Butterfly Kisses

My oldest son (it still sounds funny to me that I have to specify oldest and youngest) has the longest eyelashes ever. Why do boys get blessed with long eyelashes? Probably because God knows they aren't going to destroy them with all the gobs of mascara.

Anyway, he still gives me butterfly kisses and they are the sweetest. So gentle, so kind, so caring, so loving.

His butterfly kisses pretty much sum up his personality. He is one of the most compassionate 6 year olds I've ever met. His heart truly breaks for those who are hurting and all he wants to do is help everyone.

One thing I was worried about when he started school was that he would become jaded and hardened to the world. There are mean kids out there and I was terrified they would hurt him or his feelings or worse yet, burrow their way into his head and change him.

Thankfully, that hasn't been the case, yet. Part of it could be that we start every morning asking him if he's going to be a leader or a follower and he always responds "leader". When we ask him if he knows what that means, he says "It means that I will do the right thing even if everyone else is doing the wrong thing."

I'm going to take a moment to brag because positivity is always needed and, quite frankly, it's my blog I can brag if I want to. Here are some things that he has done lately that make me burst with pride for him.

• Moose was telling me about a classmate named Isaac.
  Me: Did you tell him your brother's (Junior) middle name is Isaac?Moose: Well, actually, at first I told him I didn't want to be his friend because he's bad. (I explained why that wasn't nice) Then I told him about Junior and that made him happy! Then I told him that before he does anything, he should turn around and look at me and do whatever I'm doing and he won't get in trouble. 
• There is a little boy in his class that has been having a problem with wetting his pants. I said "you don't make fun of him do you?" He replied, "No, I usually walk him back to the class to get clean clothes." He told me "Mommy, I told him like you tell me. 'You have to listen to your body. If your body is telling you that you have to go potty, then you need to go so you don't have an accident.' And you know what mommy? He didn't have an accident for a few days!" 
• He came home one day and was telling me about a little boy in the other kindergarten class who has a disease (Moose is 6 he didn't know how else to explain it). I asked if he mean the little boy who has down syndrome and he said yes. He had lots of questions, would he ever get better, could Junior get it, if mommy had it would she get better, etc. I explained to him that the little boy would never get rid of the "disease", but that he might get better in that he might pick up some verbal skills, he might learn to be better at playing and such.
  
  The next day, Moose had a laundry list of questions, so I did what any good mom would do and I googled it. I found the answers to pretty much all of his questions. Moose said, "I can't wait until Monday so I can ask him to play with me, but I'm so afraid he won't want to play with me." I explained to him that he just has to keep asking every day because this little boy isn't used to being around other kids so it may take him a while to warm up.
  
  Monday morning came and on the way to school I asked what he was looking forward to and he said "Asking that little boy to play with me!"
  
  When I picked him up from school I asked what his favorite part of the day was. He said "Well, my least favorite part was not being able to play with that little boy because we had music today and I didn't get to see him." 

This kid melts my heart. I hope and pray he keeps all of these wonderful qualities and doesn't become transformed by the world.

to the moon and back

The thing about beauty is...

The thing about beauty is, it's not what you think it is, it's not what you've been told, and you find it in the most unexpected places.

You find it in the strength of the woman battling breast cancer for the third time and still isn't giving up.

You find it in the faith of the mother who remains faithful in her God after the loss of a child and uses her testimony to witness.

You find it in the smile of the breast cancer survivor who has so much joy and fire in her eyes while teaching Zumba.

You find it in the women of all sizes who are laughing and confidently dancing while participating in that Zumba class.

You find it in heart of mom who is struggling with the diagnosis of her child's illness yet stills remains strong for the family.

You find it in the friend who always makes you laugh at the perfect time and gets all of your idiosyncrasies and loves you for them

You find it in the stay at home mom who is at her wits end almost daily, yet holds together the household and loves her children and sacrifices everything for them.

You find it in the mom who works 40+ hours a week but still manages to be at every game and every school event and has dinner on the table.

