Happy Birthday Sharkbait (Sherry)

Sometimes you have no idea that you NEED a blessing into it busts into your house like a whirlwind.  There are expected blessings and prayed for blessings, but then there are ones you have no idea you are getting. Sixteen years ago today, a blond haired baby girl was born far away from me. I don’t know if she wailed in her first breaths. Maybe she yawned, opened those big blues and looked around only to fall back asleep.  

On her first day of life, I was probably getting my oldest off to school and getting ready for teaching 7th grade.  I wasn’t aware that God was preparing me for a blessing.  It took almost twelve years for me to meet her. She walked into my classroom, head ducked down and barely whispered her name. I recognized the platinum blond hair from her older brother, a former student. She walked in and out of my class for months. I never knew who she would be. 

I never knew God ushered my daughter into my classroom.  Less than two years later, circumstances like a slow moving hurricane washed over us and God whispered to me that she was going to be our daughter even above our storm.  Talk about the dark horse surprise of the decade.  Sometimes adoption works like that. Adoption doesn’t work with a plan-most of the time there is no explanation of how you lose your heart to a stranger.

I was so surprised when not only did she melt into our family without much effort but then stole our hearts just as easily as the four children before her.  

I love the spontaneous bursts of laughter, your Wolverine costume, plots to cream people with cupcakes, letting a rabbit loose in a brother’s bedroom, luring sharks at the beach, skimming over waves and busting your rear end in the sand, or my girl coming out of the kitchen wearing soccer shorts and cowboy boots. I love my camo-wearing, truck driving, goat dragging, patient little girl who makes us smile and shake our heads. 

Happy 16th Birthday Sharkbait. We love you.  You have blessed me.  You have blessed our family.  I love you so much!

School Is COMING!!

I am enjoying my long vacation on the surf and sand. But let’s talk about summer-honestly. Don’t slap your hands to your cheeks in horror over my down and dirty kind of entry. Those of you that know me well, know I practicing humor and not malice!

I love the pool, beach, vacation, less running, but I crave structure. I am secretly envious of my friends that create super structure to summer days. You know the organized souls that still have nap time, reading time, bath times and bedtimes. (I won’t mention any names. You know who you are and are probably smiling like the Mad Hatter right now.)  The most structured thing I do in the summer is take up electronics at 10 pm. and even then it isn’t straight up “10” every night. 

I would love to blame this laziness on cancer, but alas, I cannot. Long before cancer, I fell into the summertime doldrums. I would also love to blame Joe, since he is gone for the summer, but let’s face it I would be like this even if he was home.

Summer habits that start to grate on my ever-loving nerve….

1. the longer and L-O-N-G-E-R nights where kids saunter downstairs or appear in my room like pop goes the weasel at midnight sometimes. Goodness…if you turn on the t.v. or open your computer-they march in. It is what I call the magnet. Too bad that doesn’t happen when I open the dishwasher.
2. the way their heads are bowed over the electronics. I would like to take up the iPhone, iPod, and cell phone and replace it with a book. Wait, that is a great idea!  
3. the way they kind of shrug when I say “bedtime now”. Shrug away-those 6 am buses are going to be a rude awakening next week!  Yes, I make my kids ride the bus and I am still a good parent. 

Be alert, O’ Young Ones. School is exactly 6 days away. I don’t get emotional when my kids start school. (I am anxious for teachers and smooth schedules but them GOING…I have NO problem with!)  I do this really awesome-Tom Cruise-Risky Business-type of dance across the hard wood floors when the last bus pulls away. Doing this dance is completely appropriate when you have five kids and your husband is out of state ALL SUMMER. Even when he is not gone all summer-still OK. Not feeling guilty about finding joy in a quiet house. I find joy in a busy house too. Just a different kind of joy. 

It is really a healthy thing to dance because they are flying on their own. Start your music…let the dancing begin!  WHOOOHOOOO. School is almost here!