I heard screaming coming from the kids’ area when I turned off the faucet this morning from washing my hair. I quickly deciphered that it was Big E calling for me.

“Mommy!! I had a bad dream!” he exclaimed as I came near.

I laid down with him in his bed and tried to console him. “Do you want to tell me about your dream?”

“Not in front of Baby E or C,” he replied. So I led him to my room so he could tell me in private.

Based on the fact he didn’t want his siblings to hear, I was a bit worried about what his dream might have been. He sat next to me on my bed and between sobs, he told me this story…

“I had a dream that you had a big party. *sob* There were lots of people there. *sob* They all started telling you how great you were. *sob* And I wanted to give you a hug, but they wouldn’t let me get near you!!!”

Among all the possibilities of monsters, sharks, or ghosts, I was not expecting that. I looked down at my sweet boy as he cuddled up against me. His bad dream was that he couldn’t get a hug from me.

I held him tight and reminded him that in real life, I am always happy for a hug from my best big boy. He looked up and smiled at me, that sweet smile that only Big E can do. We sat together for a while. I pulled out my phone and found the pictures of the day he was born and we scrolled through them. We laughed at his angry-just-born grimaces, and pointed out all the people that came to meet him. He took to this quickly and his nightmare was quickly forgotten. 🙂

After MOPS this evening, I finally got the kids to bed around 9:45. I’m steeling myself against a rough morning tomorrow. There’s not much a of a post tonight because I am so very tired. Instead, here are some throwback pictures of my sweet girl, seven years ago! Time flies so very quickly!

Last weekend we missed a cousin’s party because of Baby E’s bout with the flu. When we got home we found some party favors that had been left for us since we couldn’t make it. Among them were 3 pool noodle horses, which the children immediately took to and have been playing with ever since. This afternoon, right before leaving the new house one of the eyes fell off of Baby E’s horse. He was devastated, so I told him I would find some glue and repair it for the ride home. The only thing I could find was Gorilla Glue. What could possible go wrong?

Not exact horses, but an almost identical google find.

Well… it turns out Gorilla Glue doesn’t stick so well to pool noodles, which I learned the hard way when I handed Baby E his pool noodle horse while he was strapped in his car seat. He took one look at the eye, yanked it off, and stuck it to his lips… GORILLA GLUE AND ALL!

I dove at him once I realized what he had done and pulled at the googly eye, in an attempt to get it off of him before the glue set. As I grabbed the eye, I felt some resistance and he yelped as the eye pulled away from him… and stuck to my thumb. Yup… googly eye stuck to my thumb, which I then had to pry off as Baby E whimpered in the back seat.

Considering my thumb still has a thin layer of Gorilla Glue on it, it would be safe to say that Baby E’s lips probably do too. I hope he’s happy with a one-eyed horse, because I think it’s going to stay that way for quite some time.

You know what’s unnerving? Having all three kids fall asleep during your hour and a half drive home, only to need to make a stop at the pet store and wake them up to go inside.

I’ve seen a lot of kids that are silly-tired children. My children are not those children. Mine are grumpy-tired children, so I didn’t relish waking them up. There was nothing for it, it had to be done… so I stopped the car and called their names. Baby E came to first. Then Big E. And I had to yell poor C’s name repeatedly before she revived from her slumber. Thankfully the promise to look at all the adoption kitties once inside brought smiles to their faces and the errand turned out to be a pleasant one. I promised them some Rita’s for dessert, so after a quick stop there we made it home with plenty of daylight for playing outside!

There are splotches of stain traced up my arm, a visual reminder that not everyone makes their living in a boardroom or in front of a computer. Many etch out their pay with sweat and muscle. My arms ache this evening, a portent to the pain I will feel in the morning. I’m not used to this.

I went to work in my parents’ shop today. We spent the day staining and wiping down large panels. I don’t get the opportunity to work there often, but I enjoy it when I do- my long dormant skills get the chance to flex.

