Once in a while there are moments when things feel "just right". Today during church was one of those moments for me, which is why I knew I'd better blog about it before the euphoria wears off. ;)
Right now Chris' work schedule is such that he works on the weekends, which means a dreaded thing for me: taking all four kids to church by myself. Normally those 3 hours consist of A LOT of fidgeting, fighting, whining, arguing, occasionally crying. It's bad enough when Chris and I tackle this together, when we're only outnumbered 2:1. When I have them by myself I can usually count on having a headache by the end of the day, and I definitely know I won't get much (spiritually) out of the church meetings.
Today, though, was a bit different. Things were looking good about the time Noah came out of his room dressed and ready to go, and he was even wearing a tie - without me having to tell him! Then, about five minutes into the first meeting, Nicolas fell asleep on my lap. It was then, as I sat there with my little boy sleeping soundly cuddled up into my chest, my little girl leaning her head on my left shoulder, Sam leaning up against my right shoulder, and Noah sitting next to him, and all three sitting there quietly and reverently, that I felt so peaceful. Thank you, kids, for being so good today - I needed it! And one last twist in the scenario, a little family of a mom, dad and little boy (about two years old) came in and sat next to us on Noah's side a few minutes into the meeting. Let's just say that
this little boy wasn't exactly giving
his mom the same gift. I kept glancing over and seeing Noah subtly ignoring the little boy when he was bumping him, sticking stickers on him, twirling around and falling into him. When we came home this afternoon Noah said to me: "That kid was annoying, mom." That's when I explained to him that that is the exact reason I always get after them when they're not behaving up to par: it annoys the people around us. I hope the lesson sticks with him, though I'm not holding my breath.
On another note, the other day I was working out to a new Belly Dance DVD I got to try to change up my work-out routine a bit. Sophie came in and was watching me for a few minutes, her nose wrinkled up and her eyes rolling around in her head. Then she said: "Uh, mom? Do you realize that those girl dancers are dressed REALLY naughty?" Well, at least I know she's learned modesty.
I came into the living room this evening to find all the boys intently watching their dad trying to "Open World 9-2 on the new Super Mario Bros. for Wii". I just love how Nick is laying on the arm of the couch like the little prince that he is! I love my boys.
(And this sweet girl, too!)
(And this smile melts my heart everytime!)
This post is a bit delayed, but an important one for my boys. Back at the end of January was the Pinewood Derby. Chris gladly helped Noah and Sam build their cars, and then we went as a family to the race. Neither of the boys won their actual races, but they seemed to have a lot of fun. Noah received an award for "Most Creative Design" and Sam got "Best Hot Rod". I'm the Bear Den mother, so it's fun to be able to be with my boys and watch them enjoy the Scouting program.
Tonight I had the special opportunity to take Noah out on a one on one date. A while back he read the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and he's been counting down the days until the movie came out. So this afternoon I took him to the movie. He said he thought it was quite a bit different from the book in the details, but he really liked the movie, too. After the movie we stopped at the Gamestop store so he could download some kind of a (free) Pokemon character for his Pokemon DS game. Then we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, ending our time together with a detour through the McDonald's drive-thru so he could get his favorite: a Butterfinger McFlurry. He was so happy the entire evening and kept telling me how much fun he was having. I just love any individual time I get with each of my kids because it is then that I can really appreciate and enjoy what special little people they are! So, even though I'm fighting a nasty head cold right now and the pressure in my head is ridiculous, I'm so glad I was able to enjoy a fun time with my precious boy. Now I get to look forward to a date tomorrow with another of the main men in my life - my husband!
Yesterday was Nick's 4th birthday. He asked for a Batman cake, but he gladly settled for the cupcakes I made and put in these cute Batman holders. He's really into Diego right now, and I was excited to have found this baby jaguar (like in the show) made by Ty Beanie Babies at the Hallmark store for 75% off, so it was like $2! He is definitely the heart of our home, with his sweet, tender nature, he has all of us (the other kids especially) wrapped around his little finger.