You find it in the single mother who works tirelessly, often by herself, to provide a life, love and home for her family.

You find it in the sweat dripping off of the back of a women trying yoga, or running, or zumba, or swimming or aerobics for the first time.

You find it in the courage of the women who was able to leave the bondage of an abusive relationship.

You find it in the woman unable to conceive but puts on a strong face for the world around her.

You find it in the stretchmarks and the scars and the wrinkles and the cellulite and muscle definition and the muffin tops and the frizzy hair and goofy laugh and clumsy nature and everything else that make us all beautiful messes.

to the moon and back,

Healing

I've cried
questioned
fought
listened
I've leaned on God
on the bible
on family
on friends
I've felt angry
betrayed
overwhelmed
and just lost
I've bit my tongue
lashed out
reached out
and been crossed
I've been disappointed
disgruntled
alarmed
ashamed
but I know God is with me...
I am with God
washed in the blood
surrounded by family
covered in love
I'm lost in the Word
seeking Him more
accepting hugs
rising above

to the moon and back,

Relationships are hard... and stuff

I debated whether or not to write this post because it's a touchy subject and I tend to censor myself because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. However, I feel like this subject has come up quite a bit lately and I think because Jon and I are so open about the issues we have had, people feel they can talk to me. The taboo topic??? Marriage problems....

I will preface this by saying that I am not judging those who are divorced. If you feel as though I'm calling you out, then you may have a guilty conscience. I am only referring to my own personal experience.

Around 2007, Jon and I were going through a very rough patch. Although, I'd have to say it was more me than him. I'm a bottler, I bottle up all of my feelings inside and shove them down into a black hole and try to go on as if they weren't there. I had gotten to a point where that black hole was full. Full of anger, disappointment, frustration, hurt feelings, and so on, and so on... We had become roommates, who just co-existed. To the world, though, we looked like the perfect couple. The acting was exhausting.

I was done, I couldn't do it anymore. I told him I wanted a divorce.

• "You want kids and I'm not sure I do and I can't take that from you."
• "You deserve someone who will love you as much as you love them."
• "I don't want to hurt you anymore."
• "I don't want to keep you in a relationship that I'm not sure will work."

Those were mostly true, but not the real reasons, but for me, it was easier to ask for a divorce than to actually tell him what I didn't like about him anymore. Looking back, I realize how selfish I was being. I was taking the choice away from him. Maybe he wants me more than he wants kids, maybe he want's to know what I wasn't happy with because he'd be willing to change. Maybe he was done, too. Regardless, I wasn't giving him a chance.

It was just easier to walk away.

He asked me to try, really try to make it work. He begged for me to talk to him. We cried, we talked, we listened, we were brutally honest. We talked more in the following 2 weeks than we had the previous 7 years. How sad, but we learned an important lesson, communication and prayer is key.

Another lesson that I have learned since then is that we need to learn to lean on God more to fulfill our need for love. He is the only one who loves us with a sacrificial love. When we expect that kind of love from our spouse alone and expect them to fill our every need, we are doomed to always feel alone because they will never fill all of them, nor are they supposed to. 

However, having said that, it's way easier said than done. Jon and I didn't talk (really talk) for a very long time and it almost lead to divorce. The problem is that communication and truth can hurt, so we tend to avoid it. I'm not saying we are perfect now, far from it, but we are so much better than where we were. 

Relationships are hard, they take work. They are not these fairy tales we see on TV and in movies. I'd even go out on a limb and say every relationship takes work, and if you say it doesn't (ie "Our relationship is perfect and we never have any problems. We are soul mates who love each other unconditionally!"), I might even go as far as to call you a fibber, either that or you are still in the "honeymoon" phase. :)

Anyway, I share this here so that maybe someone gets a little comfort in knowing they aren't the only one. Everyone goes through rough patches (to varying degrees) at some point.  Hang in there, fight for it, pray for it, communicate for it. Keep in mind you loved your spouse enough to marry them in the first place.

to the moon and back,

I am called to love...

