Every Wish Granted! (And His tightening grip)

A beautiful Mother's Day it was!  My previous mentioned list?  Every single item checked off!  Every wish granted!  (Including no audible gas!) It was glorious.  I relaxed all the way to my core.  I shed a few tears over sweetly-worded cards.  I choked up again over a gift my son put together: a collage of pictures starting with the picture of me holding him for the first time, all the way up to a picture of us from his senior pictures.  Precious.

  

I loved my yummy cinnamon roll and coffee, my beautiful tulips,

 my three unique bracelets: one from each of my equally unique kids.  

I was spoiled with a hand-written coupon book, with a coupon for each day of this week, to make Mother's Day last all week.  

Monday's coupon?  "30-60 minutes of quiet time."  I didn't technically redeem this until they were all in bed for the night...at 10:30.  But I love the sentiment.  Today's coupon:  "You must be tired of hearing 'what's for dinner?' every night, so tonight we will cook dinner for you!"  As I type, the girls and their dad are busily putting their efforts into a dinner of chicken cordon bleu.  Hopefully that coupon will be redeemed before 10:30! :)

I also love my two new books, one of which I started and finished during my relaxing Mother's Day.  And my gracious was it a treat to read.  It is the first book from one of my very favorite bloggers, Big Mama, who is so hysterically funny and charming and honest.  Her book is all those things and more.  I laughed out loud multiple times...and shed some unexpected tears.  Although this gal is earlier in her parenting journey, I still closed that book feeling so encouraged as a mom.  It was confirming and strengthening for my (at times) frail heart during this season.

Last week I walked and talked with a friend for over an hour.  Our oldest babies are one day apart.  We have been friends since our babies were in the nursery at church together.  We were in "Mommy & Me" group for years and years, having more babies and crying together over a lost baby and sleepless nights and potty training and kindergarten and homeschooling and parenting "fails" and child "fails" and learning to drive and on and on.  We've "grown up" together as mommies.  And now we are about to see our firsts graduate from high school and go out into the world.  I'm so thankful for this friend, walking down a new and unfamiliar path is so much friendlier with a friend on that same path.  Our walking and talking last week was all about this new season.  Letting go.  Sending out.  SO much of what we talked about was written about in the last chapter of this book, "Little Steps of Letting Go".  I dropped tears through most of this chapter.

In one part of it, she's talking about the new adventures kids experience in the different stages of their life, and how each requires us to let go a bit more.  And here's  a part that jumped out to me:

"The irony is that the hallmark of how well we're doing our job (being a mom) is determined by how our children adapt to all these changes.  Have we given them the security they need to function with their peers?  Do they feel loved enough to pour themselves into the lives around them?  Are they secure enough to jump into life with both feet and choose the daring adventure that awaits them?

"And can we watch them fall and make mistakes and wrong decisions while trusting that this is all part of becoming the person God created them to be?"

Wowzers.

And then came the kicker:

She's speaking of a woman she heard speak recently on the topic of motherhood, and one powerful statement that stuck with her, and will stick with me forever:

"When we loosen our grip, He tightens His."

I'm counting on that.

Want to read more?  Here's the book, with my highest recommendation.


I must end with this: a glimpse into what I live with.  While trying to get a decent picture with my precious darlings, someone said it was time for a funny-face picture.  It will be fun, they said.  Ready?  Yeah, I was the only one to take part in the funny face part.

 

My Mother's Day Wishlist

I'm going to dive right in and pretend it hasn't been ridiculously long since I've been on this blog. I'm starting to miss it again, so I have hopes of getting caught up very soon.  Hopes.

In the meantime, we are a mere 2 days away from Mother's Day.  This day is a mix of emotions for me...wishing to celebrate with my mom, yet feeling overwhelmingly blessed to celebrate being a mom.  It's a privilege I never take for granted.  Best thing, without comparison, I could ever hope to be.  A mom.  I feel a flood of emotion just soaking in that word.  Even with the craziness of this season we are in, even with the ever-increasing grey hairs, even with the immense pressure to get it "right" (whatever that is), it still is the biggest blessing of my life...to be a mom.

