The Mailman

Whether rain, snow, sleet or sun. The Hubs is my mailman. He always takes the toughest part of the drive...early morning (and I mean early a.m.)...or the pouring rain...or the sloppy snow. We encountered all. Yes, friends. All of these on our way home from our trip yesterday. My mailman delivered us safely and with a smile on his face, and maybe a crick in his neck, to our home. Thank you dear Hubs. Just the sight of Owen literally rolling with joy to be in his own home space again was enough thanks from him, I'm sure.

My next several posts will most likely be thoughts and reflections from our recent trip to see my Hubs dear grandpa laid to rest in the sunny state of Georgia. It was an amazing time with family and it almost felt like a vacation.

The Gambler

Josh brought home a beautiful rainbow with a glittering pot of gold at the end. On a small piece of paper at the other end of the rainbow it read:

"What would you do if you found a pot of gold?"

Josh's answer: "I'd put it on a horse."

Let's hope he means so he could make a fast getaway.

Unless of course it wins...that could pay for college...hmmm.

Heaven bound

Dear friends,

 My Hubs' grandfather passed away last night.

It was a blessing to be sure.  The gentle man was 93 years old.  I don't have many recent pictures and didn't know him as well because they live far away.  I think I saw him maybe five times throughout our marriage.  But his memory and life are a testament to those who knew him. Check out this and this, written by his granddaughter, my sister-in-law.  They are poetic, very well-written homages to this man who lived many a story, that we loved to hear.  

We are glad to know this soul is in heaven now.  I'll be taking a bloggy break as we spend time with family.  

Happy Easter, in advance.  Thank the Lord for the knowledge that this life is not final, that because of His greatest gift, we can have hope for an eternal life.  

Substitutions?

Ok dear friends, I need ideas.  Substitutions actually.  Just wondering if you have any good exchanges for these frequent visitors to our family table:

• Pancake syrup  (I know fruit is an option, but personally, that is not a fave of mine...still willing to try...)
  
• "Catalina" salad dressing.  The kids love to dip just about everything in this, but it's first ingredient is that high fructose corn syrup.  Sprays work for salads, but is there a dressing that doesn't contain something more man-made than God-created?
• Lemonade.  I know there's nothing inherently wrong with this one, but Cryst.al light is pretty expensive, has that aspart.eme thing, and we went through a LOT of this last summer.  They love their milk, but I'm looking for another drink option.
• Any good "dessert" ideas?  We usually don't have dessert after dinner, but the kids love  a treat after bath nights, and so we've slowly worked our way through Hallow.een candy (eek, I know.) They like cookies, (who doesn't?), but is there another sweet treat that isn't going to sugar them up too much?  (this might be asking too much!)

Thanks in advance y'all!

And reintroducing....

THE SUN!!!!

Yes, it's at least 60 degrees outside. We've been out for at least one walk and anticipate another once Josh gets home! HELLO SPRING!

Got to go....can't be inside on a day like this!

Late Night Devotions

The other night Owen was up several times. We finally gave him a little tylen.ol to see if that would help whatever was ailing him. I didn't want to put him down right away, so I sat with him for a while. His room holds entirely way too much furniture, but there is space for a wonderful glider that my sister-in-law sweetly lent us after Owen was born. So I curled my little boy on my shoulder, under his favorite blanket and just rocked with him. I couldn't remember the last time we did that. He has always been such a good sleeper, and being baby #3, the dude was quickly encouraged to fall asleep on his own.

So I sat and rocked with him, listening to him breathe heavily through his pacifier. I thought of how that sound reassures me each night as I check on him and the other kids before I go to bed. (Josh is a quiet breather, Ellie is louder and Owen takes the cake as the loudest).

My thoughts were interrupted as Owen maneuvered himself to a more comfy spot on my shoulder. It made me think of how we often are sick with our sins and look for that comfortable spot in our Father's arms. We struggle to try and find a way to get rest on our own. We look for other places to find peace. And yet, when we finally allow our Father's arm to enfold us and draw us close...that is when we truly find rest. I love that mental picture of God's strong arms encircling us, helping us find that comfy spot, even if we are still sick or in pain, there is peace. I closed my eyes and pictured the Lord drawing Owen and me close to Him in that moment. Owen looked up at me once while he was finding his comfy spot. He saw me there, just waiting for him to find his deeper sleep. His head gently fell back to my shoulder and his breathing became more soft and rhythmic. I almost didn't want to let him go.

Thank you Lord, for being the Peace that passes all Understanding, Our Rescuer, and Our Father.