I am called to love

I am not called to judge

There is no grey area

Your sin is no greater than mine

I am called to forgive

I am not called to hold harbor anger

You need the same forgiveness as I

You were given the same forgiveness as I

I am called to be satisfied

I am not called to be jealous

Material things are not lasting

Our rewards will come

I am called to accept

I am not called to condone

My heart is open all

But I am not here to enable

I am called to love the person

Regardless of race

Regardless of sex

Regardless of sin

I am called to be like Him

He who ate with tax collectors

He who did not judge the prostitute

He who died for all sinners

I strive to just love

These words have been swirling in my head the last few days.

to the moon and back,

Through the eyes of a 3 year old

"It was a great Easter day." That's what Moose said before he went to bed tonight.

Actually, what he said was, "Tell daddy that I had a very good Easter day playing with my cousins and my friends and my family. Tell him I love them all very much and that I love him very much. It was a great day!"

And it was a great day a darn near perfect day in the eyes of a 3 year old. He woke up, and came in and laid down with mommy. We got up and he played while I got ready for work. Then Grandma showed up and that meant play time!

They played board games, rode bikes, played on the swing set, had lunch then it was nap time.

While he napped, grandma and I got ready for the guests. There were cupcakes to bake, cool and ice. There were veggies to chop. There were little plastic eggs to fill.

Moose woke up and soon after the guests started arriving. The adults ate, while the kids played. They ran, climbed, went swinging, played tag and slid down the slide. They asked for cupcakes before dinner and some prevailed, it is a celebration after all so dessert comes first, right?

It was time for the men folk to wrangle the little ones to the front yard so the eggs could be hidden, or just thrown about the back yard. There really isn't much to the hiding when there are 1,000 eggs to hide (that may be an exaggeration, but you get the idea).

Then it was time to unleash the hounds! They were off, scooping up eggs as they ran. Eggs were everywhere and their baskets were overflowing. As they ran around they left a trail of spilled eggs, which only brought joy as they realized there were more eggs to find!

With all of the eggs gathered up, it was time for them to examine the spoils of their hard work. Moose opened an egg and out popped a small plastic slinky... "Oh, just what I always wanted! A slinky!" he exclaimed with sincerity. "Easter is so much fun with my friends mom!"

A (I'll switch his friends names with letters) opened an egg and found a bubble ring. His mom opened it up and showed him that it was bubbles and his whole face lit up!

E slowly and carefully hand picked his eggs. He opened his eggs, but wasn't overly impressed. He was more interested in checking out what everyone else was doing. He wanted to keep playing.

L got a small yellow squishy ball from one of his eggs and held it up and said "My yellow!". He was so proud of his airplane erasers and the rest of his haul.

J immediately broke open the fruit snacks and the candy that was allergy safe for him. He tore through every egg, carefully examining each one for treats that he could devour!

Once eggs were done and the yard looked like there had been a plastic egg massacre, it was time to play again. Soon, though, everyone packed up and the night had to come to an end.

A very tired little boy got ready for bed. When we got to his room, I picked him up (my almost 4 foot, 3 year old) and rocked him like I do every night and we sang "You are my Sunshine". I laid him down and we prayed and thanked God for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us.

So, you see, that was pretty much a perfect day for a 3 year old and quite frankly, it was darn near perfect for this mama, too. My heart is full tonight.

to the moon and back,

Pardon me while I brag...

I have an amazing husband and no, I promise he didn't hack my blog.

As you know from my recent post, this has been a really rough time for my family. Jon has been my rock. He has been so amazing while I have been recovering.

Last Thursday after my procedure, he waited on me hand and foot all day. He made sure that I had plenty to drink and eat. He took care of our son and kept him busy so mommy could rest. When I would get up, he would ask what I was doing and tell me to sit back down.

When I told him that I thought we needed to go away for the weekend to focus on family time, he said "Absolutely, I don't care what it costs." I'm too responsible to go crazy, so I looked into some inexpensive hotels.

