Lessons taught

No Scavenger Hunt Sunday this week. The past seven days have been busy! Full of play dates, bible studies, errands to do, runny noses, and still having morning/evening sickness. I wasn't even able to complete all my assignments for my photography class! (which is very unlike the student that I am) It has been a good week though. One day we went without tv...which was and wasn't hard. See, we don't even have basic cable! Just an antenna and netflix, so there isn't much to watch, but I do usually use it while I cook or HAVE to get something done. But I vowed no TV and even put a sign up saying "NO TV". It was a fun day! Lots of playing with the boys, more messes than normal and a few more tantrums...but I think we will do that several days a week now. Austin either has allergies or a cold...either way the poor kid is miserable. He even forgot how to sleep without breathing through his nose one night and kept me up every hour...I felt worse for him than me:-(

I am starting to feel like cleaning more and more, which is good. I hate surface cleaning and it is hard for me to know about dirt in not-seen places and to have to leave it there because I just don't have the energy to do it. I am praying that I get that second tri burst of energy any day now! Being 14 wks I am now into my pregnancy pants, but haven't wanted to put on those oversized shirts yet. I still look like a chub and not preggo yet, but soon it will come and won't stop growing! I swear I have felt a kick or two, but won't count it true until I know for sure.

I have two great stories for you all! The first has to do with this awful AWFUL spider. One morning this week we were in a hurry (as usual) to get out of the house to either school, or appointments, and I walk around to Logan's side of the van after getting Austin buckled and THANK GOD I looked up or ahead of me, because there was this GIANT spider web with a GIANT spider right in the middle. Yes...it was about the same height as my head and right in my path. It is so amazing to me though, because this spider created this giant web over night. I had just parked the van about 8 o'clock the night before and it was now 9 am. I actually felt bad for the spider as I pulled away and the strong web broke. (after I tried to get some pics of course!) It just amazed me that it built such an detailed web in such a short period of time, or at least I think it was short. Well...I thought this spider had learned it's lesson and wasnt going to build there again. I was wrong...3 more times I came out in the morning and there it was again...strong web in the same place! I wasn't sure how to handle this because the boys and I go outside and play around the van and under the tree often. Plus, God-forbid I actually walk into it one day! So...since I am not that spider friendly, it went to heaven today:-( And anyone seeing me do that would be laughing so hard.

can you see the little dot half way between the van and the branch? It shows up agains the white garage door
You have to look hard to see it this time...

Another lesson learned today that was a bit harder than ye 'old spider. It has been almost a month since the hubs has been fighting "bad guys", and as a family here we have been holding up quite well! I am very proud of how Logan is doing and how he chugs right along, plays hard, and shows a great amount of love towards me and his Dad still. Today was a different story. I went to drop him off at Sunday School, and because he is such an easy going kid, he usually jumps right in and barely says goodbye to me. However, today he kinda lingered by me and the door. I gave a few extra hugs because he didn't run off this time and bent down to kiss him when I saw... that face. It is the face he usually has when he says he misses Dad. I told Logan that I know he does, and that Dad would want him to have fun and play with all the kids. I gave him one last kiss and walked out the door...I stood in the hallway where he couldn't see me, but I could see him. He still stood there, away from the kids and with his head down. My heart was breaking because I knew this time wasn't for attention, he truly missed his Dad. All of a sudden he walked out of the room! Of course the teachers stopped him and I caught him there too. We walked back in the class and I bent down and started talking with him. He said that he didn't want to stay and wanted to come with me. This was so unlike him! Most of you who know Logan, he is always rearing to go play with other kids! Then he says "Can we pray to Jesus?" Well...I was done. Logan came over to me and laid his head on my shoulder and we prayed to Jesus.

Mike is always so good at praying with Logan during tough times, disciplining and any time in general. I decided that whenever Logan had a hard time with Mike being gone I would give him extra love and pray with him, asking for extra strength and a joyful heart. We have done that several times already...usually at night when he wants Mike, or after Logan is disciplined and probably would rather see the other parent right then!

AFter that I went to the teacher and began to try and tell her why he was acting that way. Of course I lost it. I have seen my little man be so strong for so long and as I looked over at him I saw the pain that he is pushing through. And he wanted to PRAY...thank you Jesus for being there for our family, for giving Logan comfort when we talk to you, and for giving us all strength:-) After I stopped blubbering and could actually explain myself, the teacher (also Military wife) said that he would be fine. I knew that if I let him come sit with me, I wouldn't be able to stop crying and would have probably needed to leave. Don't get me wrong, I am not that parent that pushes my child away and doesn't know when they need to be by my side. I knew that he needed to stay, push through the toughness of the moment and deal with what is happening in a Godly environment. I, of course, told the teacher that if he had a hard time, to page me IMMEDIATELY:-) As a military parent you know that you can't baby your child through every tough moment they go through. If someone did that for me as an adult during deployments, I wouldn't make it! Even as a young child, Logan needs to learn to lean on Jesus (which he is doing by wanting to pray) and to be able to keep on living even though half of his life is on the other side of the world. It was such a great lesson taught to me about praying first when things start to get tough. Definitely something I need to work on. Thank you Lord, for showing us how to be faithful through even the littlest of people:-)