From the (un)complicated mind of a 4 year old

When my parents were visiting us a couple of weeks ago, my mom mentioned that Eli had matured quite a bit even since Christmas. His thoughts are more articulate and his speech is softer than before. I have to agree. The more time I spend with the little guy, the more I realize that he really is a boy now. With an imagination that far surpasses my own (and I always thought I could give anyone a run for their money in that department).
Elijah's personality runs in cycles. Let me explain. On any given day he can wake up and be one of the most compliant, sweet-tempered boys ever. Before we are finished patting ourselves on the back for being the parents that have trained such a mild, non-challenging 4 year old, the cycle flips. Now we have days where we go to bed completely exhausted because everything that comes out of our mouth is challenged. It has been described like this- Eli jumps on a train where he just can't stop himself. You can see he wants to jump off the train but forces beyond his control compel him to ride on it for one more run. Before we think we might have to check ourselves in a mental institute, the cycle flips yet again. Thankfully, this has happened enough now where, if we can stop and remember, we always know it's going to change.
Lately, Eli has taken a ride on the "train". It has been quite challenging, let me tell you! Yesterday, the wheels on the train began slowing down. It all started by him asking me "Mom, do you still love me?" I felt two reactions- 1. "Why in the world does he feel the need to ask me this??" and 2. "What an awesome opportunity to scoop him up in my arms and love on him!" So I did #2 while feeling #1.
Now since Eli has been old enough to walk, the Lord has used him in my life to speak little things to me. This being no exception. How many times have I messed up, either out of immaturity or disobedience? How many times have I been pulled out of a ditch by that one question "Father, do you still love me?" Each time, He says "Absolutely, no question" even more than I can say to my own son.
As the infamous Elijah would say because this is now his favorite term "That's awesome!"

You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine

Today was a beautiful spring day. Josiah is actually doing better already...yah God! It's definitely still there but his comfort level has improved greatly. So we took the boys for a family run this afternoon and then Seth took all the boys for a walk around the block. This time "the boys" included our increasingly overweight pooch, Kenzie. I can only describe the scene as vintage. Barefoot boys, family dog, radio flyer....totally classic....

ding, ding, ding....ROUND 50

I have to say, we have had quite a nice lull in the "attack department". The winter season was brutal on our health and when spring came, so did our hope. Well, today I took Josiah to the doctor's because he has developed in the last couple of days a very deep cough. It's that kind that causes very labored breathing, which in turn makes me want to hyper-ventillate. The poor little guy has a wheezing thing which we have to treat with 4 breathing treatments a day. He also has the beginnings of an ear infection and pneumonia. I have to say, he's such a trooper because rarely has he complained about the whole business. If it was me, I would be in bed moaning and groaning!
But here's the deal- We are standing on God's Word and His promises. We are going to persevere through this mess that the enemy is throwing at us because the Lord desires the best for us. He gives us hope and strength. And that, my friends, is more valuable to me than all the money in the world!

PB and....Hair??

From about the age of 2, Eli has been fascinated by the world of chewing gum. We actually did not let him have his first piece until he was 3 and because he ended up swallowing it, it was a long time before he was given another piece. Now that he is 4 1/2, he has mastered the concept of chewing and not swallowing.
This morning, Seth and I were sitting at the kitchen table when we heard a pitiful voice crying up the stairs "Dad, can you please come down here?" Eli was clearly upset so both Seth and I raced downstairs to see what was wrong. One look at him explained everything. On the side of his head, a chunk of hair spiked unnaturally straight up in the air. Holding it there? Yep, you guessed it...a piece of chewing gum. Apparently, Seth had generously given Eli a piece of gum to accompany movie-time. And apparently, Eli was not content to keep it in his mouth.
See, I have never understood this concept of finding out what gum will do in the hair. This was a brand new experience for me, as well...grabbing the jar of peanut butter and rubbing it through my son's hair. Now I can say that it works. Not from a "tips" page on the internet but from actual, real-life experience.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to wash my hands for the 4th time to get rid of the aroma of peanut butter...

