Happy Happy Birthday From All of us to You, We Wish it was Our Birthday, so We could Party too!

Tonight as I write this, there are 5 twelve year old girls upstairs celebrating the birthday of my first born.

I'm sure you can imagine the sounds: laughter, squeals, whispers, and an occasional thud thud thud as they run down the stairs to get more soda and chocolate.

As I think back over the last 12 years, I am astounded. This little bundle who forced me to grow up so much has flourished into a beautiful young lady. She shines from the inside out. She loves life, and all the twists and turns it takes. She adapts like no one I have ever seen before. She has become accustomed to having two phases of friendship: the active, present phase, which occurs when we live somewhere, and the keeping up with friends far away phase, which occurs when we or they move away, which invariably always happens, living the military lifestyle. She cries, like every girl is entitled to do, but picks herself up and keeps going.

Madi is our little smarty pants. She is a grade ahead in school (apparently the entire 7th grade had a party today to celebrate the fact that there is no one who is 11 years old anymore in their grade level) and is at the top of her class. She strives to do her best work, and will go out of her way to make sure she has good grades. She is very hard on herself and as long as we can keep that in check, I believe this trait will serve her well in life.

Madi is a lover of learning. She still realizes she doesn't know all there is to know, and is ready to listen to advice from her parents, whether the topic is friends, boys, health, school, or work. She has learned a valuable lesson that I did not learn until I was in my 20's, and we have strived to help her learn humility. I believe a great deal has gotten through, and for that I am truly thankful.

Madi is a true friend. She is loyal to the end, and is an excellent judge of character. I do not hear horror stories as some do about their daughter's friends trashing their reputation, or getting into petty fights. I think the life experience the Army has brought to Madi is that life is too short to spend it bickering and being petty, and that we are all basically the same, and just want love and acceptance from others. And that is what Madi brings to her relationships. The freedom to be yourself without fear of judgment or condemnation.

Madi has also begun working daily as a pet sitter. We live in an ideal community for her to be able to do this after school, and she gets paid! It gives her life lessons a-plenty: responsibility (being available daily), money management, and very introductory business skills as she deals with the pet owners.

I worried so many of Madi's early years if we would be able to give this precious girl all she deserved in life, all we wanted to give her. Namely, a relationship with Jesus, loving married parents, a great education (both scholarly and worldly), a safe, loving, beautiful home...I was afraid we would not see some of these things until she was in high school or beyond, and yet here we are. Wise beyond her years, sweet as sugar, with a laugh that is infectious.

Happy 12th Birthday, Little One. I love you and am thankful you are in my life to love as much as I do, to the moon, stars, and back again.

The Story of Hermit Crab

I am a hermit by nature. I prefer to call myself a homebody, but after talking to many others, I think someone who only goes out of the house other than for work, food, and religious activities could possibly be classified as a hermit. Or when someone refers to going to the store (any store) as "going in to town" like Laura Ingalls did in Little House on the Prairie. That would be me.

So here is the scenario: Saturday, outing to the commissary (military grocery store) with ALL kids in tow, at 3 pm (peak time). After growing weary (such polite wording) of their disobedience, I threaten to swat my kids in the store so someone will call social services on me. Then we'll see who you end up living with! That bought me time to get through the last couple of aisles as the kids were thinking about their future (more like "How long til we can wear her down again?"). Pay for food. Do not pass GO, go straight home.

Sunday: Church, home. The end.

Monday: No school as it is MLK holiday. I planned ahead of time to take the kids to the movies, specifically High School Musical 3. Why not double up on sacrificing for my kids if I can? Leaving the house to do something fun (for them): check. HSM 3, yeah, I am pretty sure that equals sacrifice and I have a big parenting reward waiting in heaven for putting my kids' wants above my own.

Not only are we going to the movies, we are going to the mall. Did I mention there are 4 kids and 1 of me?

We do all it takes to get 5 people out of the house on time, drive 30 minutes to the mall, get out, and Sarah puked all over the ground. Thank heaven for small miracles as there is no puke in the truck. Go into JCPenney, get barf bag, return to truck, drive 30 minutes back home.

Tuesday: 6" of snow. No school, thus no work. Homebound, yea!!!

Wednesday: No school again! Take kids to Walmart for, you guessed it, a few groceries. Did not even look at other stuff. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Thursday: No school. So today, I made the ultimate sacrifice that was supposed to take place Monday, but got pushed off because of the puke. We went to see HSM 3, then to a dr's appt. We walked through the front door of our house 4 hours after we walked out of it. Not bad for doctor and a movie. Which is a good thing, because Ashlyn said her tummy hurt. Then at bedtime came the puke.

Nobody pukes when all we do is the mundane. But throw something WILD in there like shopping, movies, bowling, and somebody is bound to puke.

Depending on how tonight goes, Ashlyn and I may be hunkered down at home again tomorrow!

Christmas Blurp

I was just reading through some of my older posts and came across one where Sarah got money for her birthday and wanted to buy chocolate with her $20.

Well, she received money for Christmas, too. Forty dollars, to be exact.

As the children were each talking about what their plans were for their money, Sarah's was SO Sarah...

Forty dollars worth of Dr. Pepper and gum.

Nothing says love to a five year old like sugar and caffeine.

It's Like Self Torture on a Nightly Basis

It has been over 3 months since my last post, but I finally have time due to a freak snow storm! School (well, work for me!) has been cancelled for two days, as well as the MLK holiday off, end of grading period...It has been great to be home and catch up on things!

So D is on a trip for a few more weeks, and I am watching shows I would otherwise not be watching. This evening I came across women having unassisted births. I knew women do home births with midwives and doulas, but this is with NO assistance from any medical staff.

I am just in shock. I am a worry wart and would give myself a coronary just thinking about all the things that could go wrong. I mean, I almost had one just watching them do it!

Not to mention my pain tolerance is about as low as the economy right now.

I also discovered a show called "Hopkins" on WE TV. The title caught my eye since that is where my Daniel went in the summer of 2007 when he almost died from his bike accident. I am hooked.

Which is weird since...

I hate blood.

I have disdain for hospitals in general (except when they are saving our lives!).

What is my obsession with these shows where women are birthing their babies alone (not the cleanest scenario) and hospitals where people's brains/hearts/lungs are on parade?

Why can't I just watch the HSN or sports like normal people? Or HGTV, like I used to, for crying out loud?

I wish I had a web cam. I would love to see my facial expressions as I am watching...er, grimacing at, these shows I TURNED TO!