And here comes Sunday.  As strange as it feels, it is a day for my three to celebrate me.  And they always knock themselves silly, at their father's leading, to make it a great day.  And they always want to know what I want to do.  They often have a hard time understanding the simplicity of what I want.  The sincere simplicity.  So I thought I would attempt to make it easy on them this year.  I will publish a list.  My Mother's Day List.  Even the parts of the list that seem silly, I'm being sincere.  I'm laying it all out there:

1.  I want to sleep in.
2.  I want a late breakfast of cinnamon rolls and coffee.
3.  I want a long, hot shower without any interruptions or anyone flushing a toilet.
4.  I do not want to hear anyone passing gas.  Especially 6'2" almost 18 year olds.
5.  I don't want to hear anyone say anyone's name in a frustrated or impatient voice.
6.  I don't want to see, smell, or clean anything with peanut butter on it.
7.  I don't want to clean anything.
8.  I want someone to make me chocolate chip cookies in time for the Survivor season finale, which I intend to watch in its entirety.
9.  10,000 Bonus Points to anyone who cleans my bathroom for me.  
10.  20,000 Bonus Points to anyone who puts freshly washed sheets on my bed.
11.  I want to read a good book with a cozy blanket.  I have a couple suggestions for books you could give me if you need an idea.  You know where to find me.
12.  I may re-watch some Downton Abbey, and I don't want any flak for it.
13.  I want hugs and "I love you"s and maybe a couple "You are the BEST"s thrown in.

See?  It's really quite simple.  YOU are my gifts.  My gift is being your mom, and I love that you love to honor that.  Let's keep it peaceful and happy and simple.  I'm more aware than ever that we won't always get to share this day together, so let's just enjoy a simplistic day of being in one place at one time.

I love you, I love being your mom, and I'm thankful for the privilege.  YOU are my gift.  (But feel free to still get me something.  Something that doesn't plug in, please.)

It's Good For the Soul

This week has been filled with tough images, huh?  Distraught faces, grieving faces, angry faces.  And there is just no making sense of all this.  I do not understand how a 19-year old could be filled with such hatred, a total disregard to life.

It makes one think about this world we live in.  Is evil taking over?  Is the bad bigger than the good?  And I know it's not.  I know there is so much more good in this world than bad. I know there is more joy than sadness.  I know love wins in the end.

Watching the city of Boston respond reminds me that people are good.  Two evil people don't change that.  

Alex is traveling to Boston in less than two weeks.  I'm THANKFUL he is not there now.  I would be a wreck.  I'll be watching intently as the next week plays out, to see how that city goes back to being Boston, I'm sure growing more confident each day that it's safe to send my son there.

And in the midst of all this, it's simply good to laugh.  This situation is rattling, and shows us how quickly our "normal" be rocked.  But with our normal in tact, laughter is part of a healthy day.  

I saw this video this morning.  I hadn't seen it in so long, but it hasn't lost any of it's sweetness.  There's something so joyfully pure about this little guy's laughter.  Love the way he's absolutely absorbed in the moment, not a care in the world, just total innocence and lovin' life!

I think we could all use some joyful laughter.  It's good for our soul...

I'm Sorry To Say...It's A List!

And it's a pictureless list at that!  I've put myself on a seclusion plan, trying to spare the 3 in my family that haven't had this sickness.  While in seclusion, I have just my iPad and still cannot figure out how to post pictures when using it.  Oh well.  

1.  This inconvenient crud has worn out its welcome.  Not any big deal in the big picture, just a nuisance.  I missed a day and a half of work this week, my first time using sick leave.  But when I got very woozy at work, and every piece of my body, inside and out from my head to my toes, started aching, I submitted to the fact that I may indeed be ill. So I popped into the health room and took my temp...100.9.  My cooperative co-workers were oh-so-eagerly-helpful in getting my germs out of there.  My temp climbed throughout the day and I was mis.er.ab.le.  The next day I got up and showered and ready to go before realizing it was just a stupid idea. My aching head throbbed with each cough.  My eyeballs were so sore I couldn't look left or right or up or down.  I could go on, but I will stop.  Headache, body aches, fever all gone.  Now it's no voice, deep chest cough and extreme fatigue.  My big adventure today was taking a shower.  And after the shower I broke into a profuse sweat and took a nap.  Pathetic.

2.  And speaking of fevers and patheticness...fevers and sleeping produce some very bizarre dreams!  After I made a comment about that on Facebook, one of Brad's friends gave that phenomenon the name "fleeping".  Isn't that perfect?  So I shall forevermore call it fleeping.  I fleeped all about monkeys and penguins and racecars and all sorts of strange combinations.  I wish I could remember all the details after I wake up, because my goodness would they make some entertaining stories.  But, alas, the fleeping is a fleeting moment.

3. I'm in love with Rice Krispy Treats.

4.  My firstborn graduates from high school two months from today.  That makes me feel so old.  It also makes me feel a bit muddled-in-the-mind about all there is to do.  Getting him moved to Baltimore is going to be a bit overwhelming and quite a whirlwind.  The recording engineering director called him this last week, just to personally congratulate him and tell him how excited they are to have him.  Told him in all his years of interviews, he was the most obvious candidate for this program he's ever interviewed.  This man has no idea how much that comforts my momma heart.  It makes the anticipation of sending him across the country easier, knowing that he's going to a place where he's enthusiastically welcomed and personally known.  Feels good.

