The Difference a Week Makes

Last Sunday, I was facing three tests, I felt really behind on Christmas prep, I was exhausted, stressed, and my house was a total disaster.  This Sunday, I am done with my first semester of grad school, Christmas shopping is all done, wrapping is almost done, the kids teachers all received their little gifts, treats got made for Chuck's co-workers, Cub Scout caroling went great, most of my house is clean, AND I got my grades back and I still have a 4.0 GPA!  Next semester, I am going to scale back a little bit on school and take 12 hours (4 classes instead of 5).  This way, I'll only be gone one night a week, which will be a lot less stressful on my family.  I won't finish until two years from now (Dec 2011), but hopefully the next two years will be productive busy instead of crisis mode stressful.  Anyway, thank goodness last week is over.  I laughed, I cried (and cried, and cried), but I survived!  Thank goodness one week can make all the difference in the world!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!

We put up our tree last week. It is a revolving tree, so it spins around so that you can see all the ornaments. So Monday after dinner, Cade and Cheyanna both went into the front room where the tree is. After 5 minutes, Cade comes up to me with a "whoops!" expression on his face. He is holding some broken glass--the remnants of an ornament he made in Kindergarten last year. (I know better than to buy glass ornaments in a house with 3 boys!) When I asked him what happened, he answered, "I thought it was plastic." That didn't answer my question, so I got more specific, "HOW DID IT BREAK?" His answer, "I tapped it on the ground." So to see if he was right that the ornament in question was plastic, he decided to smash it on the tile and see if it shattered or not. Typical boy move.

Now Tuesday morning, as Charlie and I were waiting for his ride to school, he turned on the Christmas tree lights, and this is what we see....

Cheyanna had tied her little sheep on one of the branches, so it was getting a ride around the revolving tree. She had stayed by the tree for almost an hour the night before, entertaining herself quitely (and not breaking anything!) I am SOOOO thankful to have a sweet little girl!!! It is such a welcome change after 3 rowdy boys. :) I don't know why, but seeing that cute little sheep riding around the tree made me really appreciate having a girl. I am thankful for all my kiddos, but thank Heaven for little girls!

Loss and a Miracle

This past week, two of my friends and a family member has suffered the loss of a loved one. One friend lost her mom--very unexpectedly. Another friend was 20 weeks pregnant and lost her baby. Then Chuck's Uncle Brent (his Mom's brother) died. My heart ached for all three, and I felt kind of overwhelmed with all the pain that my grieving friends/family were going through. So I have felt a little discouraged and sad. Then today, my friend, Roxan, stopped by for a visit. Several months ago, she had been diagnosed with stage four cancer, and had been given 3-5 years to live. Our family has prayed for her every day since her diagnosis, and we have fasted for her too. Today she came over to tell us all that the results of her last scan showed that all her cancer is gone! It is a miracle, and an answer to prayer. It just made me realize that the Lord is watching over us. Sometimes we have to suffer pain and loss, but He is there to help us through it. Sometimes he blesses us with a wonderful miracle. In all things, He is watching over us, and we are always safe in the circle of his love. I am so thankful to know that in all things, He loves us and is aware of what we are going through. And I am so happy for Roxan and her family!!