My father has been working as a wood finisher for over 50 years. The passage of time and experiences has made him into a master of his trade and watching him work can leave you in no doubt. What he lacked in formal education was more than supplied with a quick mind, attention to detail, and a unique ingenuity that considers problems and renders surprising and effective solutions. He’s an inventor, a genius in his own right, and a talented artist. For him it is the thrill of the chase- the problem that needs an answer, and one that can’t be found in a book or a website. It’s understanding how chemicals interact and colors weave into each other. His is an encyclopedic mind of how a type of wood will accept or reject a substance and how a unique ingredient will produce a desired effect. He likes the hard jobs, because he can do them, and he can do them well.

For so many reasons, I enjoy the moments I get to share with him in his domain. They are special to me, so I don’t mind the stain or the sore muscles, not one bit.

“Dear God,” C said as she began her prayer. “I pray that we have a good night’s sleep tonight and that the people on the other side of the world are having a good day!” 

I finally saw my first daffodils this afternoon. They are my favorite flower, mainly because they used to grow in abundance around the farm house I grew up in. Daffodils remind me of my childhood. Honey suckle reminds me of my grandmother. And hydrangeas remind me of my wedding day. Those are my favorite plants.

I’m currently listening to the audiobook version of Moby Dick. As much as I love reading classics, this is a novel I have never gotten through. I started it years ago, and even though I enjoyed it, I never finished it. So I decided to loan it from the library and listen to it during my commutes. If you have never read Moby Dick, you are missing out on a literary masterpiece. It is easily one of the most quotable books I have ever read, and the turn of language is stunningly alluring. I challenge you to spend a few hours with Melville, and not walk away mesmerized.

I read a little backstory on Moby Dick this evening and I learned that the book was a literary failure in its time, and that by the time Melville died, it was no longer in print. What a tragedy for him to have never known its outcome. I’m leaving a few quotes that a quick google search revealed, which barely scratches the surface of this incredible novel.

If you were in the environs of my children’s elementary school, say between the time of 5:15-5:45 this evening, then I owe you an apology, for that was my child screaming his unearthly howls in the depths of the elementary school book fair.

I left work early today because I was not feeling well, and I made it home for a nap before getting the kids from daycare. Thankfully when I had woken up I was feeling better, so after picking them up I agreed to take them to their school’s art show and book fair. I had already warned them that *if* we were getting anything from the book fair, it would be a book, and not useless, overpriced junk.

When we arrived, I was actually very impressed at the art show. It was “Under the Sea” themed and they had taken an entire classroom and converted it into a bright, exotic, undersea art display. There was no telling which of the small snails was C’s or which slithering snake belonged to my boy, but we were all impressed none the less.

After that, Big E showed us his classroom, and then we found our way to the book fair, along with about a hundred other people. I told them they could pick out one book each, but nothing expensive, and I had power of veto. C found 3 off the bat that she wanted and spent her time narrowing it down. Big E finally landed on a Mo Willems book, much to my delight, and Baby E grabbed an expensive, non age appropriate book with a toy attached. I told him that he couldn’t get that one, and if you have ever been around Baby E when he has his mind set on something, you can only half imagine the scene he then commenced. Diverting him to another book would not do. Only the one in hand would appease him. But since I have taken the task on to diligently mold a strong willed three year olds temper, I had to stand my ground. And so he screamed at me. In the middle of all those people he screamed and threw a fit only to be rivaled with the one at the dentist office a few weeks ago. Each time I tried to set him down, he darted towards the forbidden book, and so I was obliged to hold him as we stood in line to pay. Yes, I could have left and perhaps should have, but I had already agreed on the two books for the other kids, so we stood in line. And he yelled at me. And he fussed. He was altogether disagreeable. I felt the eyes of 40 parents staring me down, but the kind lady next to me shot me a glance of pity- the look only another parent can give you that has once stood in your shoes.

And so finally we paid and we left. By then Baby E had calmed down and we got to the van. Much to his disappointment, he was confined to his bed the rest of the evening, saving the moments he could sit at the table and eat with us.

