I bet you are thinking this is another post about the kids, huh? Well, it's not. Ok, SOME of it will be because we have our own little army and it's nearly impossible to post without them being a part of it. Anyhoo, it's been over a year and a half since Chris and I have had a night away from the boys. I say boys because Bethany is going to school in Decatur and living with her dad, stepmom and two sisters. To sidetrack for a minute, what a difference a year makes! Bethany is helping Tara, her stepmom, with a dance camp this week called Princess Ballerina Camp. Bethany and I were talking in the car the other day about how excited she was about helping and then came to why she didn't help last year. She said, "Oh, yeah, mama, it was because I didn't want to be away from you for a whole week." Now she's living there. It was the hardest thing I've ever gone through to let her go there to live. She's been my life since I was a child myself. I love her with all of my being, and we have a very special bond that's indescribable. There have been many times when it was just the two of us. And I will say there are still sleepless nights about her not being here. I wake up and it's like I'm physically hurting that she's not in her bed asleep. Her brothers miss her immensely. Prayer gets us through it - prayer and knowing how happy she is. She's doing so well, she stays so busy, is very involved in their church, tried out and made cheerleading (her FIRST time trying out in a BRAND NEW school and the girl makes the squad - she is amazing in every sense of the word), and loves, loves, loves being with her sisters. We've been down a lot of hard roads in her short 13 1/2 years of life but I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I believe the Lord allows things to happen which makes us fall flat on our face, rock bottom, so that all we're left to do is reach up and take His hand. It may have taken a while and may sound crazy that I say this now, but I wake up every morning and am truly, sincerely, and honestly happy and blessed with my life. Are there things in it I would change? Sure! Are there bad days? Of course. But the Lord forgives and for the first time maybe ever in my adult life, the Lord has given me a peace in my heart and allowed me to forgive myself.
Enough of all that deep stuff. Back to the popsicles and bath tub. As I was saying, it's been over a year and a half since Chris and I have had a night away. It's not that we wouldn't take a night or two, it just hasn't worked out. And there aren't many people ready and willing to take on a 2, 3, and 5-year-old (all boys) all at the same time. Furthermore, Chris and I own three businesses: a vinyl siding business, a hardwood flooring business, and a home building business. Those three alone are enough to take all of the hours in a day. Total all that up and there quite literally is no time for the two of us. That, my friends, is why we MAKE time. Every single night after we put the kids to bed we take a bath together and... wait for it... eat our popsicles. It's nothing romantic. He sits at one end, I sit at the other and we face each other. We recap the day, talk about the kids or any other issues at hand. We turn on the jets and let the stresses of the day be gone. I really can't remember how the popsicle thing started. I'm sure with one of my pregnancies. One of us will go to the freezer before we head to the bathroom and get a good variety of freezer pops. You know, the Fla-Vor-Ice ones which are not already frozen in the store that you cut the tops off and push up to eat. It may sound a little silly, heck, it may sound A LOT silly, but it's OUR time. I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Here's a little glimpse of our haven:
No comments:
Post a Comment