Out of decompression NOT depression!

The reason for lack of postings the last few days is because I needed to come out of the decompression chamber! I had the bends quite badly . . . to much pressure and trying to swim to the surface to breath! This Saturday I will go back into the decompression chamber up in Reno for a morning of getting my hair done! Ahhh, just the right timing.

Today is going quite well. At breakfast Gabriel and Annalina had waffle boat wars crashing into each others waffles, etc. Imagination is not lacking here, for sure. Yesterday morning Gabriel forgot his backpack when we left for school so we dropped him off and came back to get it. Today I REMINDED him to bring his backpack . . . I sent Gabriel and Annalina out to the van to get in there seats and went to get Ross and there was little Ross with a BIG backpack dragging it behind him saying "bakpak". . .! Hmmm, I let Ross hold it as we went out to the van and said to Gabriel "look what Ross remembered!" Gabriel thought that was neat and said "Thank you Ross!" Ross gave his ruff laugh. He thought it was cool his big brother appreciated it!

We went today to school for our Thursday morning help. Ross was causing a stir grabbing water bottles, putting things on students desks, and giving hugs. The students think it is great! Mrs. Jung said something about a noising morning and I said "it's spring" she said "Ross is in the room, The kids love him!"

As I was pulling away from the school I looked over and saw Gabriel running to the gate (they were out for recess) and he stopped at the gate and looked emotional, like he was fighting tears. I got out of the van and ran over and he said he wanted to give me a some peanuts. They had been given trail mix and he ate everything and told me he knows I like peanuts so he ran to give them to me and wanted me to eat them. He asked me tonight if I ate them and I told him I had. He got emotional tonight (not crying, just tears in his eyes) and said that after I left he felt like crying and had a hard time doing his work. I love that my kids like to be with me hopefully that stems from them knowing I like to be with them. Annalina was telling me today in the van that she likes to be with me. I am sure some of it right now is daddy being gone but I also believe they love their mommy too. And yes, I look forward to having my hair done on Saturday but I'll be thinking of the kids and miss their chatter and noise in the van and I'll be excited to see them again! Mothers that choose to work outside the home miss A LOT. I am grateful for the job I have. I wouldn't have it any other way, no way, no way. Just the memories I have jotted down in the time I've started this blog . . . many of them would not have been seen by me if I had been away.

Ross seems to be starting to take his once a day naps later in the morning which I think is good and helpful when it comes to school help days and church. Oh, other Ross news is his is STARTING (I've heard him 3 times) on HIS OWN to say "Yes, Maam". Now it comes out just as an intonation "uuu tone going up, uuum tone going down". The fact, he has done it on his own is exciting! It is the little victories.

Took Sonja for a walk tonight to work on leash training . . . talk about an arm workout!! She did much better the last quarter or more. I was pleased to say the least. We really can't take her on walks much yet because of her joints. She isn't suppossed to go on "walks" until 6 months. I'd like her to start getting the hang of not pulling the leash earlier than that though!

I will post this and then back track about yesterday!

Monday, another week underway & a Stroll down Memory Lane

I enjoy the relaxed pace of the weekend and the fact that Gabriel is home with us but I find Monday not such a bad thing knowing that another week is getting underway!

BTW, one of my GOOD friends from high school and college called me on Saturday. It was so good to catch up with her. Shelley (called me) and her twin Kelley, I have spent many a fun time with! Like the time we went LATE at night to the beach in Pensacola and got the car stuck in the sand or when we were coming home from the beach in the middle of the night and a supposedly "plain clothes cop" with rock music blaring out of his unmarked car waved a badge at us to pull us over. We didn't stop until we got to a well lit nursing home parking lot and we didn't roll the window but a crack he decided to "let us go". My dad called the police and they didn't have such police officers. We also went to fun high school church get togethers. I met the 2 of them in 8th grade and had a terrible time telling them apart and now I could tell them apart over the phone! Shelley and Kelley are a lot of fun to be with. I am SO GLAD Shelley gave me a call!

