Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Resilience

Last year about this time, Jacob broke his leg in football practice. It has three days before school stared and it was extremely difficult to see him in so much pain and so helpless. No football, no basketball, no first day of school with his buddies. Adam and I were going on no sleep with him being in so much pain and our middle child waking up in the middle of the night every night and the dreaded stress of the first week of school. When I look back on that week, I consider it to be one of the most trying times for us. All of our children required full time care. Somehow when it is two out of three and you get used to it accept it, and then a wrench gets thrown into that, well it just seemed devastating. Although Jacob had his moments of feeling sorry for himself, overall he was so positive-his body was broken, but not his spirit. He would talk about being stronger because his break would grow together better than before, how he would train for basketball and do physical therapy, he would get his hours of make-up homework done (with only a bit of complaining :)- Children are so resilient. You hear that a lot, but when you see it in your own child, it is quite amazing. Jacob taught me as a 10 year-old that there are always going to be set- backs in life, and they will keep coming, no matter how much you plan. (Well I already knew that part!) It's how you handle those setbacks that character is built and the strength of mind and body grows. Broken bones are sometimes an unfortunate part of childhood, broken spirits should never be.



Monday, September 16, 2013

Sisters


Family First

I love being with my family. That should go without saying, but hanging out with my sisters and my parents have been some of the best and most memorable :) times of my life!

Sarah is so funny. She tells great stories, is beautiful and is the life of the party. Laura is so smart and extremely generous. She is also beautiful, a ton of fun and they are both great moms. We have an absolute blast and too much wine when we are together! Oh, and we all live 5 minutes apart so it works out perfectly!

Laura's 40th

What a wonderful day that was. Celebrating 40 years of Laura!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Gratitude



Writing
Writing is such a release and a personal relief from stress. Recently, just short writing blocks have helped me from feeling like I am having a panic attack-which I suppose is a positive thing! Taking this forum is new for me, I hope I can express my feelings appropriately. On that note, expressing gratitude, even in low points, really has worked in getting out of a funk. So today I am grateful for the many generous caregivers in our life that help us with the kids. Mom, Dad, Abbey, Christina, Alex, Kayla, Matthew, Pam (and the countless people at church) and Sarah-you are appreciated! Oh and the teachers, aides, therapists who work with the kiddos every single day- truly you are angels from God! When Hillary said it takes a village, she had no idea.....

What are you grateful for?

(and please do not say people that don't end sentences with a preposition.)

My friend Denise-such a gift-always helps me with the kids! Here she and Johnny are before taking a ride in her sweet convertible! Wonder why he loves her?

So grateful for Fall, then found out my furnace is broken. So now I am thankful for a woodburning fireplace.

If this is fuzzy, it is because Johnny was throwing an absolute fit on the way to school yesterday and beating on the back of my seat. I pulled over to calm us both down and spotted this sunrise. I saw its beauty as a sign from God. Which worked out nicely for Johnny, because he needed a little God at that moment!

Have I mentioned how grateful I am for Johnny and Elizabeth's teachers? Heather, Lindsey, Judy, Kathy-thank you for making this picture happen-I know it wasn't easy. I will blog on this later, I have to stop laughing first!

Today, I am grateful for Sarah. She is a consummate caregiver and always is there for our family (the baby she is kissing? I have no clue, she loves them all and they love her!) She also reads and comments on every single thing I write, which is so very nice. Love you Sarah!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Grand!





Pop and Johnny


Pap and Elizabeth

Mimi and Elizabeth

Pap and Grandma and Jacob in Florida

Grandmama with Elizabeth