My Baby Loves Me

Lately, I have come across some old friends that have recently been married or are engaged to be married very soon. I guess we are at the "acceptable" age when people get married. Ones who have completed college and have made the choice to either continue schooling or pursue a career.
We are also at that age where we are hearing a little bit of divorce. Couples who got married shortly after we did and decided that it just would not work anymore.
The other night, Seth and I had a wonderful date night. For all of those without children, please know that date nights are few and far between so when we have one, it is definitely worth noting. I sat there looking at this man who I began dating before we even graduated high school. I have been building a relationship with this one person on a highly personal level for eleven years now! In August, it will be our 9 year wedding anniversary.
I say all this because there have been times where we didn't know if we were going to make it, before marriage and after. I believe it is a true act of God for anyone to be married for over a year. There is so much giving that has to be done in order for it to work and I am by no means, by nature, a very giving person.
To go back to our date the other night, I sat there across the table from Seth and wondered "How in the world can I still be attracted to this man? In fact, even more attracted than when we first began dating." I think I have come up with a one word answer for this one- GOD. Because He is the One who wants us to succeed. Not that He wants anyone to not succeed in marriage, but I think it's because we have allowed Him to give us the strength to keep going. I look at my parents who have been married for 28 years and I look at Seth's parents who have been married for over 35 years and I am so encouraged. It really can be done. The junk that comes against you in life doesn't diminish as life goes on. I just know I wouldn't want to walk through it with anyone else.

So is it true that you begin to look like each other after so many years? If that's the case, then I have a little something to fear...let's not even mention the body hair!

ALOHA

WISH GRANTED!

Through the genius of Adam, my brother-in-law, I was somehow transported to the place of my dreams. Thank you, dear brother, thank you...

The Birthday Boy

One year ago, on April 19th we met the most amazing person. His name is Josiah Daniel and he happens to be our son. Let me tell you about this little guy. He (along with God) decided to come a bit early...5 weeks early to be exact. He only weighed 4lbs and had to directly go to the NICU. He spent 2 weeks there, where he ended up surprising the doctors and nurses by how quickly he grew. I remember one afternoon I walked into his room at the hospital and the doctor greeted me with the announcement that "It is official. Josiah is the biggest eater in this room". Now this didn't surprise me, being a Macchi boy and all!
After we brought him home, there were a few tough moments because we still had to take him to this specialist and that specialist so they could give the final okay on his health. He, thankfully, passed with flying colors.
It is interesting being a parent of a "preemie". There are the constant comments of how tiny your baby is. So you begin to take a preemptive approach and tell everyone who might glance in the direction of your baby "He's a preemie".
After 6 months, when all the guilt and the what-could-I-have-done-to-prevent-this thoughts had been worked through, I noticed I had a great sense of pride in Josiah. He really is a little fighter. His body is the one that had to learn how to do all the things we take for granted in full term babies, even the simple task of eating. He had to be fed through a tube the first few weeks of his life. To go from that to eating on his own was a huge accomplishment. And now I see him responding to the world around him...to his big brother, his dog, his grandparents, and us his parents...God is so amazing!
What joy this little man has brought into our lives. God has blessed us beyond our imagination with our 2 sons. So Josiah, as we celebrate this day in which you are completely oblivious, know that we love you. May this next year be one of health and harmless discovery!

And this is called...

Wishful Thinking

I could pretend that I was in some tropical paradise...maybe photoshop some palm trees and teal blue water in here...but I choose not to. I will just tell you that I am in Raymore, Missouri on a beautiful Easter Day.

Now where is that 48th egg?

Thankfully the eggs were plastic and the boys actually found all 48 of them. This was their annual Easter egg hunt at Grammy and Papa's house. This year made more fun by Nana and Grandad being there as well. Here are some pictures of the occasion....

Easter thoughts

I've been sitting here for at least 30 minutes trying to type down what I have in my heart but it doesn't seem to be working. There are so many "churchy" terms that accompany Easter and I am trying to avoid every single one of them. I feel I have to be honest-quite a few years have gone by and Easter has passed without much thought of the death and life of my best friend. The last few years, though, have been growing in intensity, this weekend no exception. I woke up Friday morning heavy with thought of what Jesus endured for the joy set before Him, which was ME and YOU. I'm sorry but this is just way too amazing to comprehend. I'm going to bed tonight with some "the-night-before-Christmas-when-you're-8-years-old" excitement because tomorrow we have the privelege of celebrating the coming back to life part of the story.
Lately I have had this thing in my heart that has been nudging me to not forget "the message". At first, I thought it was the message that drew us here to Kansas City. The idea that it is possible to live a life in pursuit of intimacy with the Bridegroom King. The message that completely changed my shame-filled "christianized" heart. I finally was able to look Him in the face because He said it was the one thing that I should always seek to do.
But I think "the message" that I have been praying would not fade and would be refreshed goes even deeper to the one of the cross. Without it, I would not be sitting here. Period. I am ever thankful for what my best Friend endured. I am ever thankful for the privelege of celebrating His LIFE.
Happy Easter to all of you. May this "message" grow stronger in our hearts that we might endure for the joy set before us!