On Friday, I booked a room for that night in St. Augustine. A few hours later, I found out that I wouldn't be working this coming week (after not working at all last week), so that would be two weeks without a paycheck. I immediately start freaking out. It's less than 24 hours so we can't can't cancel. Jon grabs me, hugs me and says, "Don't worry, we are going. We need this, everything will be fine, we will figure it out next week."

After a VERY rocky start to our trip (car trouble, 2 visits from bright house, etc..) we finally made it to our hotel at about midnight.

The hotel was ok, yes, just ok. It had paper thin walls (and apparently bikers stay as far north as St. Augustine during bike week), and a door that just barely latched (thank heavens for the safety latch and a husband who carries).

Saturday was amazing. We laid around the hotel until about 10:30am then decided to get up and get brunch. We ate a super cute little place called Cafe 11. They had a buffet and Moose ate and ate. He had more than me, two servings of grits, a quesadilla triangle, scrambled eggs, toast, honeydew, cantaloupe and pineapple. (He ate like a horse all day)

Jon wouldn't let me walk around. He was so worried about me not healing and injuring myself more. So we decided the best way to get around was to do one of the train tours. That way we could get around, but not have to walk. Moose was thrilled!

Jon was so great at making sure I rested enough and had everything I needed. I'm not used to being the one who needs to be taken care of, but it sure was nice having someone look out for me. I don't know what I did to make him love me so much, but I'm glad because I know I don't always deserve it.

I am so thankful for my hubby. He's such an amazing man and father. Thank you, baby!

to the moon and back,

Of love and loss and grieving....

Ok, I stole that title from my bosses blog, but it's fitting.

I could start this blog off with "Wow, it's, like totally, been a really long time since I last blogged. I've been sooo super busy with my crazy important life but I totally promise to be better about posting!" (please feel free to read that in your best Valley Girl voice circa 1983), but I won't. Truth is, life happens and while I love writing, and emptying my head of random thoughts (yes, thoughts, plural, I do manage to have more than one, however, trains of thought quickly derail), I also have family, friends, 2.5 jobs, running and the like that fill my days.

I have had a blog brewing in my little brain about the "Are You Mom Enough" article, but my luke warm opinions about most things coupled with the fact that I haven't actually read past the title of the article, have hindered me from diving into that topic further. I am fairly certain, though, that I am not mom enough when you take into account that my almost 3 year old watches TV, has had his vaccinations as well as tylenol & motrin, was only breastfed (and not exclusively, there was formula in the mix) until 14 months, has had (on occasion) a PB&J for breakfast and navigates my iPhone better than me. But that's beside the point, on to the task at hand.

Tonight, I write of love, loss and grieving...

Love... The love of a gracious God, the love of a remarkable mother, the love of humbled friends. First, there is the love of gracious God who gives peace to a family who needs all of the comfort they can get. He has laid out the plans for them and gives them strength though the pain. Then there is the love of a mother, a love that has no rivals. I don't think you can truly understand it until you become one. I'm not taking away from the love a father has for his child, but I am saying that it is a bit different when you have carried, nurtured and felt the child moving from inside you. We give them our bodies for 9 months and in turn they take a piece of our heart with them on the way out. Finally, the love of humbled friends, who no matter how much they do for their friends, no matter how much they give, they are humbled to have the friend who is in need trying to comfort them through her loss.

Loss... One of my dearest friends and her family is having to go through what no one should ever have to experience, the loss of a child. Just a few days ago, after giving birth, she lost her son (you can read about it here). Throughout the pregnancy and birth, she gave her worries to God and above all asked for His will to be done. God's will was done, and part of His plan for Emmett was unveiled as he was able to be an organ donor and has the opportunity to help save the lives of two babies. 

Grieving... I can never claim to know what she is feeling, but I know that since Thursday night, I have been wandering around in a fog with an emptiness in my chest. My heart aches for them and I hate that we (her friends) can't be closer to help her through this and to keep her mind occupied. It's a very helpless feeling to have so much distance between us and to not be able to be with her.

