Thankful

People are so, so nice.  Today Joshua came home with stuff he'd bought at Santa's Workshop at school.  He said somebody had given him money to buy it.  I remembered how in the past one of my children has begged money off his friends for such things.  I thought that may have happened again.  But it turns out that that was not the case today.  Joshua said somebody in the office gave him an envelope that had $25 to use at Santa's Workshop and it was signed "A Friend."  He was able to get some things for himself and some for 2 of his siblings.  I'm so thankful.

Believe Ot or Not - a Chicken

This morning as we were getting in the car to take the boys to school Michael spied what he thought was a turkey wandering around the townhome complex.  Well, he was close.  I could hear a chicken clucking and we found an egg under our neighbors' car.  I think the chicken pecked a hole in it.  When I got home the chicken was uder a different car eating something out of a carry-out box. 

Thankful

Don't tell, but I'm falling asleep at the helm here, and it took me at least 4 tries to spell the title.

A few days ago I was at home minding my own bidness when the phone rang.  It was a lady from some coallition or other and she said that my son Michael had been nominated for their Shop with a Cop program.  She then went on to explain that on the day of the program Michael would be assigned a police officer who would take him to breakfast and then take him shopping at Wal-Mart!  She said he'll be given a $100 gift card.  She was so excited to tell me about it, and then she said, "So, is Michael your son?"  I said, "Yes, well, he's one of my sons."  And I kind of chuckled.  The she explained that this program is for children ages 5-12 and asked if any of my other children fell in that age range.  I told her I had 4 who did, and she said she'd add them to the list.  And she said we'd get a letter in the mail explaining more about it.  When we finished I hung up the phone and bawled and texted Jeremy.  I just could not believe it and I was so thankful that somebody would do that for us.  I had been wondering how we were going to pay for Christmas, and suddenly this fell in our laps.  Truly the Lord is mindful of us.  I'm in complete awe.

We did get the letter that the lady talked about.  It didn't say $100.  It said "an undisclosed amount" and it said that they would be encouraged to use it to buy something for themselves that they wouldn't otherwise be able to get for Christmas.  I say we'll thankfully take what we can get.  The boys are really excited and Joshua is counting down the days.  I look forward to hopefully being able to pay it forward someday.

Check This Out

Yeah, I'd have to say this top's Hyrum's tortilla burning record.  These made some pretty big flames in the oven! :O

After Tribulation

"For after much tribulation... cometh the blessing." - D&C 103:12

I tell you, this right here is a rare moment indeed.  I actually have two hands to type with.  Yes, these are the days I'm going to miss when I'm old.  I've been holding babies non-stop (even in my sleep) for the last few days.  It's a relief indeed when I can have my arms to myself, but I know that all too soon these days will be over.  All too soon these arms that ache to let go will ache to gather in.  So I hold these little ones anyway because there really is not much in this world more amazing than being a comfort, and there are few ways that demonstrate love as much.  I especially want to be sure that I hold them when they cry.  If my children are a party to heartbreak, by golly, their mommy wants to hear about it and assure them that they are loved.  Being a mommy is lots of hard work and tribulation, but I would venture to say that the Lord does not cease to bless us even during tribulation, and that's what makes our hard times beautiful in the end.  (And as a side note, if you haven't seen this video by Hilary Weeks, please do.  So, so true.)

Timmy hasn't been feeling well.  On Saturday as he was fussing I noticed that his gums were really swollen.  He's had a little bit of a fever.  He just is not feeling well.  I'm not sure what's wrong with his poor little mouth, but he has acted like it hurts and it worries me.  On Sunday night he woke up crying at about 1:00 AM and could not be calmed.  He had no desire to nurse as he usually does when he wakes up at night.  He flailed around crying for a long time.  We gave him Tylenol.  I paced the floor and bounced him.  I hugged and kissed him and rubbed his little back.  He calmed down for little snatches of time as I rocked him and he was able to grab my hair and stuff it in his mouth.  It was like he had an insatiable appetite for it.  But he kept losing his grip on my hair and crying again.  And it hurt my poor head.  Nothing was helping.  Finally Jeremy suggested we put him in the tub.  Just like magic, the boy calmed down.  I threw a few toys in there and he sat and played with them for a minute, but mostly he just wanted to stand and play with the water coming out of the faucet.  He was so pleased with it that I let the water keep running for a long time. 

Then he wanted to get out and sit on my lap.  I got him out and put his fuzzy sleepers on him again.  Jeremy handed him a Chinese ball (the kind that chimes when you roll it around or shake it).  By this time he'd started to fuss again.  He still didn't want to eat.  He finally calmed down again when we turned on the closet light.  Timmy loves to play with the yarn in my closet, so he went in and out of the closet a few times.  it is a magical place for him sometimes.  Then we rocked in the rocking chair and played with the ball.  He soon discovered once again the joys of throwing things on the floor just so I can pick it up again.  So I stood him in front of me as I sat on the floor, and he threw that ball down over and over and I picked it up again.  Finally, at about 2:00 he was ready to nurse and go back to sleep.  He woke up again a few times that night and flailed around crying again but he went back to sleep easier. 

Needless to say, it was a long night.  (And last night was also a long night.  It was almost a repeat of Sunday night's party.)  But when I went into the bathroom in the morning I saw those toys in the bathtub and remembered Timmy's fascinated smile in the middle of the night as he played with the water coming out of the faucet - his smile despite his tribulation.  I was suddenly thankful again for the time I have with this sweet little boy and his siblings.  They are tender mercies straight from a loving Heavenly Father.  They challenge and stretch me, and they bring the greatest joys I have ever known.  And I've found it surprising how often those greatest joys are in little things - like a boy taking a bath at 1:00 AM.

This morning Michael was feeling sad again when it was time to get out of the car and go off to choir.  I think I've learned from our past because these days I am actually glad of times like this.  They end up being sweet little moments with a bit of extra one-on-one time (a precious commodity around here).  These moments usually mean he needs a little extra attention anyway, so I take his hand and walk him into the school.  This morning we once again walked together to the gym/auditorium.  We said goodbye and he went in.  A second later as I turned to go he burst back through the door with his face all lit up.  "Mommy!  There's Christmas trees with Christmas lights on the stage!" he exclaimed.  Don't tell, but seeing his joy after sadness warmed my heart enough to make me cry a bit.  It's the same kind of warmth that I felt watching Jill try to comfort her crying brother in the night.  "It's all right, baby."  And the same warmth I felt watching little Timmy sitting in that bathtub in the middle of the night and suddenly remembering that he'll be 1 in a few short days.  Where does the time go?  Little ones grow up all too fast.  But for now I savor these small moments all I can.

And here's another small sweet moment: just now my little Timmy was standing by my computer table watching the movie Jill picked out (Despicable Me, one of her favorites).  He suddenly bonked his head on the edge of the table and said, "Ow."  It cracked me up.  It was like he did it on purpose and was surprised that it hurt.