Sweet things come in small packages

There is some very exciting news in the Macchi family. There is going to be a new baby come October. My little niece Gia is going to be a big sister! Congratulations Adam and Leya! May this pregnancy be healthy and may this new baby bring you double the joy....we love you!! And Gia, make sure you don't ask Daddy for any hammers when new baby comes home....

Get down, get down

I have a little something to confess. Well, this isn't the confession yet, but we Macchis listen to music much of the time. It's nice to have something going on in the background of our lives. It's what we enjoy. We have a great set-up in our kitchen where we can hook our laptops up to our speaker system and listen to the internet radio. The usual station is either "The Coffeehouse" or "Cool as Folk". Catchy, don't you think? Both play really great music. Oh, and a lot of the time we are streaming in IHOP. So that's cool, too.
Confession- last night I had an itch to listen to something a little different so I picked "Booty Time". Just typing that out makes me giggle. What better way to stir-fry vegetables than to shake your booty while you do it. And the hilarious thing, it wasn't only me. I looked over and Eli was on the couch bobbing his head up and down to the beat. It didn't take him long to make it into the kitchen where he was choreographing his own moves. The little guy is pretty smooth! Josiah, the little music man, had a few moves himself in his highchair. He's got a great tummy-bobbing dance going on right now.
The moral of the story (if there is a moral)- every once in a while, it's good to reach out of the little box that you're living in. Who knows, you might just have some fun while you're doing it!

Hoppin' down the bunny trail

So today I participated in Eli's class Easter party. There is nothing that makes me feel more like a "Mom" than standing there awkwardly with the other moms commenting on our own children and their behavior. But I do have to admit, it was fun. The kids were so cute, standing outside with their crayon-decorated paper bags, ready to hunt for Easter eggs.
I had a memory moment this afternoon. You know those moments where you want to stamp it forever in your mind and heart because you know that life will not be the same tomorrow or next year or the next? As I walked into the classroom, Eli saw me and immediately ran to give me a big hug. As he sat down with the rest of the class, I saw him turn to his little friend and heard him say "That's my mom". He said it with such innocence and even a little bit of pride. I just have this feeling that in 10 years or so, it's not going to be like that. I am going to walk in his classroom and see him shift uncomfortably in his chair, giving me a sidelong glance that will scream "Mooooom, you're so embarrassing!" And I will know that this is the normal way of things. So I'm just going to have to remember this day and remember his sweet little voice.
Hopefully this blog will be around in 10 years or so because with the way things are going these days, I'm going to need all the help I can get in the "memory department"....=)

Sleepless in KC

Not as romantic as Seattle but true nonetheless. It is now 1:20am and I am sitting out in my living room with a hot cup of tea trying to lull my brain to sleep. I have a feeling that being on the computer will backfire my plan but whaddya gonna do? Every once in a while, I go through these periods where it is almost impossible for me to fall asleep. Usually, I resort to my stockpile of Benadryl or Tylenol PM to help things along but I don't feel like doing that tonight.
Anyway, just wanted to say how grateful I am for my life. I feel blessed tonight for so many things. My marriage, my children, my family, and my friends. By the world's or should I say "America's" standards, we are not anywhere near wealthy but tonight, that is exactly how I feel...wealthy. So that's all I wanted to say tonight. Now, if I could just get to sleep...

Introductions

I just realized today that I have never introduced my beautiful, intelligent, super-sweet little niece. So, friends, here she is... Ms. Gianna Kristin Macchi, also known by family members as GiGi.

