Angels Among Us

Yesterday was a doozy. Long and crazy, with lots of appointments, obligations, and general running-around-like a-chicken-with-my-head-cut-off. Made me feel so glad for my generally calm daily life that I tend to take for granted. As a rule, I almost never plan more than one outing in the same day. This is partially for my sanity (have you ever been to the store with the likes of Spencer?) and partially for...well, my sanity again. (See note on Spencer). I'm certainly not a bang-out-all-my-errands-in-one-day kinda gal. I'd much rather have a reason to get out of the house for just a little while on most days (with some hang-out-at-home-days mixed in there, too) than try to squeeze everything into one stressful, awful, packed-in day. Home is also where the naps are, so being gone during that very sacred time just does not make sense to my already fragile, very fatigued spirit. (Again, see note on Spencer).

Then there was yesterday. I got Spence up early so that he could take a nap before his 1:15 doctor appointment. (Don't they know that my little guy is sleeping at 1:15 in the afternoon?) I had to figure out how to be at both Savanna's Fun Run and Julia's morning doctor appointment at the same time. (Thanks to Craig, that was an easy fix.) Then I had to wake Spence up after his mere hour-long nap to go to the school for the Fun Run, where I arrived late and had to situate myself and Lex and also park the stroller directly in front of a nice lady sitting in a chair (who is probably still annoyed by, and telling stories about, me.) Then home for a bit to find out about J's appointment (poor girl has been sick since Friday). Next, I picked up Savanna from school and made an unexpected trip to Craig's work for car keys (insert long story here), attempted to squeeze 55 minutes of driving into 40 minutes, and spent an hour at the doctor's office, in which just about the entire time my main task was to deflect Spencer from touching and/or tampering with any and every switch and button in the various rooms we were in, and also holding him down screaming while he got his follow-up x-rays. Home again to a messy house where I needed to plan and make dinner before the girls' parent-teacher conferences.

Not the worst day in the world, I know, but still very stressful and taxing for the likes of me.

Enter Linda. My sweet, calm, wonderful mother-in-law who stopped in to check on the older girls while I was at the doctor's office with the two youngers. She completely took charge, stayed and emptied the dishwasher and cleaned the disastrous kitchen and then waited until I got home and offered to buy us something for dinner because it had been a long day.

Her timing could not have been more perfect, her selflessness more appreciated, or her intuition more ideal. Truly I count her as an angel in my life, one who seeks to show love and support, to open her heart to those who need help, and to serve in any capacity where she might be needed.

"...[W]hen we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us...Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind." --Jeffrey R. Holland

{Linda and I in Maui in 2012}

Thank goodness for those angels among us, who, with their gestures of love, their steadfast support, and their generous help, take some of our most difficult days and turn them into something lovely and treasured.

Violations

Hmm.

I think it might be time to declare the kitchen a no-parking zone.

I bet Alexa would be a top-notch enforcement officer if she didn't happen to be one of the main culprits. You know, conflict of interest and all that...

On Grumbling

It's hard enough to wake up in the morning and already be at work. It's doubly hard when you wake up and realize that you are somehow already behind.

I'll admit, the instant behindness put me in a bit of a grumbly mood this morning... 

...until I saw that Spencer was diligently cleaning his kitchen as well, and then I felt a little better.

Along with the fact that, this morning, unlike Saturday morning, I didn't have to give a certain unnamed toddler a bath after he tried to wash his hair with toilet water, or clean up a glass jar of broken chili sauce in the pantry, thanks to an unnamed but well meaning 4-year-old.

I need to remember that there will always be something to grumble about; the important thing is whether or not I decide give into it and let it ruin my day.

We make the choice...

                                to grumble...                                                                or not to grumble.

Out of Gas

On Friday, I ran out of gas. In the normal course of things, Fridays are usually when I run out of gas after a long, full, busy week. Figuratively, anyway. On Friday, I ran out of gas literally. First time in my life. After a traumatizing childhood incident in which we ran out of gas during a family vacation and I was convinced that we were all going to die anonymous deaths in the middle of the desert, I vowed that I would never, ever in my life, even get close to running out of gas.

 On Friday, I broke my vow.

Thankfully, since I knew my tank was very nearly empty, and since we both needed to fill up together anyway (thank you Fry's fuel points...sorry if we aren't supposed to fill both cars up in one transaction, but, well...you know how it is) Craig and I were driving together when IT happened. (Remember...the thing I swore would never happen?) He saw me pulling over and pulled over right away, too. Then we had a good laugh as we drove home for the gas can. (That would have been a little too convenient for the gas can to have actually been in one of the vehicles, no?)  I guess we'll pay more attention to that fancy "range" feature I have in the van and maybe actually go by what it says next time.

I felt super grateful that Craig was there to save the day.

(He's quite handsome, I must say, even when he is cutting holes in my ceiling or 

accidentally ripping the tassels off of Savanna's handlebars with the fan in his blower.)

So handsome and wonderful, in fact, that I decided to help him move approximately one ton of cement blocks from the garage to the backyard to make room in said garage for more backyard project materials.

(Well, technically I moved about one block for every two he moved, but hey, it was something.)

P.S. After yet another torrential rain storm on Saturday, (in which the children and I were in the car making our way back home and Savanna thought we were going to die) our backyard looks like a chocolate river is running through it.

P.P.S. I do NOT recommend tasting it, however.
I mean, we all know what happened to poor Augustus Gloop.

(You boiled him up, I know it!)

How I Love the Lex

 Dear Alexa,

You are my favorite four-year-old in the whole world. You make me laugh, you make me wonder, and you help me feel needed. Thanks for always telling me what you are thinking. Thanks for emptying the silverware from the dishwasher 7 out of ten times when you are asked. Thank you for helping me feel grounded by reminding me that I'm "the best mommy...just a little bit worse than Daddy." Thank you for being my shopping pal and helping me make important decisions about Halloween decorations, and for understanding with grown-up wisdom that sometimes we don't buy things because "they're not on sale." Thank you for singing with your whole soul for twenty minutes your made-up song about how little kid shows are boring now that you are no longer a baby. Thank you for giving life and a voice to everything from nail polish bottles to honey wheat pretzels from Trader Joe's. Thanks for wanting to learn your letters and numbers, for remembering the order of our family's birthdays, and for drawing me a picture every day. Thank you for starting all of your sentences with "Oh!" and for helping me pick out my outfits. Thank you for thinking that Toys R Us is really called "Toys R Ross." Thanks for your creative ensembles, your ridiculous amounts of energy, and for being such an awesome big sister. Thank you for Chapstick kisses before we snuggle up for a nap.

Thanks for being the one and only you and for loving me in your perfect, four-year-old way.

Love,

Your favorite Mommy