In the home stretch...

Grandma Barbie will soon be on the way, Chris will be home Thursday, and I may, I just may, get 5 minutes to myself in the very near future! It really hasn't been awful, but this time last year, it was certainly not any birthday like I would have imagined my 28th to be. Yesterday, I awakened after 4 hours of almost-sleep with a 10 month old and a 4 year old cracker jack that's ready to get up with the chickens...then there was no where to go and nothing to do, I was waiting for the Cat in the Hat to come knock on my door with Thing 1 and Thing 2...no mail came (which is a bummer then that's how you would receive b'day cards)...but no one got a spanking, we took some pictures on mommy's birthday to remember the day (and that daddy wasn't here - umm-hmm) and we made it out as the temperature rose above freezing to McDonalds...and the baby seemed to sleep better last night, too. Then, today, we had a nice morning, we went to Emma Grace's ballet/tap lesson (which always brightens the day) and when we came home, there was an FTD box waiting and a handful of birthday cards in the mail. Chris had sent me a bouquet of purple roses and alstromeria (putting him back in good graces, for now)...very pretty (even if the non-rocket scientist delivery person left the package outside in the rain in temperatures just barely above freezing and everything wilted) after warming the flowers and pinching off the saddest wilted flowers and removing quite a few rose petals...but now it's actually, almost pretty and there's one big purple rose in the dead center of the vase that has just blossomed...and you know, I thought that's kinda how my birthday went this year, how a lot of things seemingly go these days, there's a lot of junk in the way, some things wither away from neglect, and things sometimes appear abysmal, but when you add some TLC, decide to totally remove the dead things and just let the rest be...something will blossom and stun you with its beauty...and I paused...mmmmmmm. How's that for the lesson of my 28th birthday, pretty good, I thought...maybe that's what God was trying to say through so many things and maybe it took an unexpected, extravagant bouquet for me to get His love letter at the delivering hands of my hubby (as well as the so-called delivery man). Doesn't He always send us unexpected, extravagant bouquets that often we can't see as the gift? So, I'm grateful to have not missed this gift and to have gained a little perspective back...for Him to help me see what He sees now and what He sees is possible when I give the TLC to our relationship and remove the dead things of this earth from my heart, His throne --- couldn't we all do a little winter cleaning for Jesus? Amen? Amen. And besides that wonderful gift that could have been all I needed, then I got a handful of cards from my friends in my women's small group back in SC...and I just had to smile...sooo, here's some pics of the kids, hope they bring you a smile, too.

Yes, love each other, even if it is just for the picture, ah.

"Mom, I really don't want to take a picture with just me."

"Ya know, mom, if you held the camera just a little closer, I could yank that strap hard enough to jerk the camera out of your hands and throw it on the floor..."

"I would like to share with you, sissy, but I'm just not that tall...
maybe I'll pull your hair again to tell you I'm mad."

"Mom, she is NOT sharing her stuff again, can I pull her hair?"