Well howdy there, pardner

Today was officially cowboy and cowgirl day at Eli's preschool. I sent Seth out with Eli to find something that would work, thinking he would come back with a cute little hat or something. Well, minus the hat, Eli walked into school in the full get-up- cowboy boots and a belt adorned with a buckle that has a picture of a cowboy riding a bull. All I have to say is "Yeehaw"...I think his Bonanza-lovin' Grammy will be proud.

Yet another challenge

Since moving here to Kansas City, our lives have been one lesson after another. While I totally appreciate it because I know it's for something bigger than what we can see, there are times where my little "rubber band" just longs to go back to the normal, relaxed circle shape.
This new challenge isn't exactly something that we are facing head on yet but there are some whispers of more stretching. And it's this- living in community. Seth and I have never really had to do this yet in our Christian walk, not in the way that I believe that we are all called to do. We've never even lived in an apartment complex, just to give you an example of how far away from people we have always been. We have put a very high value on our privacy, letting in one or two close friends but that's pretty much about it. I've had this nagging thought for quite some time now that maybe we haven't done it the right way. Maybe community begins with us reaching out and truly accepting all who come our way. Maybe while talking about "God's heart", we have missed some great opportunities to knowing Him better by getting to know His people better.
Yeah, I think I've nailed quite a bit on the head here. But moving here and living in semi-isolation has opened our eyes to this need in our lives. The Lord has used this time to heal some things in our hearts so now we are ready to take some risks. First the healing, now the learning.
So Macchi commune, here we come. Let's grow our own fruits and vegetables. Let's feed the homeless from the back of our horse and buggy. Let's all parent each other's children. Y'all think I'm kidding, don't you?

A day at the park

On Saturday, it was a beautiful spring day so what else could we do but have a picnic in the park? There isn't much of a story to go along with it so I'll just post some of the pictures for you.

He that overcometh...

"...we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end......we shall never surrender." Winston Churchill

To all who have knowledge of my almost two year struggle to find something to cover my gigantic bedroom window- I have finally done it!! To all who do not know- this window has been the thorn in our side since we moved in. It was such a pretty feature before we moved, the nice big decorative window that let in so much light. Uggh! As soon as the sun peeked its head over the horizon, our room was flooded with in-the-middle-of-the-afternoon sunlight. You find out how creative you can be with the bed covers when there is that much brightness at 6:30am.
In our quest to find a reasonable solution to this problem, we hit a wall with every idea. There are blinds manufactured for these kind of half-moon windows...if you're willing to cough up $800 for it! We had thought about the wall o'curtain idea before but we seriously thought it wouldn't work because of how the high ceiling comes to a point over the window. Later on, I looked into this particular idea but after it was all said and done, the curtains would have cost a good $300-$400. I became very stubborn about the whole thing and decided that even that was way too much.
And then, just a month ago, I stumbled upon "extra long length" curtains at bedbathandbeyond.com. Bless you, bless you, bless you Bed Bath and Beyond! You have put a smile on mine and Seth's face when we are not forced to wake up at the crack of dawn because of your miraculous curtains and their very reasonable price.
So, to put an end to this saga, I also found a new quilt set (shown in picture) that I really like and soon we will paint the walls a lovely teal blue to go with the dark brown drapes. Our room will finally be finito!

o beach, where art thou?

Five am tomorrow, our good friends Dan and Misty will be jetting off to spend a week here. Think of us as you sit on the beach, in all its Carribean glory...Farewell, my friends!

Ma Petite Familier

I just couldn't resist. There was an open window, natural light, and cute baby cheeks. I was compelled, forced if you will, to grab my camera....

Food for Thought

Recently, the Lord has shown Seth and me two Bible verses that are so appropriate for our lives right now. I say right now but I think these verses kind of describe our situation for the last 5 years or so....

First, the Lord gave Seth this one. Jeremiah 6:16a This is what the Lord says, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Then He gave me this verse. Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

I have this feeling that Seth and I are not in this boat alone. I think this boat is a lot bigger than I can imagine. People from all over and of all ages have been put in this position of waiting on the Lord as He is preparing us for something. I'm pretty sure I'm excited to see what that "something" is...

Spring?

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, quite possibly my favorite season of the year. Sorry but this don't look like no Spring weather to me....

Last Week in Review

I'm sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have tried but I end up sitting there looking at my computer screen feeling completely uninspired and defeated. I'm pushing through this, friends, because I have to share some things about last week.