It's amazing how someone so little can fill your heart so much and how you can be filled with so much love so someone that you never got to meet, hold, talk to or cuddle with.

My prayers continue to go out to the Jackson family, I hope you will do the same.

to the moon and back,

Potty Time!

Wasn't this just last week?

My baby is growing up... it's bitter sweet. I am so proud of him and I am thrilled at how he is developing, but it means he's slowly becoming a little boy and less a baby. Yes, I am one of those mothers. I cried at his first steps, I cried when he didn't need his pacie, I cry when I even think about turning his crib into a toddler bed (yes, he is still in a crib, don't judge me, he's never tried to climb out). Heck, I bawl my eyes out at the thought of him being a teenager and not needing his mommy and some teenage chick replaces me as the love of his life. Wow, that's incredibly sappy and yet, I as I typed it, my eyes started watering. I know, I'm ridiculous. Let's just accept that and move on.

Where did this wobbling 1 year old go?

The milestone that he crossed tonight was going pee-pee on the potty. Since Monday we have been working with him and trying to get him him used to the idea of going on the "big boy" potty. He has been wearing "big boy" underpants at Mamaw's and she has been encouraging him to pee in the shower and in the yard (don't ask, she lives in the country, no one can see him). Well he has managed to soak her recliner, leave puddles on the floor and create a mess on the porch at which point he quickly told her that she had to clean it up. Still no interest in the potty.

I would pick him up after work and bring him home and put him down for a nap (in a diaper) and as soon as he would wake, I'd run him to the potty (all the while feeling the warmth grow in his diaper). In the 30 seconds it took me to get him from his room to the potty, he had already gone.

Who is this little boy?? Where has the time gone?

Well, today while at my moms, he actually acknowledged when he was going. Yay! He was so excited to tell me about it when I got there to pick him up.

When he woke up from his nap today, we missed it again and he went before I got him to the potty. So I changed him and we went to a friends birthday dinner. We left the house around 5:30pm and didn't get home until around 9:00pm (we had to stop by the store). When we walked in, I said "Moose, do you need to go potty?" and he actually said "YES!"

I said "Ok, lets get to the bathroom, quick! Quick!" we ran down the hall and I got his pants off and pulled his diaper off. It was completely dry! I set him on the potty and said "Ok, you can go!" He got a huge smile on his face and said "Ok"

**Tinkle Tinkle** "Oh Moose! What's that?" He said "I'm going pee-pee!" and then squealed and got an even bigger grin on his face! He yelled for daddy to come and when the hubby got there Moose screamed "I going potty!!!"

I think we all screamed and there were high-fives thrown around and then a naked toddler running through the house asking to call everyone he knows so he can tell them. It was the most precious thing ever. To see the pride in his eyes and to see how excited he was took my breath away. I know it sounds incredibly silly to say that my son peeing on the potty would take my breath away, but if you could have seen the look on his face, it was priceless.

We have an amazing little boy, who will one day be an even more amazing man and while I want it to take a very long time getting here, I am excited to see the person he will become.

I love you, Moose....

To the moon and back,

So much to talk about

It's been quite a while since I blogged and I feel like there is so much to talk about that I don't know where to begin...

Love - I have never felt so loved. I have an amazing husband, wonderful family and the best friends a girl could ask for. I had the pleasure of spending some time with one of my dearest friends, Sarah. I don't get to see her much because her husband got a job and took her back to IN. How selfish of him (insert sarcasm font here). In addition to spending time with Sarah, I got to spend time with her folks and her little boy. Her parents were so great. I couldn't have asked for a better welcome. They were so gracious and made me feel like part of the family. Love you guys and thank you!