And the ears have it...

Ellie has an ear infection. After about two weeks with a cough and cold, I guess I'm not surprised. Both her and Owen have been duking it out with the big bad cold for a while. They have been sleeping well, so I was thinking things were on the up and up. Today, right before nap time, Ellie started whimpering and saying her ear hurt. Then she looks at me and says, "I want to go to bed." Yup. Definitely something wrong here. After a call to the doc, with her crying in the background, we got an appointment for 3:15. We picked Josh up early from school and all headed to the doctor's office. We waited for 45 minutes. Reading that now, I think, wow, that was a long time. But, it actually wasn't that bad. We played games to pass the time, like I Spy, Three Clues (a family fave), and a new one...Mommy's the Doctor and finds something serious...your tickle spots! I'm pretty sure no one was going to miss that we were waiting. We were kinda loud. But a fun kinda loud. And I had a great time playing with the kids. Even if it was in a 4x6 room. With three kids. And the heat on. On a 60 degree day. So, were praying Ellie sleeps well tonight with a little help from the pharmacy and the Lord's healing hands. It was a good day.

The Alpha and Omega Boys - Part Eight - The End

It was spring again, a year and a half since Allen and Owen had been born. The grandchildren now played in patch of grass where the pool had once been. Adele caught a quick pained look from Ed’s wife as their son, now equipped with an amazing prosthetic leg, stumbled a bit on an uneven clump of dirt. She knew it would take many more visits and time’s all healing power, but this visit was a step in the right direction. It had been quiet around the farmhouse this week because the boys didn’t come and stay for the weekend like they had since they went to live with John and his wife last winter. Adele knew it was getting harder to bring the boys and they were missing out on events with the new friends they were making at their new home. She could see the end coming soon.

She and Gracie had settled into a quiet and comfortable routine of reading, checking with the new farm manager, and weekly chores. When it was especially quiet she allowed herself to think of the boys. She missed the way they would peek over the rails of their cribs in the morning. A crooked smile on a face dimpled from sleeping on the waffle-patterned blanket. The cuddles over fuzzy books, their chubby bodies trying to squeeze between the couch and the toy box to reach a hidden toy. It was one face that Owen made that occasionally brought Adele to tears. His little mouth made an “O” and he would look up at her or over to his brother with a wide eyes and a glint of wonder. The way they would watch a butterfly flit from flower to flower before eager trying to grab it and make friends. Allen loved the cat’s tails and often could be found on his stomach lying behind a resting cat, gently amusing himself with it’s movements.

Adele caught little Allen’s eye as John’s wife regaled a story that involved the boys, a permanent marker and the dryer. Her eyes lit up like only a mother’s could as she went on about her search for marker remover and how they still laugh about the look on John’s face when he got home. Oh, the trouble these boys will get in once they realized they outnumber her, she laughed.

The enjoyable afternoon was filled with sharing parenting secrets, school updates on the older ones, and goodies that everyone brought to share. Everything tastes better in country, they all said over and over again. In the end, hugs were reciprocated, one more pitch was made for Adele to get a cell phone, and the day ended with plans for the next family get together when the watermelons were ripe. As Adele waved them down the bumpy drive, she glanced at the pull-off where the boys had been born. Gracie had recently planted two bushes just into the grass where the car once had parked. Even from where Adele was standing she could see they were just beginning to show the small red flowers that would bloom into late summer.

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Dear friends,
I hope you enjoyed reading this short story. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, but never had a good plot to unravel. As this is a work in progress I'd love to her your thoughts and suggestions. Feel free to email me if you don't want to comment here. Here's a couple of questions I was thinking about:

*Does the theme of how certain events in our lives can be the beginning or the end of something come through clearly...for more than just Adele's character?

*I put a lot of detail into the background story on Adele and Gracie. There is little to no information about the girl. Does that sit well with you as a reader? My intent was to make it easier for the reader to "forget" about her. Does that help or hurt?

*As the story went on, some of the parts are not as detailed. Did you notice? Does it seem like there is some information left out? Or is this space for assumptions/time passing ok?

Fun with Sunglasses

Today is Movie Day at Josh's school. The kids' get to dress up as their favorite movie characters. Josh chose a rock star. (??) Anyway, he had us cracking up at his rock star moves (think big swinging arm circles on an air guitar) and his rock star attitude.

"Seriously? I gotta go..."

Josh...you ARE a rock star!


Oh...and of course Ellie got into the fun...

Seriously, I'm taking this show on the road!

Just for Fun Friday

"Do I get any cake?"