Morning Musing

1. Where have I been?  I am going to tell you then I'm going to quit feeling guilty about it.  Taking care of my kids.  I started blogging 4 years ago when the twins were napping 3 hours a day.  That's a lot of time for a recently unemployed person to think about things to write.  Now I'm working 13 hours a day straight through - because the twins are home from preschool when C takes his afternoon nap. Maybe next year I will have time to write more....

2. Hubs told me last night that the church's preschool director told him that our boys are very polite and respectful, a joy to have in class.  What a relief!  Remember I told you last entry that all the grief they give me disappears as soon as we get to where we are going?  Thank you, Lord.  (They are still giving me grief, I'll have you know.  One bit his twin yesterday over a tow truck toy dispute.  He got in BIG trouble.)

2.5. I'm inserting the pre-school-picture photos I snapped the morning they were going to be taken.  M said he smiled "like this" and pressed his lips together in a line, and N said he "was a little sad," so we will just have to see how they turn out!!

"Cheese!" Hope the school photographer was better than me.

C tries to blow dandelions.  Don't you just love the corn and the silo?  Michigan really is beautiful.

Aunt M's going away party...we will miss you!

M and me...miss her already.

3. I've finally convinced our early bird M that Tuesdays and Thursdays are "sleep-in" days, when we don't have to get up and be anywhere.  Last week he woke us up at 6:40am on a sleep-in day.  NOT acceptable, especially because I have to shake them awake at 7:15 on school mornings!  At exactly "seven-oh-oh" this morning, he woke me up, because we told him he can't come in our room before that.  I wonder how long he stares at his digital clock waiting for it?!

Then I told him he could watch cartoons (so I could pee and get dressed!).  Unfortunately, we forgot to change the channel back to PBS and he watched the Today show segment about a school shooting.  When I came to check on him (maybe 8 minutes later) he asked, "why was that teacher killed?" Ugh.  What a way to start the morning.

I did my best to explain that there are bad people who want to hurt others, and that teacher died protecting his students from the bad person (never mind the killer was a student himself, I wasn't going to try to explain that).   Then I assured him that he is safe in our home, at his school and his church, that our whole town is safe.  Even though I know that I may not be able to protect them from a random shooter at all times, I pray daily for their safety and choose not to live in fear.

60 years looks great on them!

4. On a lighter note, we celebrated my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary with a Sunday lunch together last week.  When asked the secret to a long marriage, my grandpa simply said, "Yes, dear!" What a wonderful man.  M's middle name is Wilfred, my grandpa's name.  Happy Anniversary!

M gives Great Grandpa an anniversary card (we wrote "happy anniversary" on a piece of school art. Voila!  Cards!)

Singing and cutting the cake...grandpa is behind that guy's head....oops

5. Also, we celebrated Hubs' grandpa's 80th birthday with a lunch party!  That was another fun family gathering!  Also, it was an eye-opener.  When that part of the family gets together, there are 7 little boys under age 5 and a baby girl on the way!  All the grandchildren and great-grandchildren wore "I Love Grandpa" t-shirts to surprise him.  Happy Birthday Grandpa!

C's t-shirt was like a dress!

Uncle A and hubs keeping 3 of them busy at the 80th

6. My other grandmother was hospitalized for an entire week with a lot of ups and downs.  She was released Sunday but needs physical rehab.  She seems to be improving, but it's been a rough week for my family with grandma's illness and prepping my sister to move to TX (next door to my other sister, can you believe that!) We are praying for safe travels and grandma's speedy recovery.
7. I'm taking a bit of a Facebook break, so if I don't reply right away, don't worry.  In reference to no. 1, and in light of all the other numbers, I just don't have time for it.  I'm using that time I used to spend reading, trolling, and commenting to pay better attention to my kids, and at night, to crochet an afghan.  I hope to eventually make each one of my children an afghan that they will keep for years...and that their children will use to make living room forts, just like they are using the afghan my grandma made me for my high school graduation.  She started crocheting many decades ago, when my grandpa was working late nights in the farm and she was alone with sleeping kids in the farmhouse.  Sounds kind of like what's happening here, but my hubs isn't on the farm...per se. Only 49 more years till our 60th...

8. I just set the kids up playing play doh at the kitchen table (ironically, a 60 year old wedding gift to my grandparents!) so perhaps I can attach some photos.....that lasted less than 10 minutes so the photos are kind of wonky, please for give me.  Have a blessed day, friends!