Never Too Young To Help

He may not have mastered potty on the

toilet yet,

but he loves to help.

This morning, he was vacuuming for me.

June In Pictures (With Some Words)

For the first time, in what feels

like forever, I have been feeling

like myself again.

There are days, and times, when I really

miss my Mom, and I think

of all the things that I miss about

her, and all of the things that
I wish we were still doing together.

Then there are days, when I remember how blessed

my life is. I think of how good God has

been to me.

This month, I have been busy doing

what my Mom would want me to be doing,

living.

I have spent time enjoying my kids,

my husband,

our family.

We have enjoyed time together making memories
with each other.

We've visited new places,

and done new things together.

The kids finally finished a very emotional third grade

year. This year, they said good-bye to their

grandmother and hello to

their brothers.

Together, we celebrated Jon's birthday

and Father's Day.

We have spent time loving each other,

enjoying our family,

and planning all of the fun things that

we want to do together

this summer.

I know that if my Mom could see these pictures,

read this blog, she would be so proud

and happy to see us enjoying each

day that we have together.

Our time together is truly a gift to be treasured.

Hope you are treasuring your family and the time

that you have together.

Welcome Summer

Welcome Summer.
We can't wait to enjoy
the long hot days,

trips to the park,

time to play,

and all of the relaxing that we know

summer will bring.

The Desires of My Heart

I often think of the verse

Psalm 37:4

"Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your heart."

I am human, and I'm tempted to think of

what I don't have, but the Lord is faithful

and He reminds me of what I do have.

I love the stories of our children. I love how God

made them, protected them, and brought

each of them into our hearts and our family.

I love how God took something that could have been so

tragic and turned it into something so beautiful, in

the way that only He can.

My Lord is such a loving and merciful God.

As I watch my children play, as I listen

to them talk, as I hear their

laughter and see their smiles,

as I accept their hugs and kisses, I know one thing is true,

my children are the desires of my heart.

My Lord brought me each of them, and He has given

me the privilege of being their mother.

Friendly's

Hi Mom,

I miss you so much. I've been having such a

hard month. The grief literature tells me

that it's because I'm leaving the

shock phase of your death.

Lucky me. The grief is supposed to get

harder now. I didn't think it could get any harder,

but it is. This morning, I went to Friendly's

for the first time since you've died.

We sat at the table where we ate lunch with the kids right after we found out you were sick.

We had the same waitress that served us

all of the times that we'd been to

Friendly's together.

I couldn't help but stare at the table we

sat at the last time we ate at

Friendly's together. It was empty.

Mom, I miss you so much. Nothing is the same

without you. I want life

back the way that it was. I want you back.

Dad and I cry every time we're together.

We talk about you laugh and then cry.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

One day I know that I will be able to do

things without crying. One day I know that my

grief won't be this bad. One day I know that I will see you again.

I love you Pal. I miss you Pal.

I'd do anything to have you back Pal.

Trying to Take a Picture

While taking a walk the other morning,

I decided to try to take a picture of

all four of the kids together.

We found the perfect spot,

with the perfect log, and

I tried to get them all to smile at

the same time.

They were busy talking, moving,

arguing, and negotiating.

Finally, they were all settled, and then the dog
pulled her leash, my camera fell.
By the time I picked up my camera, the moment
when they were all looking and smiling at the
same time was gone. They
were far more interested on why the camera fell and if I could
fix it (I could).
Oh well, I'll try again another day or
hire some one to take the pictures for me.

Out To Dinner

Jon and I love going to a local
Vietnamese restaurant.

When we were dating, we

went there a lot.

Before we had kids, we went there a lot.

After kids, when we had a sitter, we'd go there a lot.

I used to eat there with my Mom.

Mom and I would go so often, that the owner would
ask me where "my friend" was if I went without
her. Jon and I always talked about taking the kids
to the restaurant.
The food is different than what they're used to,
but it is always really, really good.
This weekend, we took all four of the kids out for dinner at the
Vietnamese restaurant.
"They all yours?" the owner asked when we sat down.
How good it felt to say, "Yes they are all ours."

The kids loved the food. They ate and ate and ate.

The owner was super impressed that they enjoyed

her country's fare. The food was such a hit

that I do believe we'll be going there again-

with the kids.