Too Close For Comfort

Posted on December 11, 2012 by thisnest

My God. Another shooting. It’s different for me this time though. Closer. A lot closer…

As I entered my chemistry class for the last time tonight, to take my final exam, it was much more than just chemical equations, mole to mole conversions, and polyatomic ions filling my brain…my mind was on the shootings at Clackamas Town Center as well.

Evening before last, my beautiful husband took our precious youngest children and their cousin, Jelly Bean, off of our hands so that we could prepare for this final exam. Jelly Bean’s mama, my little sister, and I are in Chemistry together – we went to the library. Tony, two five-year-olds, and a three year old went on an adventure of their own…

To the Clackamas Town Center.

They rode the carousel and the ferris wheel. They ordered sandwiches from Subway. They sent us pics and videos via text to laugh at while we crammed for our last test – and tonight as we took that test, in the exact part of the mall our little ones (and my big one) so thoroughly enjoyed two nights ago…a gunman opened fire on the happy crowd of families just like ours.

Parents grabbed their children in an effort to protect. Teenagers and their friends scattered. Husbands and wives fled in terror. People died tonight…affecting families like mine…where my family just spent an evening.

My God. Another shooting. It’s different for me this time though. Closer. A lot closer…

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Letter From A Grateful Mama

Posted on November 30, 2012 by thisnest

Final Football Season

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My Beautiful Son,

How can I even express my gratitude for being chosen to be your mother? I was only twenty-three, and I had done nothing spectacular enough to warrant God finding me worthy of the gift…but still He sent you to me. I know that there were times I didn’t rise to the occasion, some mistakes were made along the way too…but never, ever, have I not understood the miracle of you. You. I love you. Oh Lord, do I love you. To think that, somehow, my very blueprint was redesigned around that of the man I love with all my heart…to make a completely new human being. To make you, our son. Our first-born son. A piece of me, and part of him…but still an individual. Amazing.

I feel so blessed to have been able to attend your final high school football banquet tonight. My feelings were so hurt as I headed into Chemistry tonight, prepared to take my Lab Final. My mind was on chemical reactions…but my chest ached in the absence of my heart, which was with you, on its way to the high school. As soon as my teacher agreed to make arrangements, I rushed to the banquet. Thank You, Lord.

So tomorrow, I will head back to campus to take that Lab Final…but tonight, tonight, I had the honor of witnessing the end of this part of your journey – just as I did for the beginning and middle of it. I am so proud of you – every minute of everyday of every year that I have been graciously given with you has been a gift. I pray for many more firsts and lasts to cry over, laugh about, and be grateful for.

I love you, Son.

 

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My Heroes

Posted on November 24, 2012 by thisnest

My Heroes

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Thankful. Grateful. Appreciative. Blessed. I am all of these. Much more than a roasted turkey thankful. Far more than sweet potato pie grateful. Abundantly more appreciative than a football game on the TV while we stuffed our faces yesterday. Blessed. And while the preparation was exhausting, it was a labor of love…because I know what those blessings are.

Today was another kind of gratitude. No cooking, other than heating up some leftovers, and no football game to get wrapped up in. Today I got to spend some Mommy Time with my oldest three. They are such a big source of my thankfulness, my prides and my joys, my beautiful children.

Boo Boo, Mamacita, and Dee Dee Girl – where do I even begin? How do I express my respect for three kids who shared their parents with so many others. When we made the decision, they had no say. Boo Boo was too young and the girls weren’t even born yet. Our time, attention, finances, our home, our lives…shared. It is only in hindsight that I can clearly see what was lost – as well as what was gained.

On the other end we added the maniac midgets to the mix. We would not, we could not, ever be complete without those two little Sparrows. Looking back though…I see more clearly the sacrifices of and benefits for my older three…again. I am so proud of them. They are my heroes.

Today, I was gifted with some private time with the first three to provide me with mommy-hood. While Daddy and the boys stayed home with the leftovers – we scrapped that tradition for half price appetizers at our local Applebee’s . Then we headed to the Dollar Tree to pick out some goodies – and proceeded to smuggle said goodies into the movie theater, with a half hour to spare. I made good use of that time by giggling with my amazing kids, paying close attention to every dimple and beautiful tooth that their laughter shared with me.

Thankful. Grateful. Appreciative. Blessed. I am all of these. I have real life heroes living in my own home…and I got to date all three of them today.

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A One-Two (Three, Four, Five) Punch!

Posted on November 21, 2012 by thisnest

Class this morning – Check!

Meeting with my advisor to check progress – Check!

Grocery shopping (wait, let me rephrase – fighting the chaotic, disorganized, frustrated crowd at the grocery store two days before Thanksgiving in a store that is currently remodeling) – Check!

Clean out pantry and fridge – Check!

Put groceries away – Check!

Make dinner – Check!

The best part of the day, what I had been anticipating since the first round of volleyball tryouts with my Dee Dee Girl…the second round of tryouts, was finally only an hour away. First though, I had to get all the kids fed. D’Lo and AD were running around like the madmen they are. The big kids were filing down to build their hamburgers and…

BAM!

Followed by a lot of screaming and, as I picked him up off the floor and began searching his cranium for the site of impact with the corner of the kitchen counter, D’Lo struggled to catch his breath. And there it was, not on his nugget…on his eye. A half inch to the left and he may have lost that eye. What’s more, that thing literally grew bigger and bigger right in front of me, like one of those time elapsed films…only in real time. Poor little guy.

The bad news is that he looks like he just stepped out of a Rocky movie, the good news is he’s OK…

The absolutely fabulous news is that Dee Dee Girl, aged thirteen, was selected for a 16’s team! She is so excited and I am so proud of her. A great ending to a questionable day.

Go Dee Dee! Go Dee Dee! Go Dee Dee! Go Dee Dee!

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Me First!

Posted on November 18, 2012 by thisnest

Boys racing for the toilet

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Such a loud and chaotic stampede toward the toilet. I didn’t see it, but I heard it…I believe everyone in a three block radius probably heard it – my kids are so noisy!

D’Lo – “I gotta go pee!”

AD – “No! I gotta go pee!”

D’Lo – “I’m going first!”

AD – “No! I’m going first!”

D’Lo – “I said I’m peeing first!”

AD – “NO! I am going first!”

D’Lo – “Well, I already have my wee-wee out!”

AD – “OH…OK.”

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