Our afternoon with the Coffey boys...

          Yesterday we had the pleasure of having John and Hunter Coffey over for the day while Jen, their mom, went to visit their dad, Sean, at the hospital in Boston.  Sean is a friend of ours who was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer back in September.  Please lift him up in your prayers!  He has been dealing with a lot of pain recently and is having surgery to have a pain block put in to help manage it.  

          First let me start by saying that these boys are..... Enchanting!  Mark went to pick them up along with Amber, Joel and Chris, while stayed I at church because I have nursery this month.  Of course, I was anxious to see how they boys were, so I texted Amber.  "How are John and Hunter?"   Amber replied, "Oh my gosh, mom!! They are adorable... and so well-behaved!!"  (I know that Jen will love to hear that!) 

          When we all got home after church... the boys were HUNGRY!!!  They had NO problem expressing this fact!!  So Mark and I got hopping on making some lunch.  First, they had homemade pizza that we had made the night before...and they LOVED it!  It was so funny because while we were getting lunch ready, they marched themselves right into the dining room and parked themselves at the table.  Joel camae over to me and said, "Mom, where are the crayons... they want to draw pictures."  So I pulled out the box of colored pencils and they went to town.  John drew me a spider web with the big ol spider in the center.  It read... "the spidr web is rily sticky"...  he brought it over to me and said, "This is for you!"  and smiled this big smile.  "Thank you, John... I love it!!"   Hunter drew something.... shall we say... more abstract.... but just as special nonetheless.  They were too cute! 

          They decided that they wanted to go outside and play basketball, so I put their coats on and out they went.  Joel went out with  them.  They ran around... picked up acorns.... walked on the brick wall... shot some hoops... then they came back in and Hunter announced... "I'm still hungry.."  At this point, the hot dogs were just about done being grilled, so I had them wash their hands and sit back at the table.  While I was helping Hunter wash his hands, I noticed how BIG his hands were for a three year old boy!!  I thought to myself.. this boy's gonna be a big bruiser when he gets older!!  He was giggling and asking all sorts of questions... mainly  about our dogs.  He made it very clear that he did not like dogs.  We have two mini dachshunds who are all bark and no bite.  But he did not want them anywhere near him and he would put his hands out toward them as if to say, "Do not come near me!!"  John, on the other hand loved them.  He played with them and tickled them.  I asked him if he wanted to give them a bone and he did.  John gravitatde toward Joel.... actually, both Hunter and John did.  Joel was making funny faces and they were cracking up!!  Joel is great with little kids.

           Finally, we all sat down for lunch.  Hot dogs and gold fish with raspberry ginger ale.  Not the healthiest meal, I know, but we were on a tight schedule.  We had to get to Joels game in Ivoryton within the hour.  We sat at the table and "the man with the red vest"  (this is how Hunter referred to Mark for most of the day..)  said the blessing.  Hunter and John dug right in....  They were both very aware of everyone.  When Rex walked in, Hunter's eyes got very wide.  I think it was his crutches that caught his attention.  And Angie was also a person of interest to both of them, although they did not say anything... they just looked at them....  I could see the wheels in their head turning and turning...

          Hunter was the first to finish.  John had part of a hot dog and some goldfish left.  I asked Hunter if he wanted to finish John's lunch.  (I was partly kidding when I asked him)  and he shook his head "yes".  He cleaned the plate!!  Mark and I just looked at each other.  Mark said, "That boy can eat!" and he laughed with that big laugh!!  I had everyone use to bathroom before piling in the car to get to Joels last soccer game of the season.

          One of the best inventions that car makers ever decided to put into cars is the DVD player.  We use ours whenever we go on long trips.  This keeps the kids quiet and happy, and mom and dad happy, too.  John and Hunter were very "happy" that we had one.  We put on "Tale of Despareaux"  and it was sheer silence for most of the trip.  About 10 minutes into it, Joel whispered, "...look mom..."   Hunter was asleep on Joel's shoulder.  I thought that  might happen, especially since Jen said that he takes a nap every single afternoon, at least when he is at home.  I thought about how much their lives have changed with their daddy being sick.  One day they are here.. the next.. there, and the mommy having to be "all things to them,,,, mom and dad" while they are going through this ordeal.  That is why Mark and I want to be available to them whenever they need us.  (Do you hear me, Jen?)  We are here for them,, for whatever they need us to do.. as are  many others.  I know that it is hard to ask some times... you feel as if you are putting a burden on others when actually, it helps us feel like we are pitching in and helping out.  So never be afraid to ask for help.... you hear me??  (Jen?)  I love you!

