Happy Birthday Creed and Lizzy!!!

 On Tuesday, Creed turned 4.  The poor kid was really sick with respiratory junk and kept tossing his cookies every time he coughed so he felt utterly puny.  He kept telling us his birthday was "tomorrow" but he finally said, "I guess I can open my presents today, but my birthday will be tomorrow."

 One of his big birthday wishes was a green water gun.

 Love the dimple...cars and stickers from his aunt.

 The obligatory birthday shirt.

 I made him a Braves...Jason Heyward t-shirt.

 Then today Elizabeth turned 13.  Jon and I took her to lunch and we shopped a bit.  I usually try to get her a creative gift so we gave her these cake push pop containers so this afternoon we made a coke cake and then made pops with cake, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.  We also layered some with ice cream, cake, and hot fudge.

 Cheers!! 

 Happy Birthday to my favorite 4 yr old and favorite 13 year old!!!!!  Thanking God for the great gifts you are!!!

Rockstars of the Day

Rockstar #1  --Emma Claire Anderson
   For cleaning the kitchen up way past 10 yr old capability even though she is only 9.  This included even cleaning the cabinets with wood cleaner and mopping the kitchen floor by hand.  A wonderful surprise when I walked in the door after being gone all afternoon.

Rockstar #2 --Elizabeth Austen Anderson
   For cleaning the living room and dining room to a sparkly finish.  Besides her normal chores, she mopped by hand and cleaned my sewing area giving order to my piles of stuff.

Rockstar #3 --Anne Michal Anderson
   For being a very mature 14 year old who could have handled her own appt at the ENT including a CT scan and scheduling outpatient surgery without me if it weren't for all those pesky forms I had to sign as guardian.

Rockstar #4 ---Mallory Jane Katharine Anderson
   For napping all afternoon enabling her sisters to become the rockstars they were.

These fruitful days are the days that keep you going!!!!! Anderson girls rock!

Redeeming the Day

This actually isn't about redeeming the day, but rather about not redeeming the day. I have had people tell me that I should do something to redeem April 13th and especially Friday, April 13th.  I can only assume the thought is  to change the bad memories over to good memories so I have good connections to this day rather than just the day my son nearly drowned. There is a problem, however. I don't want to redeem this day. I hate everything that happened that day and I miss him desperately. I have no desire to forget or to mark this day as anything other than his day. It is already difficult enough to have the freedom to mourn. A friend posted this link on facebook about grief being determined to be a mental illness after a mere two months. It used to be a year and now they want to change it to two weeks. It has been 5 years, and while I don't feel the oppression of grief it is often still a daily companion, and I really cannot imagine life any other way.
    God's given me the grace to live day to day and do the things I am called to do. I often do it poorly, but He continues to carry me through. I still grieve, but it tends to be in a quiet way often in the dark of the night or catching me by surprise during daily routines, but twice a year I get to really grieve. I partially return to those early days of heavy sadness and moans and groans deep from the back of the throat. April 13-April 27 is one of those times with April 13th and 23rd carrying the brunt of it. I try not to rehash the day and relive the events and all the what-ifs. It is the Lord's mercy to me that I understand this was no one's fault. People like to question where is God when bad things happen? He is on His throne just like He is when good things happen. We cannot begin to understand the sovereignty of God and why in his infinite wisdom he seemed to cover our eyes, plug our ears, and still our hands and feet. I can't stop the flashbacks that creep in or the nightmares that catch me unaware in my sleep, but I can capture those thoughts and pray to let them  rest in God's hands. I do feel the sorrow. I don't shy away from it, not on these days. I welcome it because it is cleansing and healing to remember and cry and moan and to even wish it weren't so. It somehow helps me to have the strength to keep going another year.
      I do think this day is going to be redeemed, but it won't be this side of heaven. I do know it will be a glorious day.

Giggle, and Wiggle, and Giggle, and Wiggle, and Freeze!

Janey Kate has picked up this little song from Creed.  She goes around saying, "Giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle..."  It is quickly becoming her greeting for people she sees...even if they aren't even looking at her. ;-)

Janey Kate in the Poppies

The memo on Janey Kate

This number 7 child of ours has liked to keep us on our toes doing things differently that the other kids(though they are all certainly different personalities) and so we like to joke that "she missed the memo." next up is a shirt that says "Calamity Jane."

p.s.  I missed the memo that she needed her hair brushed! ;-) 

Pro or Con?

  Elizabeth is writing a persuasive essay in her co-op writing class on the pros and cons of homeschooling vs. public schooling.  I wonder where falling asleep in your parent's bed reading while reading your literature assignment falls?