School's Out!

Today was the last day of school.

Horray!

We were all getting really tired of getting up early, and early bedtimes. Now we're all looking forward to long, lazy days and nearly constant sunshine.

I still have to work, but I'm only working two days a week so I have time wth the kids. We don't have any big plans, but we want to be outside as much as possible. But before we know it, they'll all be back to school again. Let's hope this summer is a slow one. (As if!!!)

What If???

What if. . . . .
You're home with your daughter. . .
You're in the bathroom and you hear the dog barking at the door. . .
You hear your daughter say, "Sir, you can't come in here!
Sir, you have to leave, You need to leave NOW!"
You hear the dog barking frantically. . .
You open the bathroom door to see what's going on. . .
You see a strange man look at you as he walks down the hallway. . .
You run out of the bathroom (and you're not finished yet). . .
And find the strange man standing in your daughter's bedroom. . .
Looking very lost and confused???

Well, I could (almost) immediately tell that he was someone (probably suffering from dimentia) who had wandered away from home.
I walked him into the living room and sat him down, then calmed Nikita down and reassured her that he was harmless. I called 911, and they sent a police officer.
While we waited, I asked him his name and address, but was unable to find either in the phone book.
After the officer came and asked him a few questions and went out to his car to run a check on him, it occured to me to ask: "Do you live with a lot of other people?"
He said: "Yes, SpanishForkNursingHome" (very quickly.)
I should have thought of that first, knowing that the nursing home is only a few blocks away.
So we told the officer, who then called and confirmed that Bob Mason had indeed gone AWOL.
I said to Mr. Mason: "You snuck out, didn't you?"
He replied: "I certanily did."
So, he was safely escorted out of our home, and to his own, by the nice police officer.
"You be good, Bob", I said as they left.
"Nice teeth", he said to me.
(He had none of his own.)

When it was all over, all of the other "What ifs" came to mind:
What if. . .?
. . .I had been in the shower?
. . .Nikita had been home alone?
. . .Andre & Ivan had been home alone?
. . .Nikita and I were downstairs watching a movie and didn't know the guy was there until he fell
down the stairs?
. . .the guy had been a drug addict?
. . .the guy was a burglar?
. . .with a weapon?

The list could go on and on.
I mentioned some of them to Nikita, but she told me to stop because I was scaring her and she started to cry.
So now we need to have a sit-down with all of the kids, because you never know what kinds of things can happen when you're home alone, and the door is unlocked.

Easy

You like this new song?
Can you understand a word of it?
Neither can I!
But I LOVE it!
Love those Bare Naked Ladies!

Old Photos

We were "cleaning out" an old laptop and found some really cute forgotten pictures.
I just had to share. These were taken about two years ago:
















A heavy load for Ivan
















Andre & Ivan in the hay barn


















Max ready for "Crazy Hair Day" at school

If we find any more, I'll post them.
I just love finding these forgotten treasures. The kids are growin up too fast, so it's fun to travel back in time when I find these.

I love Mother's Day!
I love being a Mommy (even Nikita still calls me that , sometimes).
I love the little handmade cards and crayon-drawn pictures.
I love the Primary children singing "Mother, I Love You, Mother, I Do. . ." I cry every time.
I had a very nice Mother's Day today. Everyone wanted to snuggle with me before I got up (even though that meant I couldn't get up when I wanted to). The kids all wanted to sit by me in church. They all wanted me to open their card first.
And we had a beautiful day, too. We had a nice relaxing dinner in the back yard under the tree. And now the kids are all in bed, and Jim is in the kitchen cleaning up.
I'm so glad that I've been blessed to be a mother to my beautiful, happy children. And I can't wait until I get to graduate to a Grandma. Of course, that's quite a ways off. I'm going to enjoy all the years I have left with my children at home, fighting to sit by me at church and wanting to snuggle in bed with me, and singing "Mother, I Love You. . ."

Blessings

Finally!

A new blog.

I hope you haven't given up looking.
Anyway, I just haven't felt any inspiration lately. It seems that all I could think about writing was negative because it seems like anything that was happening was negative. And anything good that's happened wasn't interesting enough to write about.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's felt that way. Like nothing is going right, everything is going wrong, and you're constantly trying to re-occupy your mind because otherwise it just keeps dwelling on the bad stuff and you become overwhelmed and helpless. (Please tell me I'm not!)

So, I decided that in order to make a more interesting and uplifting post, and to hopefully get a little lift myself, I would count my blessings!

So. . . OK:

I am so blessed to have a happy family. I have a husband who loves me, tolerates me, listens to me, supports me, and is my best friend. I have four beautiful, healthy, happy children. And, what do you know? They love me too! And they always want to be around me (even those two teenagers!) They are loving, affectionate, smart, kind, and very entertaining!

I am healthy. Even though some days I feel twenty years older than I really am (physically), I feel twenty years younger mentally (except for that memory problem). But all of those aches and pains could easily be remedied by a good exercise habit.

I have the Gospel. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his plan for me and my family. I also have a husband who shares that with me and who I can always trust to be strong and faithful.

I have a home. Although it may not be my dream home, it fits our family, costs very little, and keeps us warm and safe. It's also surrounded by beautiful rose bushes that I can't wait to have bloom.

I have friends. Even though most don't live nearby anymore, just knowing they are there is important. I have so many memories of good times spent with so many wonderful friends. And knowing that helps assure me that there will be many more good times to come.

I have a job. And even though that actually counts as one of the negative things in my life, (because we need the income and I would much rather be home with my children and taking care of my own house) I am able to contribute to our income. I also have two wonderful bosses who appreciate what I do and treat me as a friend. I've also gotten to know some really neat people.

I have HOPE! This is the most important blessing, really. Because even though things do seem so hopeless at times, I know that as long as I am still alive and healthy, things can always improve. Life isn't over yet, and as long as I keep working to improve things, there is always hope that the things that I really want and need for my family will happen. I've seen it happen in other's lives, so I'm sure it can happen in mine.

Well, there now! Don't I feel better already!