Life - Crazy busy to say the least. While we were on said trip (when we left IN and got to KY for my work), we had 2 ER visits. The first of which was at 2:30 am at the Children's Hospital in Louisville. Moose was feverish, wasn't sleeping, had lost his appetite, crying, fussing, and had a really bad diaper rash as well as a rash on his chin. After 4 hours in the ER, we leave with Motrin and a diagnosis of... Hand, Foot & Mouth (and butt, but no one mentions that) Disease. The best I can figure it, is that he picked it up at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis (which is AMAZING, by the way). Nice... Oh, did I mention that it is HIGHLY contagious and we are traveling with my 80 something year old granny with a diminished immune system?

What was the 2nd ER visit, you ask? Well, it was for my Granny later the same day. She was having trouble breathing, was getting dizzy spells and her ankles were swelling. They did all kinds of tests on her and while she was there, her and my aunt fell in love with the doctor (who apparently looked like Dr. Travis Stork from the show the Doctors).  Ah... if only my granny was 40 years younger...

Mommy-hood - Moose turned two, pardon me while I ball my eyes out... It was a great party, he loved the balloons and we had a kiddy pool, sprinklers and our swing-set. I think all the little ones had fun. He got so many toys and so many clothes! I think he is set for the winter. We went together with my parents and got him a Stryder Balance Bike. He loves the idea of having his own bike, just like daddy!

Caffeine - Yes, please! Lots and lots! As a matter of fact, can I just get an IV hooked up to my arm?It's fall so all of the yummy fall flavors are out there and while visiting Sarah, she treated me to a Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks. It's like a little bit of heaven topped with salted caramel goodness. If I was rich (and didn't have to worry about the calories) I would have a Salted Caramel Mocha every morning and a Pumpkin Spice Latte every night. Both accompanied by a slice of my mom's pumpkin bread. Mmmm... my mouth is watering as I speak. I'm not sure that there is much out there right now that tops those flavors. Oh how I love fall!

So those are my thoughts on Love, Life, Mommy-Hood and Caffeine for now. Here's wishing you many, many caffeine filled drinks!

So much time... So little to do...

So much time... So little to do... I feel like that sums it up pretty much all the time for me. Not that I am complaining, because I don't complain... (insert sarcasm font)

How can a day go by so quickly that you look up and suddenly the sun is setting? There are days that I feel like as soon as I wake up, it's time to go to bed again.

My day (much like most of you, I'm sure) is filled with waking, showering, dressing, hair & makeup, eating, waking the toddler, feeding the toddler, clothing the toddler, loading up the car with diaper bag toys & said toddler, taking toddler to moms, heading to work, work, head back to moms, load up the car again, head home, taking something out for dinner, work from home, play with toddler, cook dinner, do dishes, laundry, bathe toddler, dress toddler for bed, put him to bed, do anything else that needs to be done, dress for bed, lay down, think of starting it all over tomorrow..... WHEW!

Ok, I know that I'm not the only one who's day is filled like this (and most of you, I am sure, have more hectic days) but it seems like there is no time (or money for that matter!) for all the important stuff... fun stuff... moonlit walks on the beach, vacationing in Paris, relaxing on with the family on a Disney Cruise....

Did you catch the movie title in this post?? Remember what movie it's from?

A good friend of mine recently said "There is always time until one day there just isn't". Isn't that the truth? A scary, scary truth at that. I don't want to wake up one day and wonder why I spent my days filled with errands and chores instead of living, loving and laughing! So here I am watching my son dance around my moms living room, I think I'll join him!

I Hope My Son Marries an Orphan...

Yea, I know that seems blunt... but there is truth in humor, right?

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, I've had conversations with other moms of boys who have said the same thing. They just may not admit it too publicly. Me? I'm not afraid. I have a feeling I will be like the Jane Fonda character in the movie "Monster-In-Law". “It's wonderful being in love. But I don't think marriage is the best solution to a thing like this.”

What I am afraid of is my son falling in love and running away with her family. Is that wrong?

Seriously, he's not even two yet and I am worrying about his future family. But when I found out that he was a "he", that was one of the first thoughts I had. Well... actually... when I found out he was a boy, I cried for a day thinking "What am I gonna do with a boy?" when in reality I think I would have done the same thing if I found out I was having a girl. I think that "knowing" was just what finally made it real for me.

