseball protective cup. I thought I would pee! I wish I would have been less shocked so that I would have taken a picture. That could have been worth some money.

Saturday I had a nice day, sitting at the hospital, waiting for Steve to be released. Julie had a flat tire on her van, so I was going to take her up to pick up Steve. Well, as is sometimes the case with hospital discharges, it took a while. I know I left my house at 10:30 am and I returned home sometime after 4:30 pm. It was a long time, but I had a nice (quiet) time, sitting in Steve's room working on my computer and being part of their family. When I got home, I was tired and knew I needed to take a nap, as I was supposed to pick my sister and her friend up from the airport at 11:30 pm. Fast forward some in the day and the flight plans changed so that they were not coming in until 12:54 am. Oh joy. So, I went to bed at 8:30 and set my alarm for midnight. When I got up at midnight, I was refreshed and ready to go (thank You, LORD). My loverboy had prepared coffee for me so all I had to do was wait for it to brew. While I was waiting, I decided to check the flight status. Oh was I unpleasantly surprised to see that now the flight was not coming in until 1:24 am. Great, and I am now wide awake and could have slept another 45 minutes. Oh well. I picked them up, dropped Kristie off at her apartment, took my sister to my mom's work (to pick some stuff up and, of course, visit at 2:45 in the morning) and was back in my bed by 3:30 am. I woke up instantly at 7:41 am and swore. I forgot that I was making Sunday dinner and I was supposed to put it in the crockpot when I got home (at 3am). Crap. I decided to put the roasts in the oven. I ran to the pantry to get the french onion soup, only to find that I had none. Joy. I went and threw on some clothes and ran to Meijer. Dinner was on, everyone was up for church and Grace had a migraine. (This is, in my humble opinion, another one of those irritants for our own good.) Her headache meant I stayed home with her and we both slept. Heaven knows, I needed it.

At 1pm, it was time for Grant's nap. What a happy occasion that it was thunderstorming then too. So, I went and got in bed with Grant. We laid there listening to the rain and the thunder, and all I could do was smile. In fact, my cheeks actually hurt, I was smiling so much. I love a stormy afternoon nap. I love it more than words can say. In fact, it is one of my most happy places. That, combined with a good cup of coffee in a pretty cup, and a good book. That is my happy place. So, I laid there praising God for the storm that I knew was just for me. I finally fell asleep and slept for 2.5 hours. Ahhhhhhh....I think I needed that. I know I did. It was my reward for a long, busy, somewhat sleepless week. Thank you LORD for your blessings. Blessings that are new every morning!!!