Friday, February 27, 2015

Birthday 34 at Home

The kids always insist on throwing Stephen and I birthday parties at home with just us.  It's really sweet.  So even though we celebrated my actual b-day at Dad's, they still threw me a party.

They made me spaghetti.  And everyone acquiesced to playing Taboo!  My favorite game which no one ever wants to play :)

Then Stephen gave me a card, which made me tear up a bit, it contained a couple gift cards and a sweet little ring I showed him.  Iris is quite emotionally fragile... she cries when things are sweet, romantic, sad, happy....whatever...you get the idea.  You can see it in the pic.
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 Clyde picked out the cool hedgehog bag!  Which I LOVE!!  Iris is still recovering from the sweetness of Daddy's card.

Lucy bought me a pretty white bird ornament which I hung as a decoration until time to put it on the Christmas tree.

Clyde got me Yankee candle melters.  A couple scents he knew I loved and a couple new scents to try.

Iris got me a cute little frame and a surprise melter scent.

Then we had coconut cake!!  Because Stephen is just awesome :)  Lu had vegan chocolate cake and was delighted.

It may appear in my blog as though my mom doesn't celebrate my birthday, but that is my fault.  Every year, she takes me out to eat and buys me clothes or something else awesome!  This  year it was home decor THAT I JUST LOVE  :)   But since it's just the two of us and we wear ourselves out, I seem to never think to take a picture :(  But it was awesome..a fun time with Mom!!  Just like every year!!

Celebrating at Dad's

 My actual birthday was spent at Dad and Janet's house and we had a great time!

But I also knew it would be the only time in October that we would physically be there and the kids THRIVE on Grandmom's trick-or-treat-through-the-house tradition, so I spent most of the day doing this...

in case you can't tell, that's me frantically sewing an Elsa dress!  I didn't get a lot of last minute alterations done, but I got it put together enough for her to wear it around the house.

While I was sewing, Dad and Clyde became twinsies!

As soon as I got relatively done sewing, we threw all the sewing stuff into a corner and sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!  Yay!!  I love my birthday, even when it's spent sewing!

Here we are with my card and present...which I managed to save for 2 months before breaking down and buying cool stuff.   PART of, thank-you-very-much!  I spent part on Christmas decor :)  Which I"ve never had much of before!

Here I am with Sherry Berry and her handmade card and present (gift card and phone cover)!

Iris decided that she had to give me two presents!  One at Grandad's ( a porcelain baby Jesus she painted ) on my ACTUAL birthday and one at home with her brother and sister.  This one's love language is gifts!

After my party, the kids dressed up.  After several attempts at spraying Lucy's hair platinum, Grandmom sprinkled it with baby powder and bam!  White hair!

Trick-or-treat!

Funny side note, every time they got to Dad, he made them sing Happy Birthday to me again :)

Sunday, February 22, 2015

When Tragedy Looms

Tragedy threatens my church family.  A little boy named Schaeffer, the precious 5 year old son of a wonderful couple that we've known for years, is in a coma and is going through tests to see if he has any brain activity.  This came on his parents so suddenly...so shockingly.

Those of us who know them, but don't feel like we're close enough to invade their grief and time with their son, while they are already surrounded by their most beloved family and friends have instead stayed put and just prayed...and cried...and prayed....and cried...and prayed SO HARD and cried SO HARD.  Why can't we shoulder some of their suffering?  Why can't we fix it?  We want to so badly!  We want God to miraculously heal Schaeffer and give him back to his Mom and Dad.  We don't want them to have a hole in their hearts.  We want their family to be intact and whole.  We want his brothers to never know a day without him until they're all old and gray.  We want this desperately. 

This is all so familiar to me, though I was never there.  Before I was born, my parents went through a terribly similar tragedy.  I always hate the very idea of the incredible pain they went through.  I did not have to experience it...and yet in some ways I did.  There's always been a missing brother in my life.  One I've always missed and wondered about.  I've also often wondered what it was like for my parents, older sister, and grandparents to go through what they did.  I've often pictured it in my brain and even dreamt I was there.  It was enough to scare me every time I was pregnant.  What was I doing exposing myself to the possibility of such fear, and the possibly of such pain and loss?

If Jesus wept when Lazarus died, and mourned when his cousin, John, was killed, I don't think God will condemn me for saying that this just sucks.  I hate it.  I despise death.  I despise the threat of death.  Especially when it comes for our children.

Who am I to have a healthy, gangly 11 year old boy?  What did I ever do right?  Nothing.  I've got to start being grateful for every day with each child.  Purposefully.  Not only do I have no guarantee of another day with my children, they have no guarantee of another day with their parents, or siblings, or their own health.  Am I teaching them to trust in God, or am I just a parent who is of this world and not of my heavenly home?  Will I have prepared them for loss or just given them earthly happiness?  Am I prepared for loss myself?

Lord help our friends.  They are our family in YOU!  Please grant them a miracle!  No matter what, I pray that You will have mercy on them!  Have mercy on them, Father!  Have mercy on us all!  We do not want to say goodbye!