Babies, Brownies and Blessings

I mentioned yesterday that my grandma died when I was 12. Grandma Olga Melby would have been 88 this year but was taken much too soon in her late 60s. She got sick with what we now know was autoimmune hepatitis...a treatable disease in this day, but not as much 20 years ago. Yellowing of her skin and her eyes were the first signs. After much testing, poking and prodding they reached a diagnosis, but not a cure. In my 12 year old brain I didn't realize how sick she was. Instead I was focused, along with my siblings, on sneaking our dog in to show her and other things that tweens do. The phone call I received from my family while at Bible camp saying she was gone left me truly shocked. Not Grandma! For the first 7 years of my life we lived just a field away from her and Grandpa. I remember May Days running through the field with my sisters to their house, knocking on the door, leaving a basket on the handle, certain Grandma wouldn't know who it was from. N...

Week four of Bri on the night shift and we are still pumped about it! The sleep, of course, is the biggest issue. I spent all morning with the kids yelling at them to talk quieter...yep, really did and realize it makes no sense. It would seem that's the hardest thing, keeping the kiddos in a more hushed state to assure uninterrupted sleep for their slumbering dad. The weather has cooled again which brings us back inside more. Soon we'll be able to spend every morning out again. The shift itself has been a blessing...quieter in the factory, more productivity, less negativity. All in all a good shift for our family at this time. But the real kicker??? BigBoy #1 is doing GREAT with school these days! It was as close to a 180 as you can get. Bri started on nights and within a week Sam wasn't having any tearful mornings. No more drudging into school and constant obssession with staying near me or Dad. He's still not going all the way by himself but he does the ...

A few weeks ago we had our ductwork cleaned out. To our knowledge this had never been done since our home was built back in the 50s. Four families, numerous construction projects, pets and 60+ years left tons of dust and dander. I would wipe everything down and a day later every surface was covered again. The sun streaming in revealed particles floating through the air. In the weeks since the ducts were vacuumed my dusting has been cut down to once a week! We're feeling pretty good about the decision to start fresh and breathe clean air. In a strange turn of my thoughts I began to consider the similarities between the duct cleaning guys and Jesus (this analogy is much more like my husband to come up with...guess that's what a decade of life together does for ya!). This Holy Week has me considering the journey of Jesus to the cross. Two thousandish years ago today he was questioned, sentenced and sacrificed. The only reason He was killed was to cover my si...

As I was walking to pick BigBoy #1 up from school the other day I found myself about 10 feet behind another woman. In a matter of moments I caught this delightful whiff of...something... She smelled great and I'm not sure if it was perfume or her shampoo or what. All I know is I was impressed that at 3:40 in the afternoon she left behind a delightful waft that made me feel I was walking through a field of flowers... After enjoying the scent for a few yards I got to thinking, what must I smell like? Would someone behind me be considering what perfume I was wearing or want to find out where I buy my hair products? Pretty sure not. In fact, I'm guessing they would look something like this:  Because halfway through my day all I know for sure is I've been inundated with the most unsavory sights, sounds and most certainly, smells. I'm guessing you'd describe my "perfume" as earthy with a touch of boy-sweat, baby milk spit and a hint of grease with und...

For the better part of the last 7 years, over half our marriage and all of our parenting years, Brian has worked the evening shift. This particular shift is some 8 hour variation of 3pm to 11pm (3:30pm-midnight, etc.). As a nurse, I'm not stranger to shift work, and to be quite honest, this schedule didn't bother me too much. ...Until lately. Slowly over the last couple years I have tired of doing the bedtime routine alone with 3 little ones. I miss being a family when something fun comes up on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday evening. Now before I make it sound like this is all hardship for me and peachy-keen for Bri I will explain what he has been missing out on all these years. Family meals, impromptu picnics, grabbing a beer with the guys, Bible studies or small groups, and the list goes one. And he's had to listen to me complain. Something I'm not proud of.... Enter the school year of 2011. BigBoy #1 is a kindergartene...

As evidenced by my slightly melodramatic post earlier in the week, it's been a challenging path for me lately. The last few months BigBoy #1 has been gradually regressing into a separation anxiety state. It started in December with a sudden decision that he didn't like sleep-overs, even at Papa and Nannie's. New Years he didn't want to stay at G'pa Lee and G'ma Kerri's or his cousins' house. January began a trend of not walking into school alone. February reached a climax with a kicking, screaming, crying, hanging-on-for-dear-life 60 lb 6 year old this week at school drop off. Uffda. We have spent the week probing events and thoughts and feelings, desperate to find an answer to this newfound anxiety (both his and ours). Maybe it was that time I left him in the van too long while I did a return... Could it be from the fire drills and 911 practice calls...? I wonder if someone is bullying him at school... Is it getting too hard having Bri w...

I admit defeat. Today is a day that has me beat. Sleepless night begets teary waking hours. And me crying out to His Holy Powers. One child wakes crabby and febrile Another does not want to go to school, even for a little while. The hand of my man provides strength and support. The day has passed and it took much effort. I wave the flag of white tonight And pray tomorrow's morning will be bright. *Even in the midst of the blessing that is parenthood the trials can overcome, if even for a few hours. I know you all have many sorrows, some so huge that things like a child with separation issues and another with pneumonia would be just a blip on the radar. It is with a tired, heavy heart that I am thankful for problems so small. God brings us through it all, may His hand be ever comforting and strengthening as He has promised.*