Ross had a rough night last night. He was up and some of the time yelling (not crying) for "Va, Va" (me) and "Da, Da". I got up and rocked him some and went in to check on him. He was tired little boy today! Last night at dinner he lost 3/4 of his dinner and I know that because the vomit came out in colors according to what he ate and all but the last jar of baby food came out. For some reason Gabriel and Annalina find his vomiting quite amusing! "It looks like a waterfall! It changes colors!)" Ah, siblings! Anyway, Ross has an EXTREMELY sensitive stomach! I think he had a bottle to close to dinner.

Annalina and I had school today. She did well. She finished memorizing Psalm 23 awhile back and she is now in the process of memorizing Psalm 1 and is doing well at it. Last lesson in Bible we talked about her heart being like a room and having a throne in it and who is she allowing to sit on the throne? Her "I want to's" or God? This afternoon, all on her own, she took a practice tool we have and was practicing drawing shapes and I think some letters. She said she was getting ready for school. She did some drawing today at my request. She draws the cutest angels!!!! I love them!

I think tonight I am going to do some reading. I have started a few books and would like to start finishing some!

TRUST in the LORD and do GOOD

Each child deals with daddy's absence in a different way. Annalina gets highly emotional and Gabriel loses focus. Gabriel has had a real rough time focusing and working at school the last few days. He is "zoned out" {Mrs. Jung's words} which is NOT characteristic Gabriel. Mrs. Jung even said she does not have problems with him and this is so uncharacteristic. When she heard about Brian being gone she said "and Gabriel wouldn't complain about it" and she said she was going to watch him with his work when usually in this schoolis big on responsibility (which is great!) but I appreciated her kindness and concern for him. I also appreciate that she has taken the time to really get to know Gabriel. I told her how the other day Gabriel said to me he was glad he wasn't a baby and I asked him why and he said because it would be hard and I again said why? He said because then I couldn't help and obey you. Brian had a talk with him before he left about basically stepping up when he is gone and helping out and HE DOES!! He is a blessing.

Mrs. Jung said Gabriel did really well at the speech meet. She said he probably had the longest speech and it was just Gabriel. It was The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson. He did an excellent job when I was practicing with him. She thought he did GREAT and said she "doesn't think the judges even got it." And she mentioned they of course didn't understand how "Gabriel" the poem really was! She is an amazing teacher she makes a study of her students.

I had a meeting with Mr. Tucker today going over Annalina's Kindergarten test. He was VERY impressed with the level of knowledge she had and then he found some things just plain humorous and started laughing! That was an encouragement to me!

Tonight in devotions we read the first part of Psalm 37:3 "Trust in the Lord, and do good". We need to trust God to take care of daddy and we need to carry on with what is right and good. We talked about how for Annalina that is obedience, kindness, and emotional control (not crying so much) and for Gabriel it is doing his school work. It is o.k. to miss daddy but we must carry on with what we are to do. I repeated the verse and made them keep filling in the word GOOD.

Last night in my devotions I read Psalm 25:5 "Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Basically, I don't know exactly how to handle the emotions the kids are going through. I need God to teach me and wait on Him to show himself and his guidance to me instead of just jumping in with my own words. I believe God led me today in progress with the kids. Of course, now prayer.

I am so thankful for my family that prays for me and talks with me on the phone. Mom and Ben listened to me vent today about an old lady with a dog at Fallon Auto Mall! My spirit wasn't exactly in the right place! Things got more stressful with the bottom falling out of one of the kids' milk shake cups from Sonic!! {Weird, huh?} Praise the Lord the janitor had such a warmness and kindness about her. She was so, so kind. She told Gabriel to guard the door not knowing how literally he'd take that and got a kick out of the staunch boy in front of the door when she returned! Sometimes you just have to wonder when you run into angels unawares! Dad if your reading this don't roll your eyes! :)

Trust in the Lord and do good! Good night!