Well, at least not any big hitches.
When the 16-passenger van pulled in front of our house I just knew that was Brother's date... It's a Utah thing, we like to go on big group dates and it's a benefit to have the family van to carpool everyone together.
Anyway, Brother had showered and was all ready to go.
You could tell he was nervously excited.
I walked down to his room to encourage him to move along so as not to make her wait and he had a bit of a panic attack. I told him he could have sweettart ropes if he would just walk upstairs to greet her.
When I was returning I saw that he had joined her at the bottom of the stairs where Marc had just let her in.
Brother had his face covered with his jacket hood, but was saying hello to his date and telling me to be quiet (smile). I handed him two treats and told him to give the second to his date and he willingly and happily did. It was just funny that all this was being done with a hood over his face...
I had closing night of Saturday's Warrior that same night so I asked his date to send any pictures she might get on the date:
It made me smile and it was made even better to hear Brother talk about his date and the things he did. He was so proud of himself for "being good." I was so proud of him for going!
As if sending Brother off on his first date wasn't enough for my mommy heart, Baby decided to add to my emotional state by showing me a Mothers Day miracle...
Just after Brother left Baby reached into her backpack that I had forgotten to check on Friday after school and pulled out an adorably beautiful bouquet of paper flowers she had made. My hear melted and I was so excited to display them... but she wouldn't let me have them... "No, my flowers!" she told me while pushing my hands away.
I was a little saddened by her reaction but was so impressed with her handiwork I could totally understand her selfishness.
Then she reached into her bag and pulled something else out of her backpack.
It was a simple pink card.
I could see it was a mother's day card so I went to grab it so I could read it and enjoy it and she wouldn't let me have that either... she then laid it on the couch and started pointing to the words while reading them to me...
!!!
....
??
!!
She read them to me!
I started to tear up.
How could this be that my son just went on his first date and my youngest is reading her first sentence?
I really wanted to record this huge milestone so I asked her to do it for me again and she happily performed:
I can't stop watching it.
So with a full and thankful heart on the brink of happy tears from the great things our children had done that day, I set off to my last performance in Saturday's Warrior.
Closing night of a play is always bittersweet and emotions are running high anyway.
I think my emotions were on exhaustion mode.
I could hardly react because I was so happy about everything... then one of our cast members who has special needs himself said our prayer before the show and I broke down. It was such a sweet and sincere prayer and it was just the icing on the cake to all the wonderful things that people with special needs had done for me that day.
It was such a great closing night! So many great moments and I was treasuring them all as I am not sure when I'll have a chance to be on stage again.
The writer of Saturday's Warrior was even there on our closing night (he's in the photo above on the far right) and I had him sign my dad's Saturday's Warrior vinyls!
Some of us went out to eat that night to celebrate one last time as a cast and it was fun, but I realized I was completely exhausted.
Mother's Day celebration was at our house with my parents and siblings and Marc's parents.
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| I loved seeing Baby play ponies with Yaya! |
We haven't been together as two families for a little while and it was so much fun! I had a great time and I didn't mind working through my exhaustion to make it pleasant inside since it was raining outside and our plans for the yard weren't going to work in the rain. I made Dutch Oven potatoes, home made lemonades, asparagus, veggie tray and everyone brought meat and a potluck.
It was great! I was even able to get Baby to read my Mother's Day card for everyone. She was so proud of her performance that she ran and hugged me afterwards.
Exhausted, but happy, I fell asleep to the treacherous sound of pounding and pouring rain.
I was barely able to get myself awake enough to get Brother into the shower and ready, barely, in time for his bus.
I had planned on laying back down for the 30 minutes I have between his bus leaving and Sister waking to get ready for school, but I had forgotten to let Ranger out of his room.
I opened the door to the laundry room where he sleeps and I smelled water... I walk into the room and my feet were met with cold wetness...
Our basement had flooded!
I went to the room just next to the laundry room (TV room) and my toes were wrapped in cold sponginess...
My exhaustion now turned into pity mode, orneriness and just plain anger.
Of course I would have to have something crappy happen like this after all the great things that had just gone fantastically that weekend! Why in the world would I be able to just bask in the joy of the happiness that had just happened all weekend?
Ugh!
I pulled out our carpet cleaner that our friends had passed onto us last year hoping that that would help pull out the water, because I knew towels weren't gonna cut it. I grudgingly moved all the furniture out of the way so I could suck up the water and for the next 3 hours I stood on the cold wet carpet trying to get all the water up. Slowly but surely the carpet was getting less spongy and now it was time to move onto the laundry room.
When Marc came home for dinner I gave him an earful of how frustrated I was and how it seems like we can never get ahead and there's always something wrong with the house, etc.
After he left I went downstairs to suck up water again and my head was swimming from exhaustion and my need to just lay down and sleep, but I didn't want to risk any mold issues.
I was in such a bad mood, so angry with God for not just letting me be happy and having to make sure something stupid happened just because... I was trying to come up with and excuse to not have our Home Teachers come over to share a spiritual lesson with us.
But, I was too exhausted to come up with anything.
So I brushed my hair into a pony tail and added some mascara to my lashes so I would look, at least, awake and came out to sit with our friends, our Home Teachers.
I walked into the living room and everyone, but Baby was sitting together in the living room... that was new.
It's usually a struggle to get our kids to sit for Family Home Evening.
Baby came and stood in the hall while we sang our opening song.
It was a beautiful sight.
I was starting to let some of my anger subside and I enjoyed my family.
Then they gave the lesson.
It was given from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk from the recent conference and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.
EXACTLY!
I highly recommend you read the entire article here, or watch it here, but this was the part that struck me last night:
"Realizing that we all have to come down from peak experiences to deal with the regular vicissitudes of life ..."
He goes on to say in the next paragraph:
"... if in the days ahead you not only see limitations in those around you but also find elements in your own life that don’t yet measure up ... please don’t be cast down in spirit and don’t give up. ... With the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength of heaven to help us, we can improve, and the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don’t always succeed."
I smiled and told them that I needed to hear that.
After they left I went back downstairs, tried to pull up more water and began to be grateful that the flood wasn't awful, that I was blessed to have a carpet cleaner to get the water up with, that I was happy that I thought of sprinkling baking powder while I worked to help with the water-logged carpet smell and glad that nothing in the house had been damaged.
Then I went upstairs, still exhausted mind you, but uplifted, and cuddled with Baby until she fell asleep. She would let me leave her side until she was out like the lights.
You might have to look close, but there is a smile on my face.
I just have to keep being reminded that I wouldn't know how wonderful the good is unless I know the tough too.
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