We're a Mess - I Mean . . . a "Work in Progress"

It's been a week . . . a week that has felt like a month.

Nearly 8 years of mom-hood has taught me that daily life rarely turns out the way you had planned, or even hoped, it would. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that some days (weeks, months) are messier than others. Like this one. And I want to someday look back and remember it all - to keep it close to my heart, and maybe even to laugh about it.

But rather than rambling on about our week, I'll just let you see a few snapshots of it. It wasn't BAD, as much as it was crammed full of little, and big, surprises. And some elements of it were just . . . pretty typical.

First I'll tackle Mr. Moo. I could just say "he's 2", and leave it at that - no explanation needed! But the past couple of weeks he's been especially 2-ish.

His battle-scarred face bears witness to the fact that it is nearly impossible for the little guy to avoid catastrophe 2 days in a row. His mishaps with bikes, teeter-totters, furniture and his own feet (most of which, I just realized, have involved Karis in one way or another), together with the growing red lump that's been camping out under his eye since Christmas, have pretty much kept me on the alert for Childrens Services. I expect them to call or just show up and take him away at any moment.

Fortunately, I was able to get a last-minute appointment with an eye surgeon on Monday, who informed me that the lump is due to a blocked oil duct, needs to come to a head and then drain, and should do so within the next 6 months. I wasn't exactly expecting to receive a diagnosis of "huge year-long eye zit", but hey, at least it's nothing 5 or 6 warm compresses a day can't cure!

By the way, the caption for the picture at the top reads: "Why not to turn your back for a couple of minutes when Malachi is eating tofu pancakes" (I use the word "eating" very loosely.)

On to the next mess . . .

It's almost never a good sign when you get a call from the school nurse, especially when she uses the words, "head injury." It turns out, Rachel had a run-in with a little boy during gym class, fell backwards and hit her head pretty hard on the concrete. Her eye looked more purple each day for about the first four days after the incident - that little boy must have had one hard head! As for Rach, she's thrilled to have one more reason to act pathetic. (Interestingly, her eye really starts to bother her when she's asked to make her bed, clean up her room, or do homework.)




I walked into Kari Bou's room yesterday to find this . . .



Assuming (desperately hoping?) it was doll hair, I went to ask her about it, and found this . . .



Let's hope the hairdresser can work some magic on Tuesday. I didn't take any disciplinary action, because she was devastated enough when she realized she may have to have all of her hair cut short like a boy.

So, Moo is a mess, Rachel is a mess, Karis is a mess, and now even the outside of our house is a mess. At least it matches the inside, I guess! Danny has begun the process of scraping and primering, and hopefully within the next month or so, we'll have the whole thing repainted - and there won't be any debate this time as to whether it's gray or blue! I can't wait.




As for the Beef Man, I've dubbed this "The Week of the Meltdown." I think just about every day this week has involved at least one. But it's all good, because I finally got a decent picture of him and it's been less than one month since his birthday! Last year it took me 6 months - my silly little dude just does not like cameras.



I don't have the room here, or the time, to go into the other "hiccups" that have taken place of late. But I'm thankful for the past couple of weeks. Mostly I'm glad that not every week is the same, and that my kids' personalities are so different, it forces me to study them, to learn what makes each of them tick. It makes me appreciate the love and support I receive from Danny, the time he spends playing with, and teaching, our children. I'm thankful that life is not predictable, because how boring would that be?

Mostly I'm thankful that God is good no matter what, and that His grace is sufficient for any and every hiccup, regardless how large or small.