eighty degrees today!!!

AND sunny! Oh, I am appreciating this weather!!! The birds are singing, the sun is shining, I went for my walk this morning, tackled the Evil Hill twice...

I must say though, I have this cold. It isn't terrible, but it is there. Yesterday afternoon I was feeling so tired and worn out, I decided to take a little nap after the older kids got home from school...I conked as soon as my head hit the pillow. I woke up to Camille in there singing her little heart out, "Mother Knows Best" from the movie, "Tangled". Then Paul came in and turned off the fan, not realizing I was napping...I thought I had slept for hours, but he had come home early. Yes, the one day he comes home early I am sleeping the day away. rrr. He doesn't really mind anyway, but jeepers. If you ever want your husband to come home early, just take a nap.

It was only an hour nap, but it was nice. I do love naps, even though I rarely take them anymore. Back when there were babies and toddlers, I lived with Daily Nap On The Brain. I needed naps, loved them, craved them, dreamed about them.....I cried when they were thwarted, I plotted and planned so that even if I couldn't manage to sleep at least I got some quiet time....

I remember one time I was in the middle of what was probably a much-needed nap. In a deep sleep. I woke to one of the older kids holding out the phone to me, saying, "Mom, it is the police!" Calm cool and collected as always, I grabbed the phone and asked what had happened....it was the Police Benevolent Association soliciting donations. I gave them a donation all right...rrrr.

I talked to my son Benjamin for a bit last night on the phone. He is coming home for a few days in June even though he doesn't have enough leave. He will be "in the hole" but he doesn't care. He hasn't been able to see his younger siblings since December, and he misses them like crazy. The smart thing would be for him to just go directly to his post out west, but he needs to come home and see us. Lots of money, too, but it will be worth it.

It is so nice to talk to him these days. Never ever give up hope for your children. Pray for them and encourage them and speak to their hearts, forgive them over and over again, remember how you yourself are when you deal with them, be merciful. The whole point as they are growing up is to get them to acknowledge when they have done something wrong and to be sorry for it...not to punish them harshly. When I know full well how difficult it is for ME to humble myself, then I am aware of how difficult it is for them. I can learn then to shut my mouth, to pray for more patience, to encourage them, to overlook things. Anyone can be strong and right and an enforcer. But to have a meek and lowly spirit like Jesus, then it will be easy for our children to listen to us. They know they are loved and not just demanded upon....when Ben was going through his more difficult years, I used to remind him sometimes that God was opposed to the proud...Ben would just always have so much trouble, like everything was going against him....his nice car was totaled, he would lose a job for no fault of his own, couldn't keep track of payments, ect....to me, it seemed like he could run and run, but until he got his life straightened out and got things right with God, it would just be like that. He didn't appreciate it when I told him that, but I was always hopeful for him, prayed for him unceasingly.

Yes, life is short and no matter what we manage to accomplish, faithfulness to God in our daily trials is the ONLY thing that will matter in the end. Not to mention the blessings it brings in the meantime.....

Because I am a nice mommy, I wrote notes to pick up the three second trip kids from school today a little before dismissal time. This way they can miss the hour long bus ride, and enjoy some of the nice weather. Tearwater tea: I gave them ice cream money, and Jonathan lost his down the couch right before the bus came....but thankfully Suze had enough that she can go to him in lunch and give him the change from her dollar....poor Jon though...

Mirielle is busy making cookies to send to Benjamin again. Ha, perhaps that is why he is doing so well lately, fueled by Mirielle's cookies. It makes him popular, that's for sure. The are not allowed to bring the cookies up to their lockers, so he has to share them all when they arrive. Mare sends them on Thursday via Priority Post so they get there by Saturday, all fresh and yummy. The aroma in here right now is nothing less than heavenly....

My cuddly little girls are up now, I want to read them some stories, like, "Owl At Home"...(Tearwater Tea and Strange Bumps...good stories)