Sheesh

I'm feeling overwhelmed. Hubby's grandmother has been moved to hospice, and we're waiting for the inevitable.  She's very ready to meet her Savior, but it's still hard -- plus there are the logistics of traveling to AZ.  My grandmother is having surgery Friday (in MT), plus my Mom and her siblings are still working through issues with Grandma's house and all it contains.  The kids are finishing up school (Friday is a half day, and then we're DONE) but son in particular has had some rough days as kids have really been picking on him.  A family we are friends with is moving to Florida, and they'll be staying with us tomorrow night as their house will be all packed.  Hubby is going through yet another round of audits at work.  We're encountering all sorts of issues with the children's ministry at our church - some related to the culture, some because of the youth of our congregation, but I seriously want to just yell at someone right now. And my feet are covered in fire ant bites.

Seriously, please be in prayer for our entire family.  Thanks.

Mother's Day

At church today, we had the kids decorate small clay pots with thumbprint animals, and then popped a little flower in to take home to Mom.  A friend snapped this pic, and I thought it captured my two kiddos amazingly well: the crazy boy and the girl who practices posing in the mirror :)

They are why I celebrate today, and I am truly blessed.

Life Tidbits

• I love listening to kids pray.  They're so honest.  Earlier this week our daughter finished her little chat with God by saying, "I can't think of anything else. Amen."
• We were planning to go see the Avengers movie this morning, but discovered that this is the ONE time that you actually have to show up early in this area -- there were still seats available, but we wouldn't have been able to sit together as a family.  Will try again later.
• Stopped by "Market Days" at a neighboring town (essentially a fancy name for their monthly flea market). There were about 15 tables, three of which were selling hair bows.  Ooooo-kay.  Another was for PFLAG*and they had a whole bunch of used Christian novels for sale - not quite sure how to take that one.  There was a local farmer there who did not speak a lick of English, and when we approached his truck, he whipped out his old pocketknife and carved off a chunk of watermelon, and thrust it at us expectantly... these are the moments that it's easy to forget we live in the U.S.
• Son has really had a tough time at school lately, specifically with two of the girls in his grade who have been calling him names during recess.  He asked if he could be homeschooled for the last two weeks of 3rd grade.  These conversations make my heart hurt.
• Daughter took a note to give to a friend at school, asking a parent to call me so we could set up a playdate.  Her father called me, and we had a very interesting conversation during which he told me he would really like our daughters to be friends because he knows ours is really smart based on things his daughter has said.  Um, thank you? And in other friend news, there is another girl in A's class that has started trying to tell her who she can play with.  Can't believe that this junk is already happening in 1st grade.
• I've worked out 4x in the past week.  Can't call it a habit yet, but it feels great to be making positive changes.

 *Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays

Friday, some funny and some news

Just in case you need a laugh.

In REAL news, I joined a gym today.
And did a 45 minute workout.
And the earth did *not* shift off of its axis.

Quick check-in

Yes, I know it's been over a month since I posted.  Sorry, but real-life comes before the blog ;)  And yes, we have been busy. A quick rundown:

• Continued craziness for hubby at work, but HOPEFULLY things will slow down now that we've flipped the page on the calendar.  I can hope, right? ;)
• Repeated visits with our son to the ear specialist.  Can't remember how much I've shared here, but he had failed his hearing screening at school, and at our initial visit with the specialist, he had a cyst on his eardrum.  That has disappeared (hallelujah!) but he continues to have issues with fluid build-up for no apparent reason and does have some definite hearing loss.  Would appreciate prayers for wisdom as we navigate this path...
• Our church held *the* community Easter event.  This was the 4th annual "Egg Drop" but the first-time it was done in conjunction with the city.  The joining of church/government is just kind of taken for granted down here, but as a northern girl it still stuns me.  Anyway, it was great fun, but also very hot, super crowded, and a bit disorganized as we're still learning what works best.  Oh, and to top it off, 2 days prior to that I became the co-leader of our children's area at church.  Excited to see what God has in store, but struggling to learn exactly how things are done in our body (young church, no building, etc) and the list of things we want to accomplish is pretty long.
• Our house. The a/c unit upstairs was not working (central air, but we have two units due to the square footage), our garage door opener went kaput, we couldn't open our front door, major landscaping purge in the backyard just to name a few of the "fun" things we've been doing.  I'm trying to remember to be thankful for the shelter we have for our family.
• Did hold my friend gathering, but it didn't come together quite as I had hoped.  Although I specifically invited a diverse group, those who were actually attended were 10+ years older than me, and none of their new-to-me friends were able to make it.  Gonna have to try again.
• Had a fun girls day out with a 2 friends and their daughters, and we went to see Disney on Ice Dare to Dream.
• We now have a Costco, and we've already gone twice ;)
• Trying to get back on the "live healthier" train.
• Will try to post some pics next week.  Don't hold your breath.
• Have found some great recipes: this fennel crusted pork was a HUGE hit with the whole family, and I even used the leftovers to make a lentil dish that everyone wolfed down (anytime my kids ask for seconds on lentils, I'm calling it a win); I've made this cilantro lime rice 3-4 times now - great side for grilled meat; and lastly, if you're looking for something indulgent, I'd recommend these layered Samoa brownies (with coconut and caramel. yummo!)