8 Things

1. Solomon lost his first front tooth and now his other 3 front teeth are loose too.  What I don’t want to forget is how he has a slight lisp now with that cute missing tooth.  I could stare at his precious face for the rest of my life and know that I am surely the luckiest mama around.  Seriously. He’s amazing.  And I kind of hope he looses those other 3 soon too…I mean, 4 front missing teeth…I imagine it being hilariously cute.

2. Candy bowls forever.  Whether it’s strategically purchased candy or just throwing all the random candy you have lying around into a bowl it’s always a massive hit among kids.  I’ve even had adults raid these bowls of sugar goodness.

3. Me and her.  Her and me.  We spend everyday together and we are learning more and more to be each other’s rock and comfort.  We are two heartbroken ladies missing the same special boy and we lean hard on one another.  This little girl is simply amazing and her life has not been what it should be, but she is deeply loved and cared for by so many.  It’s an honor to have her hold my face in her hands and tell me comforting things like, “It’s okay…I miss him too.” or “You’re breath smells really bad.” 🙂 This girl, man, she’s something special.

4. We put our Christmas up last Saturday after I arrived home from Guatemala.  November 11th.  It was really hard and really good.  I had forgotten that last Christmas I wrote Everett a letter and tucked it away in his ornament box with a few ornaments we had for him.  I read the note and sobbed.  It was full of so much hope and love and anticipation of spending our first Christmas together this year.  It was full of hope and assurance that Jesus would indeed heal his heart.  I think about his little body…his little personality…his little life and with everything in me I cannot grasp the point of him not living.  What I wouldn’t give for him to be enjoying the holidays with us.  He would have loved every bit of it.

5. I went into our elementary school to check the boys out for yet another x-ray appointment for Amon’s foot.  As I was checking them out one of our secretaries handed me a donkey piñata and said it was from some of the teachers at school.  I thought it was such a sweet gesture.  Our littlest carried it out to the car.  As we we’re driving Solomon discovered the piñata was stuffed full of notes.  Notes to me.  Notes to Josh.  Notes to Harper.  Notes to Hudson.  Notes to Solomon.  Notes to Amon.  Notes to our littlest.  Notes to all 7 of us.  I sat in traffic in Nashville and thought about this incredibly kind gesture as we all read the different words written to us.  I thought about how simple this act of kindness was, but what an impact it had on our hearts.  I hope I never forget how important kindness and inclusion and remembering others is.

6. Sometimes things completely catch me off guard about Everett and suck the breath out of my lungs.  It’s funny how these feelings just boil over in a moments notice.  I was cleaning out our medicine baskets and found his oxygen tubing.  I instantly wanted to vomit.  That sweet little tubing.  We’ve touched not many of his things, but some items we have been able to give away or toss, but I looked at that tubing and slid it right back into it’s place.  Not today.

I was also sitting waiting for an appointment and noticed on the rug under my feet letter E’s.  No joke, I burst into tears.  So much so the lady next to me struck up a conversation and I could not quit crying and she ended up crying as well.  For all the hurt that comes from others while walking through grief, I am equally amazed at the empathy and compassion from others.  This woman did not know me and owed me not a thing, but she could see something was very upsetting to me and she extended me the empathy I needed in that moment.  She walked straight into it and chose to reach out and use her words to make me feel seen.

7. Anyone ever play bingo…like legit bingo?  You guys!!  It was so much fun/the most stressful thing ever.  Some friends and I went to Kentucky to play for our friend Marcie’s birthday.  We had a blast.  There we’re snacks and all the colorful dotters and Susan brought 100 good luck charms which did not work because none of us won a cent.  But no joke…So.Much.Fun!

And 8.  This last entry is just so I can feel better about my parenting, but does anyone else hate when their kids drag out all the crap from everywhere and call it “playing”?!?!?  Hahahahaha.  What?!?!?  This collection of items in our driveway was Amon and our littlest’s lions den.  I know imaginations are great and healthy and blah blah blah, but my OCD runs wild when they play like this.  I gave a very stern motherly warning that every bit of that crap better be picked up once the lions den game was finished. 🙂 Amazing mothers unite.

Here’s to the weekend.  Welcoming in this Friday!

2 Comments

  1. That last photo!!!! YES!!!!! And always, always, always behind the car when you need to go somewhere!! Clearly I have some PTSD issues because my youngest child will be 27 next month and I still felt the need to comment/empathize. LOL Hang tough momma – you’ve got this! #momma’sunite

  2. I love you!

Leave A Comment

*