          We finally got to the field and we all piled 'out' of the car.  It was COLD!!  Thankfully the boys had their brand new coats on!!  John looked over at the port-o-potties...  "I need to use the bathroom.."  "But you went before we left the house, didn't you?"  "Yes, but I need to go again."   I detest port-o-potties.....  I suppose they serve a necessary purpose, but they smell awful and are so dirty!!!  YUCK!!!  Anyway, there were two of them.  One was occupied by a rather large fellow... the other was empty.  "I will be right here, John.  Please do not touch ANYTHING!!"  "Ok", he said with a smile and walked in.  He wasn't in there long at all.  I'm sure he was thinking what I was thinking... "This place stinks!!"

          The game was exciting from the very beginning.  We scored first.  All the while I was taking pictures of Joel on the field and the boys running around.  John seemed to take a liking to Amber at this point.  He even snuggled with her under the blanket for a while before Mr. Hunter came in and took over!!  He was sitting on Amber's lap. "Mom, he is heavy!!"  she said as she was trying to give him a horsey ride.  She was laughing and so was Hunter.  I am so thankful that the Lord has been shielding the heavy burden of Sean's sickness from these little ones.  They seem oblivious to it... they act as if everything is fine and dandy... and for that, we are all thankful.  I looked over at John.  Looks like he made a new friend!  Her name is Addie.   She is a beautiful little Chinese girl that friend's of ours adopted when she was an infant  from China.  She is the only girl of three brothers, and let me tell you, she is a little princess!!  And she knows it!  Anyway, she and John had a blast.. collecting rocks together.... chasing one another... and chatting with one another.  I think that John may be a bit of a ladies man.  Look out girls!! 

          Later on at Burger King (another unhealthy, yet quick and kid friendly choice for dinner), Mark, Amber and I were talking about Hunter and John.  "John looks like Sean and Hunter looks like Jen," Amber said.  I thought the opposite....Hunter smiles just like Sean... and John make facial expressions like Jen.  Mark agreed with me. They were eating and gabbing and laughing the whole time.  They put on their BK crowns.  I took some cute videos of them.  They ate well.  Hunter even helped himself to my fries... taking the whole thing and pouring it out on his napkin!  "Here help yourself, Hunter!"  We all laughed!

          We got home around 6:30 or so.  Jen was on her way back from Dana Farber.  The boys wanted to watch  Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  It was a funny movie.  They snuggled on the couch with their ice cream cones in front of the pellet stove and vegged out for a while.  Mark and I were talking...... "I am not used to this anymore.... having to put the kids in their car seats and buckle them in.... having to watch them wherever they go... helping them wash their hands...."    I have not had to do that in quite some time.... but I found that I really enjoyed it!  Or maybe it was that I enjoyed the Coffey boys.  I could see why their mom refers  them as "DELICIOUS"!!  :)  They truly are wonderful little boys and have quickly become a blessing to our lives!

No Lord.. not the "C" word.......

I did not sleep well lastnight... in fact, I don't think I slept at all.  I have been dealing with shoulder and neck pain for quite some time. But that was not the reason for my sleeplessness.  There are few things in this life that should keep a person from getting that sweet, peaceful sleep that God talks about in His word.  However, having someone you know and care about fighting the biggest, meanest battle of his life is one such time when sleep should elude you, and the prayer warrior within needs to step up and do battle with the enemy.  It is funny how the Lord works... very funny... and difficult to understand sometimes.  Mark and I have a dear friend who was given the heart breaking news that he has inoperable pancreatic cancer.  We had lost touch with him and his wife for a number of years due to a sad and difficult situation that had taken place some time ago.  Basically, we went on with our lives and they did the same.  So now we find ourselves 5.. 6 years later, barely uttering a word to one another.. and this terrible news reaches our ears.  I actually found out quite by accident.  When I emailed my dear friend, Jen and asked her about it, she said that she did not want to post anything on FB because she did not want to "take away" from our daughter, Megan's wedding.  So here I am celebrating one of the most beautiful, God-honoring events of my lifetime, and her world is being shaken to the core!  The day I found out, I went upstairs to tell  Mark.  He was Sean's best man at his wedding.  He was watching a cooking show, something he loves to do!  "Mark, I need to tell you something...".  At first he kept watching the TV and said, "Ok,,, what is it?"  "I heard some really bad news about Sean...  he has pancreatic cancer."  Mark's face dropped and he just said, "No!"  He shook his head and looked at the ground.  "Oh my God... "   The C word has hit very close to home several times in our life.  My dear mother in law, Mark's mom, died of ovarian cancer.  She battled with it for 3 years before succumbing to it.... cancer also took the life of my dear friend, Francis, a 72 year old, vibrant woman who lost the will to live after her only son passed away from heart problems.    The shock of it all has not gone away.  It's still there, just under the surface... it'll probably never go away. Mark called Sean yesterday.  They spoke for quite a long time.  It was as if they never lost touch at all... that those 5 or 6 years of not talking didn't make a bit of difference.  God is funny like that.  It's that "Jesus" bond... that bond that knits believer's hearts together.. it's that love that forgives and allows us to let go of anything that threatens to destroy that bond.  It is a beautiful, nonsensical thing that only Jesus himself can create.  It's called friendship.

