Baby Boy Turns 12

I really don't know why I can't be more regular with my blogging. I LOVE reading other peoples blogs, but I always forget about my own. Too many other things going on I guess.

I think today I just want to talk about things that are happening in my life right now.

My baby boy (OK so he's not a baby anymore) is turning 12 tomorrow! 12, can you believe it? I keep telling him "no more" and "enough is enough" - he's not supposed to be growing up this fast. I really wish I could just bottle this time in life and carry it with me everywhere. I was looking at Christopher last night as he ran around the house in his PJ shorts and no shirt. His body is really changing, with everything becoming more defined. It really hit me that he's growing up, and I must say that I'm not crazy about the idea. I plan to keep him young for as long as possible. My one consolation is that he's still crazy about his mom, especially at night when it's time for bed... that's when he gets all soft and cuddly... and tends to want to talk about everything... it's the best time of the day!!!

So, we will celebrate his 12th birthday tomorrow with dinner at Caesars Steak House. He has been wanting to go there, but it's super expensive. We decided that we would celebrate our three birthdays (Bruce's, Christopher's, and mine - all within a couple weeks of each other) by splurging on dinner at Caesars. As a bonus, Christopher doesn't have school tomorrow, so he gets his birthday off - lucky guy! Too bad I have to work... boo hoo... that sucks!

We are still struggling with the perfect gift... it's between a drum set (I know, I'm crazy) and a basketball net. Katie's going to buy him a gun... yep, a gun... a PELLET gun. What am I thinking??? Christopher had the opportunity to play with a friend's pellet gun a few weeks back and so I thought that would be a cool gift for him... even though I hate the guns in his video games. This seems different though, because he'll use it for target shooting. I'm not sure if I'm making a mistake or not, but I feel quite comfortable with my decision so that can only be a good thing. HOWEVER, if he shoots his sister, even once, he's DONE!

In the Blink of an Eye

Wow, blogging 2 days in a row... I'm impressed with myself :-)

Today, I find myself in a spiritual state of mind and closer to God. I'm not really sure why, although I'm very thankful for it. I think maybe it's because of some stuff that happened yesterday. One of my Facebook friends posted a prayer request for her friend's little girl who is five years old. They just found out this week that she needs a heart transplant. Wow, doesn't that just stop you in your tracks. From what I've read, the little girl was born with a heart murmur, although there was no cause for alarm as this is quite common. She went for her regular check up in March and there was some enlargement of the heart so they did further testing. So, it's now May and they find out that she's in need of a new heart. What a life-changing month and a half, and so totally unexpected! My heart and prayers go out to this family. They live in Arizona, but will need to move to Los Angeles once she's on the "list".

Obviously, this kind of news always makes you think about your own life, and for all my complaining and whining about things, it all pales in comparison to what this family is facing. I thank God for reminding me that my life is so wonderfully blessed - and a husband with a broken arm, and a daughter who's beyond cranky in the morning, is NOTHING.

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2)

My Mother's Day

Well, I'm about as good at keeping this blog up as I am my journal. Busy busy is my only excuse, and not a very good one at that.

Mother's Day was nice... church... followed by a lunch date with my family at the Hitchin' Post in High River. I think it should be profiled on "Drive-Ins, Diners, and Dives" on the Food Network. This little slice of heaven has become a family favorite and my pick for Mother's Day for the last 2 years. Picture a little shack (and I do mean shack) on a corner, in small town High River. Gravel parking lot, cars and people everywhere, and a 1/2 hour wait for the food because the place is so small it can't handle the crowds any quicker, BUT... it's well worth the wait!

My menu of choice: cheeseburger (nice soft bun with a big chunk of onion inside), fries (seasoned with an amazing seasoning salt), and a thick and creamy rootbeer milkshake. Ahhhh, it doesn't get any better.

My Mother's Day gift... a new DS Lite and Scrabble game... love it!

On a more somber note, this Mother's Day was my second one without my own mom, and God, do I miss her. She's in my thoughts daily, but even more so on this day. As mom's go, she was the best, and I can only hope and pray that I can impact my own children's lives the way she impacted mine. Mom, I miss you soooooo much, I love you sooooooo much, and I thank you for being such a wonderful mom to me!

How Do I Love Thee...

Sometimes, when hubby drives me crazy, I think of all the reasons why I love him. Here's today's list:

• he tells me he loves me everyday (many many times)
• he calls me everyday at work just to say "hi"
• he emails me first thing in the morning asking how my morning went
• he's very handsome
• he's got nice eyes
• I love his arms
• he's got a very cute bum (sorry honey, but it's true)
• he's a good gardener
• he vaccuums
• he cleans bathrooms
• he cooks
• he keeps the kitty litter box clean even though he's not a "cat" person
• he feeds the cat even though he's not a "cat" person
• he makes sure I get up in the morning (actually, I don't particularly like this, but...)
• he gives me lots of time for my "retreats" and actually encourages it
• he picks up doggy doo
• he gases up my vehicle when it's low on gas (Marcie, that one's for you!)
• he picks up the kids when I need him to
• he gets the homework done
• he goes out to get me my Tim's on Sunday mornings before church
• he takes the kids for bike rides in the Summer
• he takes us to the hockey games in the Winter
• he loves taking us on vacation and he always invites my dad to come along... just because

Just For Today

I always look SO forward to vacation. In fact, so much so, that I'm consumed with the anticipation of it to the exclusion of everything else. We leave on Thursday by the way!