Everything I have heard from the mothers of girls is that, yeah, it may be harder to raise girls, but once they grow up, girls still need their mothers. Most of what I have heard from mothers of boys is that they get married and adopt the wife's family. I'm terrified of that. I love the fact that my son needs me and thinks I am the greatest person ever (I am, after all, the greatest person ever, it's just nice that he recognizes it) and I am the most important woman in his life.

Not to mention, I really don't want to see some girl who thinks she knows whats best for him. Is this a premature fear? Yes, and I am aware of that. Does that make it any less real? No...

So in conclusion, I hope my son marries an orphan, that way there is no competition. Yes, I'm selfish, I am aware of that too... the sooner everyone else realizes that, the better off we will all be... :)

Not good in an emergency...

I, apparently, am not good in an emergency, so don't call me. 

Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way.

Let me paint the picture for you...

I love food... pretty much all things food (except scary food... i.e. bugs, oysters, bananas) and my husband is very meat and potatoes. So when I found a friend that I could share this love with, I was super excited. Last Saturday night Lacey came over and I prepared a delicious spread of food for her that my hubby would have turned his nose up to had I told him I was fixing it. (BTW, Jon tried and liked everything that I fixed...) Anyway, she wanted to return the favor and since her husband is alot like mine in that respect, she was just as excited! All week I was so looking forward to Friday night which was only intensified when she texted me the menu (Brie and red pepper jelly in puff pastry, bruschetta, brie and pear in phyllo cups, a cheese tray, danishes, chips and an assortment of dips).

Friday was a busy day. Up at 6:30am. I got showered, dressed my son, got myself ready, fed Moose (my son) breakfast and headed to my sisters house. I dropped Moose off and headed to work. I left work at 12:30 and met my sister and dad at Red Robin (Yummmm) for my dads b-day lunch. After my yummy southwest salad, we headed over to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". (Not bad but the CG in some areas could have been better.) After the movie, I headed to my moms to pick up Moose. We then headed to the mall playground to have a playdate with Gigi and Liam. The boys had a blast and Liam found love...

After our playdate, Moose and I left to pick up Jon so that we could head to our much anticipated dinner. We traveled the 30 minutes to Lacey's house and unloaded. It was right about 6:30 and we walked in the house and it smelled amazing, fresh baked pastry, yummo! The spread was everything I dreamed it would be... sweet deliciousness...

We ate and talked and laughed, all was right in the world, at least, for about 40 minutes.

Moose was dancing and spinning. I turned my head to say something to Jon and turned my head back right as Moose's head slammed against the edge of the coffee table. AHHHHHH! Silence, then screaming. Me? Blubbering idiot. I wasn't crying, mind you. Just could not talk or think. Lacey was handing me paper towels, Jon was asking if he was alright and I think all I actually verbalized was "I, uh, I don't, uh, oh my, I don't know". Jon rushed us into the bathroom to get into better light and all I could do was look at the gaping hole in my son's lip. At that point, Jon decided that he probably needed stitches and Anthony said we could follow him to the hospital. Moose talked the whole way there, like nothing was wrong. What a strong little boy.

After 3 and 1/2 hours, we left with a very tired Moose and 3 stitches. All I can say is, Moose did amazing. I was so fearful of how he would react to being swaddled and restrained, but he was so good, crying only a little. I am so thankful. I have to say I was completely nauseous (especially with the smell of the laytex gloves wafting up my nose) and Jon was light headed, but we made it through.

 

The car ride home was hilarious... I'm guessing that he was feeling pretty good from the lydocaine because he was quite the chatty one. "Mommy, my lip hurt coffee table" "Mommy, saw a docker" "Grrrrrrrrrrr" "Hee heee heee heee". All I can say is I am glad he was in a good mood at 11:30 at night!

Moral to the story? Got an emergency? Don't call me... I apparently become mute.