Why oh why oh why?

Ok, former English Teacher moment here.

If anyone else has taught English, or taken English (so, pretty much everyone) what was your LEAST favorite part?

I bet I can guess what 99.9% said.




Grammar

Yeah, all those nouns, verbs, gerunds, diagraming

Even the hip folks at School House Rock couldn't make it cool, minus Conjunctions

Conjunction, Junction, what's your Function?

Anyway, I digress.


So I have been sitting here tonight, for, oh, about 3.5 hours, making lesson plans for


Grammar

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUH!!!!

Oh, how I have NOT missed thee, I shall not count the ways.

And I still have a LOT more to do.

YIKES!!!

My girls better LOVE me when this is all done!!!

Pain

I am no stranger to pain.
Childbirth
child rearing (haha)
car accident
surgeries

I could go on and on, but tonight, it doesn't seem right.

Cole Deickman, a newly turned five year old boy from Joy, IL passed away this morning from an ugly, hard fought battle with cancer.

Five years old. FIVE.

He turned five last Monday, and now he is gone.

I didn't know Cole, just knew lots of people here who knew him. Heard lots of great stories, great memories, about a sweet little boy. How hard he fought and how brave he was.

And he doesn't have to fight anymore.

He runs free, can laugh and play and love and just be.
He needs no medicine, no hospitals.

He is home.

I can NOT begin to even understand the pain his family must be feeling. To even begin to know the heartache they feel. The loss, the sadness, everything that goes along with it.

But to know that Cole is free. In Heaven, at home. No pain, no suffering, nothing but happiness, and love. To be a new, whole person. To be an angel. I surely hope that this can comfort them while they mourn the loss of their precious and wonderful little boy.

Walk with the Angels, Cole. Know that here on Earth, so very very very many people loved you, even those of us who did not know you. You will be missed, and you will be mourned, but there will be a time when your family from Earth will be with you in Heaven. And that will also be a wonderful day. Much like the day you were born!!!

It's 9 PM. Where is your DH?

hahahaaha

No seriously, mine is passed out on the loveseat.
He works so darn hard, and is so tired. I appreciate all that he does for us. I am so proud of him, and all that he does to make us so happy.

Today, we went to have lunch with my great Aunts and great uncle. Then the kids and I got pants for the kids, and then went to Toys R Us to get some things (for free! Gotta love R Us rewards)

And Gerrod worked his tail off so we could go and do all those things.

My kids are making really great memories and having a wonderful childhood, and I get to be a big part of it. I am so lucky. Gerrod has made that possible.

So here is to my exhausted, sweet, and snoring (and if you read this Gerrod, yes you are) husband. I love you so very much. Thanks for doing all that you do.

And now, I am putting him into bed.

An amazing little boy

has found his wings today.

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/2012/01/heavens-little-drummer-boy.html

I have read Courtney's blog forever now, and prayed for little Tripp. He's been such an amazing gift to everyone who has met him IRL or come across his mama's blog.

Tripp is now running free, and happy, able to talk and sing, and do all the things that his little body here on earth couldn't. He is an angel, with God, and walking with Jesus.

I know his mama hurts. I know after three years of holding him in her arms 24/7, I can't imagine how lost she must feel. How empty her arms are.

But I can imagine, as I have read her blog for so long, that her heart is incredibly full. Her little boy, her life, has went home. Has no more earthly suffering. Has made a wonderful and incredible journey to where he belongs.

Courtney, I know you will never read this. I don't know you IRL. But I want you to feel the thoughts and prayers that have come from me. That you are such an inspiration to Mommy's everywhere. I can't imagine that you have comfort now, but in the days and weeks to come, I am hoping for you to start to feel some comfort. I pray for you to remember and relish in the joy that you have from the memories of your precious little boy.

And thank you for sharing him with us.

Phase 10

Thanks again to the Warren family for a fun night of good food and games.

Phase 10 has been one of my favorite card games for EVER, and it has been years since we have played.

We played tonight, and it was a blast, and it brought me back to the Summer before I went to college.

My, Shelbe Hoffman (Parr), Marcie Ruelbello, Jarred Brown, and Ryan Newswander used to play for hours and hours in the evenings. It sometimes got ugly, but it was so much fun.

We used to sit at the kitchen table, and just PLAY.

I had kinda forgotten how much fun that was, just to take a small amount of time and play a game. One that didn't involve characters from TV, or ladders, or counting cherries.

Thanks Mindy and Danny for reminding me of that!!

OOOOPS!

I got all confused by posting twice on Thursday to take care of the one I missed on Wednesday so I forgot to do it Friday.

Confused? Yep, so am I.

The King's Speech

As I sit here and watch this movie, I am moved to say this.

The King is a jerk. I realize that he is just "the way he is" and "how things were"

But DANG!

And now to sit here and watch him cry about not being a king, it just reinforces the idea that royalty just doesn't know how to be common.

But then to hear his wife, the "Queen Mum" be so wonderfully real, is refreshing, and quite heartening.

I'm excited to see how this ends.