"Friends are friends forever.. if the Lord's the Lord of them...."

Apple Pancakes

Tonight, I had a bit of a dilemma not unlike most mothers have when 6:00 rolls around and the kid's tummys are grumbling.  "What am I going to make for dinner??"  I try to make at least 4 big meals a week.  By "big" I mean a meal consisting of all the four food groups.... meats , fruits & vegetables, breads/grain and dairy etc.  That might mean a nice Swiss Chicken (meat) topped with bread crumbs (breads) swiss cheese and sour cream (dairy) peas and cranberry sauce (fruits and veggies).  This happens to be one of my families favorite meals.  Another meal might be, let's say, a corn chowder... with potatoes, bacon  served with homemade rolls.  Again containing all four food groups.  But tonight... I was at a loss for ideas!  And this after having dropped a small fortune on groceries at BJ's.   What to do... what to do?  So since it was getting rather late (7:30 to be exact)... I resolved myself to the idea of PANCAKES!  Everyone was in favor of it, except for Rex, who does not like pancakes.  I pulled the huge box of Bisquick out of the pantry... and there it sat for another 15... 20 minutes.  Just when I thought all hope was lost, my very handsome, very creative husband came into the kitchen and asked, "What's for dinner my love?"  Our eyes met and then my eyes slowly drifted to the big box of pancake mix.  "Pancakes??" he said with a concerned grimace.   I nod yes.  Suddenly, it was as if a gigantic light bulb lit up inside his head and my big hunk of burning love sprung into action and took the situation into his strong, capable hands.  He opened the fridge and proceeded to pull out various ingredients and condiments.  Then he went over to the computer and typed in PANCAKES....   the recipe that he selected required buttermilk, of which we had none.  So what did he do?  Did he throw his hands up in despair and select another recipe? (I think not!)  Did he scrap the  whole idea of pancakes and settle for cereal?  (shudder the thought!)  No!  He decided to "make" buttermilk!!!!!!!!!  WOW!!  It was an amazing sight to behold!  Truly mesmerizing!  I felt like I had a front row seat to Food Network's Iron Chef... one of our favorite shows!  He chopped and stirred and folded and sprinkled various ingredients into a bowl and dropped the batter onto a heated griddle.  The smell of the pancakes permeated the entire house... even the next door neighbor stepped out onto his deck to get a better sniff!!  (Just kidding!)  He served me first... as I took the first bite, for a brief, solemn moment... it was as if all was right in the world.... I felt like I was floating on a fluffy cloud.  As the kids ate, they too had the same reaction as I did...  Aaaaahhhh!!  Dinner was saved thanks to my "iron chef"....  Can't wait to see what's for dinner tomorrow night!!

Welcome to my blog.....

What a day!  I am so excited to start a blog, yet still fumbling my way through it all.  I had the most difficult time selecting a name for my blog.... many of the first titles I chose were taken... others I had typed out were really... well... dumb!  I have a few friends who have these great blogs with great names!!   So I thought, perhaps I should open my bible and see what jumps out at me.  Still... nothing.  Then I turned to Proverbs which happens to be one of my favorite books. I flipped over to Proverbs 31.  "A Wife of Noble Character."  I recalled a song that my daugther wrote for me for Mother's Day some years ago...  she actually sang it at our church and let me just say, there was not a dry eye in the place.   As she sang, I felt people's eyes looking over at me wanting to see my reaction.  I cried, of course, and was very proud of my Meggy!  It was beautiful!  Anyway, the song mentioned this verse in it... "her children arise and call her blessed..."   I felt very blessed that day.  I chose "more precious than rubies" because I feel that it sums up how I feel toward others... my mother, my daughters, my sisters, my friends.... heck my husband and sons for that matter!  Those whom I have had the blessing of knowing, rearing, befriending, marrying are far more precious than any jewel or gold or silver.  So I thought that it would fit just right!  My hope is that I will be able to share my heart with others and that others would in turn share their heart with me.  Be blessed....