throwing up and getting help

monday night i had class so chas was in charge and cole and avery were helpers. right before i left, june told me her belly hurt and so i told her to go lay down on the couch. she promptly fell asleep. after i left and before devan came home for the evening, she woke up and threw up... a lot... two or three times. chas held her and helped her get cleaned off in the bath. avery cleaned up the vomit from off the carpet. (ike gagged and nearly threw up himself, so the story goes, but you know...)

what's better than siblings who help you when you throw up? absolutely nothing. that's pretty much as good as it gets.

chas and avery were God's hands tonight. they were amazing.

emergency!

this morning i came home from dropping june off at preschool to find ten text messages and a phone call from aidan, chas' best friend. my heart nearly stopped. i realize that if something had actually happened to chas the school would have called me, but in the moment my first thought was that something had happened to him. it really is true that having children means you walk around with your heart outside your body. it's killer, i tell you.

but i digress. turns out chas just forgot his clothes for the band performance during third period. i threw them in a bag and rushed down to the school knowing that chas is playing a lot in this assembly today. and since it's his first jazz band performance (including last night) ever, i wanted it to be a positive experience for him. see, i'm thinking about you chas. always.

again, digression. the point is that when i walked in to the school chas happened to be walking in to the office at the same time (i'm assuming to come call me!) so i was able to just hand off his stuff. perfect, God-driven timing btw. cause he loves you, chas. always. like me. always.

but that isn't even the point. the point is that chas was clearly very grateful and said as much. but then he hugged me and that just made my day. chas doesn't give out hugs often. he has never been a very touchy feely person, but in the last three years he has become even less so. i'm hoping it's a phase and he'll grow back into feeling comfortable hugging and showing affection to his family. in the meantime, any time chas hugs me is like manna from heaven. and a hug in front of all the other students isn't lost on me.

i'm good with small miracles. i see those too.

today i felt God in the arms of my strippling warrior son.

avery's kindness

last night avery, ike, and june were playing outside with all the neighbor kids. they were raking up all the leaves off the sidewalk from the corner all the way to our house in hopes of building a giant pile to jump into. as it had just rained, the leaves were wet and it was cold outside. i thought they were crazy. they thought it was loads of fun. 

as i was making dinner, avery came in asking if she could make hot chocolate for all the kiddos because, no surprise, they were cold. i was frustrated with the idea and said no because i was making dinner and didn't want her in my space. i complained that it'd be too difficult to make hot chocolate for so many kids -- there were eight at least. but she did it anyway cause that's how avery is: defiant to the end. it drives me crazy most of the time. but as i watched her prepare the chocolate using a large container that had an easy pour spout, i began to change my  mind about her idea. she was doing a more efficient job than i thought she would. and she was being kind and thoughtful of others, which i didn't want to dissuade. this is what avery is really good at -- seeing another's need and being defiant in meeting that need. once she knows someone needs lifting, she is committed to doing it. 

it was awesome to watch last night and left a huge impression on me. even this morning, i find my spirit lifted remembering her service to others and her unwillingness to allow my humbug attitude to get in her way.

i saw God today.