Grateful 2011: January Edition

Waffles. Family time. Visits from old friends. A joyful son. Time away. A confident son. A semi-healthy son. Movie nights. Visits with family. Jessie. Safe travels. Administrator's who listen. Student growth academically. Funny parenting moments. A day outside. Car rides with family. A husband to help with the drive. A day off from school. Play time and memory making with M. A healthy son! Listening, encouraging, and praying friends. Pumpkin muffins in January. Coffee with friends. A training ending early. Memories of dear friends. Answers to prayer. Peaceful hearts. Coming home. Blankets and warm rice bags. Adoption gathering. Fingerprints - done! Warm weather. Nepalese food. Friends to help out. Taking it easy. Second chances.

Head Injury Creates Confusion

:(

It finally happened.

That moment where our little man experiences such an injury that gets our hearts beating at a much faster pace and takes our breath away initially.

We had been warned that these moments would occur - but I was definitely not prepared. You might laugh at me, because it is relatively minor, but let me just inform you that I don't do well with blood and I especially don't do well with blood coming from someone I love.

Sunday the little man was running around the church auditorium (obeying his mama might I add because we had told him that he was not allowed to run in the gym or on stage today). So a little turn went for the worse when he tripped, falling face first into the chair leg and smacked his head.

I was standing right there and heard the smack so I was prepared for something (something is very vague and open - ended.....preferably not that painfully). After dropping my things I bent down to pick him up, only to turn him over and see blood

dripping

squirting
gushing out of his head. I know that head wounds are typically bad when it comes to bleeding, but I couldn't figure out how bad the cut was because there was so much blood initially. That is what threw me into high adrenaline mode.

I ran with him to the bathroom and laid him out on the counter - luckily not thinking about germs at this point. Wads of toilet paper and paper towels were used to wipe up the blood, and I sent a first grader to hunt down Micah to help with M. and provide comfort to me.

Needless to say, we all survived this first traumatic moment with the help of a lot of friends and a lot of encouragement. I am pretty sure that M. even started enjoying this battle wound as a way to get people's attention and tell them a story. Oh the adventures he is leading us on!

Beautiful Adventures

We headed down to the "foresaken" land yesterday to enjoy some early summer weather in the middle of the winter. The temperatures were in the 70's at one point during the day!

Can I just quickly mention that I. was. in. heaven! Absolutely beautiful outside. I swear I was a lizard or turtle at one point in time. I love nothing more than sitting on a rock and soaking up the sun.

So we met up with Micah's older sister and boyfriend to enjoy some hiking, climbing and amazing Nepalese food (which was a fabulous end to a even more fabulous day). The little man was extremely excited to get outside as well, but more than that he was excited to experience his first climbing attempt.

I will admit that this height fearing mama was very nervous but completely grateful that we were with some of the safest climbers I know to help keep my baby safe.

This mama was so incredibly proud of her adventurous little man (and whispered a thousand prayers of protection and strength for the adventures to come).

Museum Time

We traveled to Denver yesterday for a doctor's appointment at the Children's hospital. We decided to head down early and take M. to the Denver Children's Museum to make it somewhat of a fun day, knowing what was lying ahead. We had a blast as a family hanging out in the different areas and playing/learning together. We are so grateful for moments like these!

Fireman M.

Dancing M. (Yup. I am pretty sure he is watching himself pick his nose)

Fishing M. (Micah's favorite)

Vet M. right before he cut off the dog's leg. Whole Foods M. (my personal favorite) and Scientist M. discovering bubbles.

Oh, and the doctor's appointment went well - M. was a hit with all of the staff (as always) and was issued a clean bill of health!

Pondering

Still more from, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Visual Edition

"More pleasing to Me than all your prayers, works, and penances is that you believe I love you."

Kids Say the Darndest Things

The little man had a visitor at preschool today - a police officer from our local department. We were chatting about the visit and what was shared. I proceeded to ask him what he would do if someone held out some drugs for him and asked him to take them. He promptly replied,

"Say Thank you!"

Oh dear.....

A Good Place to Go If You Are Hot

The little man has been hanging out here occasionally - apparently frigid winter temperatures aren't cool enough for him.

Pondering

More from The Ragamuffin Gospel, Visual Edition

"The meaning of living in fidelity to the present moment is wonderfully illustrated by a zen story about a monk being pursued by a ferocious tiger. The monk raced to the edge of a cliff, glanced back, and saw the growling tiger about to spring. The monk spotted a rope dangling over the edge of the cliff. He grabbed it and began shinnying down the side of the cliff out of the clutches of the tiger. Whew! Narrow escape. The monk then looked down and saw a quarry of sagged rocks five hundred feet below. He looked up and saw the tiger poised atop the cliff with bared claws. Just then, two mice began to nibble at the rope. What to do? The monk saw a strawberry within arm's reach, growing out of the face of the cliff. He plucked it, ate it, and exclaimed, "Yum! That's the best strawberry I've ever tasted in my entire life." If he had been preoccupied with the rock below (the future) or the tiger above (the past), he would have missed the strawberry God was giving him in the present moment. Children do not focus on the tigers of the past of the future but only on the strawberry that comes in the here and now."

Car Time with Auntie Jessie!

It was a LONG day in the car, but "Serious M." did really well - especially with the helpful entertainment of "Silly Auntie Jessie".

Another One?!

Travelled to Cheyenne to pick up Micah's little sister as she begins her journey home to sunny California. As a result we got to spend a little more time with the Herrboldt family - well at least most of them. M. thought that it was Christmas all over again - he was so excited!

A New Style

The little man has been going to bed with hats lately and this is his favorite hat to wear...

Pondering

Reading The RagaMuffin Gospel, Visual Edition.

Got this as a birthday gift from a dear friend and I love it.

It couldn't have been given at a more perfect time.

The book is offering up a lot of beautiful reminders and necessary truth needed for my heart.

I will try not to post the entire book as what I am currently pondering...

"Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life.....It strikes us when, year after year, the longed for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: 'You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. do not ask for the name now; perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything, do not perform anything, do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.' If that happens to us, we experience grace"

(Paul Tillich).

"How I treat a brother or sister from day to day, how I react to the sin-scarred wino on the street, how I respond to interruptions from people I dislike, how I deal with normal people in their normal confusion on a normal day may be a better indication of my reverence for life than the antiabortion sticker on the bumper of my car.

We are not pro-life simply because we are warding off death. We are pro-life to the extent that we are men and women for others, all others; to the extent that no human flesh is a stranger to us; to the extent that we can touch the hand of another in love; to the extent that for us there are no 'others'."

"Through table fellowship Jesus ritually acted out His insight into Abba's indiscriminate love."