5.  Also making me feel old is my baby of the bunch.  Last night she was watching Knight Rider with her dad, as show I never watched as a kid.  I have a hard time not making remarks about how ridiculous certain things are (like the whole talking car part..really?!). I made a comment last night about something that was implausible, and she said, "MOM, you need to remember this was made all the way back in the 1900s!"  Touche!  Score one for the baby girl.

6.  I love having the windows open and listening to this Spring rain!  Love it.  Clean and refreshing, making everything grow and bloom and brighten.

10.  Now I'm worn out and need a nap.  I wish I was kidding.

Let's Get Caught-Up!

Okay, I have really crossed over into a new level of ridiculousness.  I refuse to let a month - A MONTH! - go by without getting something on here.  So here we go with a messy compilation of all sorts of things:

1.  Beth is off and running with soccer this season. 

The last time she played she was only five, and the coach made the mistake decision to play her at goalie for half a game.  For the rest of the season, no matter where she was on the field, she would pick the ball up whenever it came near her.  Kind of a no-no in soccer.  So when she announced this year that she wanted to play on her friend's team, I had no idea what to expect.  I've been delightfully surprised ~ my first to really take to the sport, and I'm so happy to have a reason to watch soccer again.  I love this game so much.  They've only had one practice game so far, but I love it.  (And she happens to be #17, which was my number.  Love that.) (And I'm happy to report that she hasn't picked the ball up once in the field!)

2.  Brenna's track season is in full swing.  And this girl is running like a champ!  Her season goal was to get her mile time under 6 minutes, and she did that in her second meet: 

5:51!  Whoooosh, there she went.  I'm so proud of her dedication and hard work.  She and Brad have become running partners on the weekends, going out for 8 mile runs together.  Brenna chats the entire run, filling her dad in on everything in her life and entertaining him the entire run.

Alex, congratulating Brenna on her 5:51 mile!

3.  Beth had her first experience in front of a music adjudicator, playing a clarinet duet with her sweet friend Caleigh. 

They did a lovely job, and it was fun to see the third bring in the music compliments.  They scored a 1, and very deserved!

4.  My sweet hubs took a punch to the gut when he was told his job is being reduced 10% primarily due to the health care reimbursement rates with the new health care system.  Same job duties, but 10% fewer hours and 10% less pay.  Blech.  Crummy time to go through that with the first heading off to college soon.  He is doing a lot of soul searching as he decides what to do.  He's taken this hard, and the pressure he's feeling has been hard to watch.  I love him and how hard he works for our family, and looking forward to this all being settled.

5.  I am loooooving our sweet Spring weather.  The weather has been....gentle.  Perfect for outside playing and working.  We've been doing a lot of walking around the lake, especially as Brad has needed to do a lot of processing and thinking and talking.
Lucy loves going to the lake and smelling and the smells.  She's a great little walking buddy, and we are just about ready to start letting her run with Brenna.

6.  And the excruciating wait is over, we know now where Alex will be headed next year:

The beautiful Peabody library...he's in awe!

He made it into his #1 pick, his dream, his hope, his prayer.  He will be headed to The Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.  He was accepted (with a generous scholarship to make it possible) to a dual-degree program in bassoon performance and recording engineering.  He'll take all his music classes at Peabody, and all his engineering at Johns Hopkins.  They loved him, and I can't blame them one bit.  I'm so proud of him, so happy for him...just a little stunned that my baby boy will be moving across the country to Baltimore.  Eek.  Now he is busy applying for as many local scholarships as he can.  Eek again!

7.  Music mania has abounded here still.  Alex won the Tacoma Concert Band Scholarship, which included a solo performance with this band.  It was a fun night to watch him on stage, playing with the big boys (and girls).  It was especially moving because two days prior his band director of the last 4 years committed suicide.  Ugly, tough time.  And an emotional time for sure, to get up and play in front of people.  The following week he also played at this man's memorial service, and played about as beautifully as I have ever heard him play.  It was all heart.

8.  And so long ago I mentioned my pursuit to take off my unwanted weight and reduce my cholesterol.  I'm happy to say that weight is gone and my cholesterol is way down, thanks to a lot of work and the help of some meds.  So glad I'm over that hurdle.

9.  Easter was a delightfully beautiful day here.  Loved the sunshine and 'twas a great way to kick off Spring Break! 

Some nice days let me get a gob of yard clean-up done, weeding and replanting and transplanting.  So much more to do, but fortunately the rain came storming in today so I get a break.  I woke up today sore in strange places from all the digging and bending, and my workout today felt terrible.  I'm pretty glad I have a good reason to not be out there weeding!