I know I have sung the praises of our local library a lot, but really, it’s amazing. I’m hooked on a British show called Poldark. The third season aired this past year, but I didn’t get the chance to see it and I was waiting for it to stream on Prime. Waiting… and waiting… and waiting. Then I saw it for sale on Amazon, and I was so tempted to buy it, but that’s a waste of money so I didn’t. Then someone reminded me of my blessed library and I went online and voila, there it was!! So, all I had to do was put it on hold and wait for it to ship from a neighboring library to mine and it arrived today!

And while I totally wish I could binge watch it right now, I can’t. However, there’s nothing stopping me from doing just that tomorrow night! Woot!

I was greeted this evening with a broken hearted girl. Her friends had once again abandoned her on the playground, and as her heart poured out the pain of the encounter, mine simultaneously saddened. We stood in the daycare parking lot, as I listened to her tale, trying to follow her story as she jumped from one injury to the next, and I held her as she cried.

Growing up is a hard business.

To cheer her up, we headed to the beach, for as you know the waves often call us there. The sky was overcast and small drops of rain fell around us as we walked down the road to get there. We were greeted by a hungry bay that had eaten away much of the beach, leaving only a sliver to explore. The wind off the water and the sand between her fingers seemed to do her well, and her spirits lifted. I turned to see her lying on her back, head in the sand, staring at the sky. Sometimes we just need to escape.

So we dug, and played, and explored. The cold water froze our fingers, and our feet flirted with the small lapping waves. Big E searched for sticks to feed the sea, while Baby E hurled ‘beautiful’ shells and stones to the tide.

Nothing incredible happened- nothing anyone would consider special, but we were revived. After a bit, the fresh air and exercise reminded us of the hour and the want for dinner, so we left our retreat and headed home.

We left the new house last night around 6 pm. We hadn’t wanted to take the time to eat dinner before leaving, figuring we’d grab something on the way. We didn’t take into account that yesterday was Easter and everything worth eating would be closed, so we found ourselves the only patrons of a very lonely Burger King. The kids didn’t mind, but Tim and I had a hard time stomaching the food. We got home and brought the three kids into the house. Baby E was wide awake, but the other two were asleep. Upon getting inside, Big E woke up and almost immediately started complaining about pain in his stomach. I tried giving him some apple sauce, thinking perhaps he was just hungry, and he devoured it. But a few minutes later he was complaining again, and was starting to get himself worked up. So we got him a bowl and set him in a comfy chair and encouraged him to get some sleep. Not ten minutes later he threw up.

As you know, I can’t stand vomit. Even the thought of it makes me gag, and there were were, the basement reeking of it. But Big E smiled a faint smile and said he felt so much better. He settled down and went straight to sleep. I kept him away from the day care today, but I really think it wasn’t a stomach bug, but rather his stomach refusing to digest our sketchy dinner. He woke up this morning feeling great.

In fact, I woke him up at 5:15 this morning to let him know he was going to work with Daddy. His eyes got huge and he jumped out of bed with a huge grin on his face. He got dressed as fast as he could, found his backpack, and quietly stuffed it with all the toys he could think to bring. When he learned he was the only kid going with daddy, his excitement increased. The thought of spending the day in a boring office would have turned me off, but he couldn’t have been happier, and I sent him off this morning with a bounce in his step.

When I picked the other two up this evening from day care, we decided to take a short walk on the stinky bridge, and a visit to the beach. It was cold and windy, so we didn’t stay out long, but we enjoyed it immensely. C drew pictures in the sand, Baby E spent him time finding ‘pretty’ things he could throw in the water (shells, stones), and I found a few sharks teeth.

We came home to a quiet evening, dinner, and bedtime.

It wasn’t the Easter we had planned. There was no big dinner. There was no cousin time. We missed services at our home church. We did a hastily thrown together egg hunt and some last minute Easter baskets. We got home late this evening with a few complications. And we are all getting to bed very, very late.

But in the end, none of that matters. Today wasn’t about baskets, or eggs, or a big dinner around a large table with family.

Today was about an empty tomb. It was about the redemption of sin, about God becoming man to carry our sin and folly, to feel the full wrath of judgement so that we could be spared. My sin held him on that cross, and likewise my heart was redeemed that blessed Sunday long ago.