I tend to forget about today, and what a blessed day it is. I awake every morning (there's 1 blessing) to see my husband and children alive and well, if not always awake (there's 3 more blessings). Each day is a day to celebrate and be thankful for, and I find I'm always looking toward the next day or the next week or the next vacation. Why is it so difficult to "live for today" and to "live each day as if it was your last". Why isn't today "good enough"?

I know that before I know it my kids will be grown and gone... and it will happen fast. I want to focus on each day and the joy that my family gives me... the simple joys that each day brings ... a good cup of Tim's coffee (with just the right amount of cream and sugar), the sunshine in the sky, the hug and the kiss and the "I love you mom" that I get before school (THAT'S the best), the dog who just wants to lick me even though he's been confined to his kennel all night, my favorite song on the radio, a good news story, a superpoke from a friend on Facebook... I could go on and on. I need to stop worrying about tomorrow or waiting for tomorrow and just focus on this day that I've been blessed with. That's it! That's all I have to say. Now I just have to figure out how to do that.

A New Chapter

Well, I just got the word that hubby got "packaged out". Sigh. Not sure how I feel about it yet. There are pros and cons to it. Maybe I should list them... okay, here goes:

Pros

1. He won't have to drive all the way to the other side of the city everyday
2. He won't have to go to a job that he dislikes
3. He won't have to go to a job that causes him a lot of stress, which in turn, causes the rest of the family a lot of stress
4. He can get the kids off to school in the morning
5. He can pick the kids up from the bus - they'll love that!
6. Much needed repairs around the house might get done - or maybe not
7. We really need to paint
8. He can go for lunch with my Dad every once in a while
9. He can walk the dog more often
10. Maybe he'll clean the house
11. Maybe he'll have dinner ready when I get home
12. He can have an afternoon snooze - once in a while!
13. It's almost Spring, what better time to lose your job
14. Summer.... he'll get to take it off

Cons

1. There's no salary coming in
2. We won't be able to take 4 vacations a year (hee hee). Maybe only 1 or 2
3. He'll be stressed about not having a job, which in turn, will stress out the rest of the family

Well, there you have it. Definitely more pros than cons, although I think a few more cons may creep in as the time goes by.

For now we shall focus on faith. God will provide. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Mat 6:34)

Ouch!

My step-son, Andrew was in an accident at work on Thursday, February 26th. He had his arm broken - actually more like "crushed". It was (is) pretty bad! The doctors have said that it couldn't have been any worse. Andrew is now 23 (he celebrated his birthday on March 1st in a hospital bed) and he's a airline maintenance engineer. He was working about five hours north of Prince George, it was dark and late and he was moving equipment on a snowmobile when it hit some ice and flipped. Andrew managed to jump off, but his arm was crushed. He was bleeding pretty badly and thankfully someone was standing outside the lodge where he was working and heard him screaming. There was a doctor at the lodge that managed to stop the bleeding which is a blessing. Had no-one noticed him, he probably would have bled to death. They flew him to the hospital in Prince George (a $10,000 ride - WOW).

Bruce (hubby) flew out the day after it happened. Andrew still hadn't had surgery... we're talking almost 20 hours now. He had surgery on Friday afternoon after Bruce arrived. The surgeon thought it would take 2 hours - it took 3 1/2 hours. In the end, he ended up with 22 screws in his arm - ouch!

He was released from the hospital on Tuesday and is now back home in Langley. His mom and step-dad are now with him. The doctors have told him that the pain will be unbearable. He'd been on 3 different pain medications, one through the epidural that went right to his shoulder and then morphine and some other stuff. The doctors have told Andrew that it's going to be a very tough recovery, but they are hoping, with a lot of work on Andrew's part, that he will get full range of motion back.

Nothing like getting a call from a hospital telling you your son has been in an accident. It was pretty traumatic for all of us.

One shining light is Christopher's (my 11-year old) take on the situation. The night it happened, I was downstairs booking flights and hotel for Bruce when Christopher came downstairs and said "I guess you're gonna pray for Andrew tonight?". I replied "You bet! But you can pray for him too". Christopher then said, and I love this... "I already did". It's amazing to see God working in his life... sometimes I don't think he "gets" it, but then he'll say something like this and it makes me even more proud to be his Mom!

You're Gonna Miss This

OK, I'm new at this. OK, I'm nervous about this. I want to have the "perfect" blog - perfect for me anyway.

I've been keeping a journal since my son was born in 1997, so I think I'll be pretty good at this blogging thing. I love capturing funny moments from my children's lives, and when I look back and read what I wrote, it always provides me with joy and comfort. It's so easy to forget all those "little things" that your kids do, the funny sayings, and the big milestones.

These days, life is hectic and sometimes overwhelming. I always wish for the "next stage", but I know I'm going miss this. There's a song on the radio right now by Trace Adkins called "You're Gonna Miss This" and everytime I hear it I always think "yep, I'm gonna miss this". Here's some of the lyrics:

...Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this