Paradise Park, anyone? Last week was Eli's spring break. Spring break for a 4 year old is much different from a 16 year old's. The 4 year old gets bummed by the whole deal, the 16 year old only wishes that the week would last forever. So we tried to "spice" up the week a bit for this 4 year old and took a trip to his most favoritest place in the whole wide world...Paradise Park. And, on top of that excitement, we got to go with our friend Misty and the children she is a nanny to. The little boy, Brady, is just a bit older than Eli and they get along brilliantly.
First stop- the area containing the grocery store complete with groceries, cash registers, and money. Good training for the day when Eli will be sent out to do the family grocery shopping. He might need to learn how to get a bigger basket, though!








Next Stop- the bicycles on a race track.
What a fantastic way to get rid of some of
that endless little boy energy!


Lunch! Okay, so the babies look a little "shell-shocked" but they ended up having a great time, too. Paradise Park has a padded room full of toys just for munchkins their age. Great idea but I do believe the cause for what I have to tell of next.

How clever is it to have a whole station where the kids can do their own face painting?? These 2 look like the Lost Boys of Neverland!

After 3 hours of non-stop fun, we finally left. Exhausted, but I know one 4 year old boy who felt like he had just been in Paradise....

A week that began so great, sadly, did not end so well. As mentioned before, Josiah played in the baby room, putting toys in his mouth as every child that close to the ground ends up doing. I cringed just a little bit but it did look like the workers came in periodically to clean the toys so I layed aside my paranoia and let the boy have his fun. Friday, poor little Josiah, woke up from his first morning nap very sick. I will graciously spare the details but I'll just say that we have cleaned up a whole bunch of "sick". Seth literally bore the brunt of this attack over the weekend by being barfed on numerous times. I'm not quite sure how he managed to do this...we'll just call it impeccable timing. What we hoped would be a 24 hour bug, ended up being a good 72 hour bug. Josiah is doing better now on Monday but this picture couldn't describe the weekend any better...

**Here's praying to a healthy week** Cheers**

I luuuv my boys

Need I say more?

Gratefulness

It's amazing what a person becomes thankful for in the midst of hard times. This past week was a doozie! Seth had to work out of town from Sunday until Thursday. So I had to "single mother" it again. This would not have been a bad thing except that a nasty flu bug decided to rear its disgusting little head starting on Tuesday. It hit poor Eli first. He had a fever that reached almost 104 degrees along with a cough, congestion, thrown in with a few vomits. On Friday, Josiah started showing signs that he might have caught the same bug. His poor little body had to fight off a fever that spiked up to 103 degrees. This leaves a very miserable baby. Which then leaves very miserable parents. But lest you think that I am complaining yet once again, I just have to share some of the good things that happened this past week.

-Eli is an exceptional "vomiter". He really tries to be as neat and clean as possible. Every time he did it this week, he made it in some acceptable receptacle. I can't tell you how grateful I am about this. I, who had only one great fear about having children..."What am I going to do when they throw up? I am going to end up doing it right along with them!!!"...have a son who actually cares about it as much as I do.

-At my lowest point on Wednesday evening, when Eli ran into the bathroom for the 2nd time and Josiah's evening wailing had commenced, all of this causing me to wail even louder than the boys, I literally CRIED out to the Lord. And He fed me just a spoonful of grace. Just enough to get me through the rest of the evening. It was so subtle yet so very tangible. He is just awesome!!

-My best friend came home from his work trip on Thursday afternoon and ordered me into the bed for a much-needed nap. He helped me take care of the boys for the rest of the weekend, even sitting for hours on Saturday with a feverish baby on his chest.

-And, last but not least, because of the craziness of this past week an idea began forming between Seth and me. He wants and I am not about to deny this desire, to send me away for one night all by myself to stay in a hotel and do whatever my heart desires whether it be shopping, reading, sleeping, or watching movies. For some reason, this has never crossed either of our minds. I am sure there are many "with it" mothers who probably do this every year. Well, I am ready to jump on that train! I just can't begin to tell you how wonderful that sounds to me and how grateful I am that I have such a kind husband who would facilitate it!

Ending on this note, I just have to say thank you to all of you that have been praying for me concerning my stomach. I had the endoscopy test on Friday and it did not show an ulcer. There are a few things that they are still testing but the huge praise report is this- I have not had pain after eating for over a week now! And that, my friends, is something that I am most grateful for...