10.  I'd really like to end on a nice, round number like 10.  But I really don't want to think anymore.  I'm on vacation, and thinking is not on my vacation agenda.  So I will leave with this, because with all the ups and downs of the last month or so, indeed the Lord has been so good to us.  We are filled with joy, and thankful:

 

Characters

Oh, it's been awhile.  Again.  And so much much has been happening, but there will be a better time for catching up all of that.  I think.

For now, I thought I would get some moments captured of the characters I work with.

Today was the big Character Day at school, celebrating the end of reading month and Dr. Seuss's birthday!  This day is always an adventure in fun, and I love seeing the creative ways the kids dress as their favorite book character.  This year I counted three - THREE - Laura Ingalls!  Gives one hope for this next generation!!  I didn't get pictures of all the little munchkins, cuz that would kind of be all kinds of wrong to put those pictures here, but trust me that my eyes beheld cuteness in overwhelming measures today!

And the grown-ups get in on the fun, too!  We had some good laughs at each other's expense.  One of my favorite groups, all dressed up as Alice in Wonderland characters, is not represented in my pictures, but they were fabulous!

So here, in no particular order, are a few of my favorite characters to work with:

Thing 1, Skippy John Jones, and Thing 2

 

The guys from "Put Me In The Zoo".  I have a special fondness for this book...I was reading it to Brenna when the thought first fluttered through my mind that I may be, could be, possibly be pregnant with Beth.

The beautiful Amelia Bedilia and some nut dressed like the Fox in Socks.

 

 Another darling Amelia Bedilia and a better look at the spectacular Skippy John Jones.

 

And last, but certainly not least, the spicy and saucy Pizza Chef, whooping it up with a little Celebration!

 

It really is quite shocking that I get paid to have this much fun!

 

 

 

It's That Time Again ~ List Time

I don't know why I can't get my bloggin' mojo back with any consistency.  Good heavens, the days...they blur.  But I know if I go longer than a week, I start getting questions from inquiring minds..."Everything okay??"  Yes, everything is very okay.  Just also very busy and between the mothering and the working and the taxi-driving and the cooking and the laundering and the exercising, and the living, the blogging just doesn't make it onto the schedule.  In order to make myself feel a bit more together, I'm going to throw out the handy-dandy list.  Sorry.

1.  Brenna's track season starts tomorrow.  I sorta think of track as a Spring sport, so it makes me think Spring is approaching, even if it is still February.

2.  Brad and Alex made a whirlwind trip to Baltimore and Arizona for college auditions and interviews.  Twas a big success, and now we do my LEAST favorite thing:  we wait.  We should have all information in the first week of April, then we have a few weeks to figure it all out.

3.  I blew my diet this weekend.  And I blame it all on Rice Krispies.  The hubs makes a magnificent batch of Rice Krispie Treats, and he made them this weekend, and he put peanut butter and chocolate into them, and I ate more than my fair share of them.  I am powerless to resist him.  I mean them.  And him.

4. I did have my bloodwork to re-check my cholesterol.  Looking forward to hearing the good news this week of how wonderful everything has responded.  And minutes before I had the bloodwork done, I had my annual mammogram.  Seriously, girls, go get it done.  Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.  Okay, that was not the best choice of words.  But truly, not a big deal.  My blood draw left a bruise.  The mammo?  You need to do it.  

5.  I was moments away from throwing up at the gym on Saturday.  I survived, finished my workout, and those around me were none-the-wiser.  An all-day, all-night headache followed.  Today was a new day and I'm thankful.

6.  Tonight was the first Sunday night in awhile with no Downton Abbey.  I was so sad after last week's episode that perhaps I needed this time to mourn.  

7.  And the Oscars tonight?  I thought Amy Adams was a vision of loveliness.  And Jennifer Garner tearing up on the red carpet talking about her man?  And then her man breaking up talking about his wife in his acceptance speech?  Love that.  I also thought Halle Berry was divine, and Anne Hathaway, and now I'm forgetting everyone who stood out to me...but there were so many lovelies it's hard to keep track.  And although I loved Jennifer Lawrence's dress color and dress top and her hair and sweet look, I thought the bottom of the dress was a bit much, as evidenced by the trip going to claim her award.  But her graciousness was so lovely that she could have been wearing burlap and she woud have been shining.  Oh, and I loved Sally Field and Jennifer Anniston too.  And Barbara Streisand was looking great tonight too.  And I'm so glad Daniel Day Lewis won for Lincoln, and his speech was sonderful.  Humble.  

8.  I need to go to bed now, so I'm quitting here.  :)