Cherish the everyday

I knew it was going to be a late night when we decided to go to the circus at 7:30 tonight in Lovell. But I didn't figure it would be this late. The circus was a hit with the kids, and we had a great time, even after getting eaten by mosquito's. We came home, and I got the kids in bed(Jaran had to go home to finish stuff on the house, and we tend to keep him from his work when we're there, so we stayed at mom's) and then the fireworks/dynamite started going off next door. Dave Rael was testing things out for tomorrow's big show. I was getting a little bit irritated at first, thinking my kids would never stay in bed, but was happy to see that they were still in bed... maybe frightened to get out, lest they be blown up;)! So I cleaned out the fridge to make room for the treats we will make for the shindig tomorrow. Then I went outside and talked to Bob, Dave, Greg and my mom. I decided to come in cause I was feeling cold, and since Kies was in the computer room, I wasn't going to get on the internet, but decided I would shut off the speakers and be okay. So I got on here and immediately checked my blog comments. When I post a blog I get irritated if I don't get comments, but I rarely comment myself... so I promise to comment better if you all will comment on mine- ha ha ha. I looked at Laurens blog and found a link to one of the greatest blogs ever. No, not some incredibly decorated or fun blog, but one that made me stop and be thankful for all that I have.

It is this blog: http://www.adailyscoop.blogspot.com/

This family lost their baby to a horrible drowning accident not very long ago. I went clear back to when Stephanie's (the mother) first post about it was, and then read right to the present. She is such a stronger and better person than I am. Were I in her situation I would have stayed in bed, too sad and angry and hurt and overwhelmed by everything, not to mention that I would be crying every second of every minute of every day. Reading this story, and her feelings and reactions to things makes me feel like maybe I can try and be stronger so that if a tragedy happens, that I might be able to face it and be better. As I was getting ready to comment on her most recent blog posting, Ansleigh started to wake up and cry. Normally this would have irritated me and I would have drug my feet to get her out. Instead I rushed to her, picked her up, gave her kisses and then laid next to her on the couch and snuggled her back to sleep. After I am done with this post, I will lie down next to Kies and snuggle with him, hopefully not fall asleep, and then go to bed, where Brensyn is sleeping, and snuggle with him. I hope that tomorrow I will be able to not be so short with my kids... tell them how much I love them... and let them just be kids. I want to cherish the everyday with them, not dread trying to get them to take a nap, but be thankful that they are with me and can fight it. I want to watch them run around and wrestle and even scream, shout and cry- just to hear them and know that they are there. I want to see McKie talk back to me and know that he is healthy and able to yell, because that means that in that moment, I have him. I don't know if Stephanie will read this, but if you do, thank you again for the person you are! I will try and be more like you, and I will definitely have you in my prayers! Take care!

PS- Sorry about the rambling. I sometimes have a need to do that!

PSPS- An update on Shelly:
Thanks to your faith and prayers, Shelly was discharged from ICU last week, and discharged from the hospital this week. She is healing, and the problems she had have all but disappeared! She is still having to cover her trach to talk, but it is slowly healing closed. Her nutrition is still a bit of an issue, but the Doctors are trying to get it under control, and seeming to be doing a great job! Thanks again to all of you who prayed for her. It will be a long road to a full recovery, but it's started. She is quite scared still, knowing she was "asleep" for a month and a half, and doesn't know about a lot of things that happened while she was out. I'm not sure all that she does and doesn't know, but I believe dad has kept a lot from her so that she doesn't get even more scared. She's not sure about the job and house, but will have to find out sooner or later, as they will have to figure out where they want to live now. We have offered our home to them, and I hope they will feel welcome to come. Although we may not always be there, they will be welcomed with open arms!