Eye Opener

So the other night, Seth and I were watching television for the first time in a looong time. We were actually trying to watch the Winter Olympics but the event was ice dancing. Now no offense to the avid ice dancing fan but, oh my goodness, why in the world do they get so much "air time"on our non-cable station?? To Seth's relief, I picked up the remote and changed it to PBS where there was a really interesting documentary about methanphetamines (I'm not sure that I'm spelling this right). Actually, it was more than interesting. Seth and I couldn't turn away. Now, here's a little background on Seth and me. We are officially church kids. We are the minority in this world that grew up with scarce knowledge of this world's vices. That can be a good thing and it can also very much be a bad thing. Anyway, back to the story... This documentary told the history of and the spreading of this horrific drug that has robbed thousands, possibly millions of people of normal existence. It's origins began on the West coast and has, over the decade, made its way to the East coast. The statistics of the ruin that this one drug has caused is staggering. One Republican representative from Indiana said that 80% of the prison population in his state were meth addicts. The frustrating point to this whole documentary piece is that this drug could have been stopped years ago because it is completely manufactured, meaning there is no organic component to it. In fact, the main ingredient to meth is ephedrine and psuedo-ephedrine which if you recognize is the main ingredient to most cold medicines on the shelf. When certain branches of the government tried to limit the manufacturing of this ingredient, the pharmaceutical companies' radars shot up and began lobbying for more freedom which they eventually were given. Because of this gross example of corporate greed, adults are dying and children are suffering.
Do you ever watch a program and know deep down that there is a reason that you are sitting there watching it? That is very much how I felt about it the other night. My heart broke for these people. It showed mug shot after mug shot of people who had been arrested for crimes while under the influence of meth. The looks on their faces were proof that the verse in the Bible where it says that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy is utterly true.
When Seth and I were sitting in bed that night, getting ready to pray, I just sat there speechless. I didn't know what to say...how do you pray for something that seems so big and so out of control? Usually, that is something that most of us hear and think "Oh, that's terrible and so very sad" but those faces just kept going through my mind and my heart. It isn't make-believe horror stories, it's real life. So as I sat there, I felt as if the Lord gave me a strategic picture on how to pray for this. In the program, they showed a map of the US and how each state was affected by this particular drug. The states that were affected most, were colored in black. Almost every state was colored this way. I began to pray that the Lord would send a revival that would sweep across the nation just as this drug swept across it. That instead of black, there would be flames of fire. So, through the unconventional means of television, the Lord has stirred my heart yet again to really cry out for REVIVAL in this land. So, would you add your voice as well and pray for this revival to come and come soon? We must be brought to the point of desperation....what exactly will that take?

Kansas City, Missouri

Coats for the family.....$200
Mittens.......................$50
Wool Hats..................$30
Wool Socks.................$25

Sanibel Island

Sun, Beach, Family....Priceless

God Bless All You Single Mothers

Tonight I salute all single mothers. These past few weeks Seth has worked a gig that has been long hours and the last week he has had to stay at a hotel downtown to be closer to his job. Fortunately, he was able to come home for dinners most nights but he had to drive back to sleep in the hotel room. Our schedule these past few years has been unusual and unique, to say the least. Seth's career choice has not been of the 9a-5p persuasion. He works for himself as a freelance audio engineer so he is home for large chunks of the year but when he gets hired for a job, it usually means that we don't see much of him for weeks at a time. We have become used to it but every once in a while, it hits me. I don't think I would make a very good single mother. By 6pm, I am thoroughly exhausted but then have to go for the last push of dinners, bathtime, and bedtime. After that, I am just a puddle of goo. The other night, I had a momentary vision of what I and my kids would look like if I was a single mother. Let me tell you, it was not pretty. I saw Eli and Josiah running around looking like the Lost Boys of Neverland. And I had bags the size of Montana. I quickly pinched myself awake and thanked God above for my wonderful husband. For his hours of bathtime, his baby-food splattered face, for picking up on my SOS signals when I just can't take another second....
So I would like to take this little piece of web space to tell any single mother who runs across Sarah does Smile, that I honor and respect you. When you don't have an ounce of energy left, you manage to find a 1/2 an ounce in your left big toe and you make it through a whole day. May God bless you!!