Random Ramblings #9

Well, that was really fun - In This Skin. I didn't think I'd be able to come up with anything to write, but once I got started, I couldn't stop. I think I went back in to Blogger and edited at least 5 times after the original. The comments were so encouraging and enjoyable to read!

Dad's not bouncing back really fast, but Mom is doing better. Morning Glory left today, and she took good care of them since Saturday afternoon. It was a blessing, because I couldn't take any time off work this week, being the only one holding down the fort during spring break.

Spring Break - when Kev and Sema hoped to have one - a break, that is. Kev ended up with pneumonia too! What are the odds of that? Sema had an emergency wisdom tooth extraction Friday night, which you can read about on her blog, Twenty Eight Celsius. She ended up with dry socket, and was in a lot of pain. So not so much fun at their house lately. The only good thing is that Kev's not missing class or work. He's starting to feel a BIT better. But the promise of Chapter 4 this week is fading quickly!

Barb at Chelsea Morning showed us the most adorable picture of Cameron today. He's 20 months old now and VERY busy, she says. That took me back to when Feisty was born. Care Bear was 20 months old. I had sprained my ankle really badly and was in a boot when Feisty was born. I ended up picking up Care Bear from day care, lugging her and the car seat and the diaper bag and, and, and, at least it seemed that way. There was renovation going on at the hospital, so the new baby area was way, way far away from the entrance. I was so exhausted every time I got down there to see Kristen and Feisty that I ended up resting on the extra bed in her room. I still have trouble with that foot, by the way - almost 3 years later.

The day they got home from the hospital with Feisty was the same day little Care Bear got her first pair of glasses. They shortly thereafter moved to our street. So all of a sudden CB lost her place as the baby, had these pesky things on her face (which she would periodically rip off and throw across the room), and she had a new house to adjust to. And Feisty was colicky. Good news - Grandma was right down the street and Kristen would bring Feisty down for me to take a turn walking her around until she settled down. Oh, yeah, good memories!

I was going to title today's post "Care Bear-isms", or "Grandma's Gleanings II", but decided it was going to more random than that. Care Bear is 4 going on 15, and she makes me laugh every day. She is the most perceptive child - doesn't miss anything about anything. DC says she's a lot like her Grandma. Uh, oh, poor kid! She has life so figured out for 4. I know I wasn't that smart. And I don't think my kids were, even - that's saying a lot, you know!

A couple of weeks ago, when the snow was finally melting and it was possible that we could finally wash the inch-thick mud off the car and maybe have it look decent for a couple of days, I was heading for the car wash. Of course having to know where we were going, CB asked. I said, "We're going to get the car washed." I guess she'd not been through a car wash before because she said, "We can't put the car in the bathtub!" She thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but Feisty not so much.

Whenever DC's truck is in the garage and she comes over, she immediately asks why it's here. The answer is often that Grandpa rode his motorcycle that day (not recently, of course). So the other day, he had gone on a jaunt with my brother from Oklahoma (side note - they got to go up to Winter Park to watch my West Point cadet nephew compete with the West Point Nordic ski team). The first words out of her mouth were, "Why are Grandpa's truck AND his motorcycle here?" The kid never forgets ANYTHING. This can be good, or not so good.

As we've all been talking about aging, I have to laugh at this next episode. I thought this only happened to those of us who have lost brain cells to menopause. She headed up the steps, looked back at me, and said, "What am I doing up here?" Cracked me up!

The other night they all got to go see Monsters Inc On Ice. I was asking them about it the next day. I guess Feisty was just enthralled. Care Bear said, "I couldn't believe my eyes!! So many people! We couldn't find our seats!" She is so expressive.

Well, there are lots more, but I'll only share one final bit of wisdom. Care Bear, as I've told you before, sings all the time - in the car, in the tub, all over the house, real songs, made up songs - it makes my heart sing just to hear her. BUT she has a tremendous case of stage fright every time it's time to sing in front of the church, or at a preschool program. It's so sad. The other day she was singing a good old Sunday School song that I hadn't heard in years. Her Lutheran preschool really teaches them the golden oldies. I asked her if that's what they were going to sing at their program on Sunday. She said, "No, I'm going to be sick that day!" Uh Oh.

Well, enough of Grandma's braggadoccio. Thanks for indulging me.

Those of you who have read me very long know that I love Max Lucado's writings. I keep check-marking the devotionals I read that especially speak to me. Here is one from last week, taken from his book A Gentle Thunder.

From Matthew 10:30: "God even knows how many hairs are on your head."

"There are many reasons God saves you: to bring glory to himself, to appease his justice, to demonstrate his sovereignty. But one of the sweetest reasons God saved you is because He is fond of you. He likes having you around. He thinks you are the best thing to come down the pike in quite a while . . .

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart . . .

Face it, friend. He's crazy about you."

Nuff said!