Knuckles

While sitting at the computer playing solitaire I was listening to the kids play Guitar Hero with one of their neighborhood friends. Any time someone new is in our house the younger kids have to give them the third degree. They fire questions at whoever is here like they are trying to get top secret information out of them. Makayla was very patient with the girls as they asked questions... "why don't you put your hair down?" "where's your brother?" "why is your skin darker than mine?" "what are you having for dinner tonight" "do you like playing this game" "why don't you put your hair down?" (yes, this one was asked about 6 or 7 times) "do you know what my name is?" "can you ride a bike?".

Finally I heard, "what's your middle name?" I didn't hear what Makayla replied but I heard Ben very distinctly chime in, "My middle name is Knuckles!" The girls giggled and Emma told him that no, his middle name was Michael, not Knuckles. He was insistent that she was wrong and that we named him Knuckles instead. I tried not to giggle too loudly but it was so cute. He ended up storming off saying, "My name is Knuckles, you call me Knuckles!"

I guess I have to stop calling Ben my "sweet boy" and start calling him Knuckles instead. I can only hope that the attitude doesn't come along with the nickname as "Sweet Boy" really does apply to his current personality... always sweet and loving, at least to his mama. His sisters, well, they have to fend for themselves when it comes to him being sweet to them.

Amazing April

This has been a crazy month! I'm hoping it will calm down soon and we can have a breather. So many things have kept me away from the computer including my computer being down! It's amazing how we come to rely on this gadget and our world almost stops when it's not working. We were unable to do school online, I couldn't look anything up, I was unable to post over at The Homeschool Classroom for 2 weeks, and I couldn't access email or voice mail (although with our modem down we couldn't get calls anyway!). It was a long week and a half without the computer. I'm so glad it's up and working now.

Besides the computer being down we celebrated several milestones in our family this month. First Mike and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on the 6th. We were able to go out to dinner and a movie the night before since we knew he had to work on our anniversary. It was so wonderful to just go out alone. It doesn't happen often and I cherish it when we get to spend time together. Mike, who many times forgets, gave me a beautiful music box that plays "Amazing Grace" and says Faith, Hope and Love on the top. It has room to keep jewelry or whatever you want to put in it. I decided it would be perfect for my rosary. It's beautiful and made our anniversary that much more special.

On Saturday, the 11th, I was honored to sponsor one of our closest friends while he finished his journey to becoming a Catholic. As his sponsor I was able to stand up for him and with him as he received his sacraments. Easter is such a beautiful time and of course as Catholics it is one of the most holy as well. To be a part of someone so dear to us becoming Catholic and getting to share in our faith, well, is almost too amazing to put into words.

Easter Sunday brought us sick kids but still so joyful to celebrate Christ's resurrection. It was fun to watch the kids search for Easter baskets and to explain the true meaning of the day to them. While we couldn't go to Mass because they were sick I was able to bring the older kids to the Easter Vigil (Saturday night) with me so they were able to celebrate the Mass then.

We celebrated Mike's 38th birthday on the 13th. He got an XBox 360 game he has been eye-balling for a while now. Call of Duty, World at War 4 is right up his alley and he's loved every minute of having it.

We buried a dear friend's father on the 8th, which you can read about my reflections on her parents' love below. It was a sad occasion but a very touching one that helped me realize that no matter how much time we have together, Mike and I have made memories that will last both of us and our children a lifetime. We truly are blessed!

On April 23rd we celebrated an occasion that I've been dreading for years.... Kaylie's 16th birthday! I remember looking at her when she was a tiny baby and thinking about how quickly our time with her would go. It has gone quickly but I wouldn't change a single day for anything! She has been a bright light in all our lives and I can't imagine what our lives would have been like if she were not in it. She is growing into such an amazing young lady. I can only hope and pray that all my other children will grow and blossom the way she has. Kaylie is now looking forward to getting her license and only has to wait till the end of May to do so (in GA you have to have your learner's permit for a full year before getting your license so she will have her permit a year in May). She's eager to get a job and eager to keep growing and doing more things. As far as experiencing and doing more things she actually went on her first date this month too! My little girl truly is growing up!

To top off the month, this weekend I started noticing something different about the baby. I normally have lots of movement down low, lots of hits and punches. Some are actually quite painful. But because of the spina bifida she hasn't used her legs much at all. This weekend though I noticed that I was being KICKED! It was unmistakeable and so wonderful to feel. I've been feeling movement for months but to get to 30 weeks without true kicks was very sad to me. This weekend though she was using her legs to kick and move! It was probably one of the most single thrilling moments of any of my pregnancies. It seems as though maybe things will be ok. I'm not willing to say for sure that it's all ok but to feel her kick is to know that she does have movement in her legs. To me that's enough. I have an ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday and hopefully I'll see her moving her legs. Thus far I've seen very, very little of that, definitely not seen any kicks. I'm praying hard that I will see those little bitty legs just pumping away. If I see that then I can say that I don't think anything else could top this month.

I feel very blessed. I know that we have gone through some major ups and downs but I try my hardest to always look on the bright side of things. It helps the good times become even better and helps the bad times not look quite so bad.

I'm hoping next month is even better than this! We will celebrate Emma's and Ben's birthdays as well as Mother's day and hopefully Kaylie getting her license. We'll be done with our school year and can officially start summer. We'll be another month closer to adding to our family and meeting our newest little lady. So far it's looking to be a wonderful month too!

A Love To Last Forever

This past Monday, April 6th, was our 18th wedding anniversary. We celebrated on Sunday though by going to a movie and to dinner. We knew Mike would have to work on Monday so we decided to take the time for ourselves on Sunday. It was a wonderful evening.

It's hard to believe that we've been married for 18 years and it's even harder to believe that we've been "Mike and Michelle" for 21 years! We started dating in high school and married less than a year after we graduated. No one thought we'd make it. Afterall how many marriages survive these days, especially when the couple is only 18 and 19 years old? Not many, but we've beaten the odds. It's one of the things I am most proud of in my life. Marriage is a lot of work but the results is so worth the effort.

On Monday morning, my anniversary, I got an email from one of my good friends that said her father had died the night before. They had been expecting it so it wasn't a surprise but it was still a sad occasion. When I went to see my friend we were talking about her parents and how much they had been through. She said that while her mother had been expecting her father to go and was prepared for it, she still was devastated. She had a hard time allowing the coroner to come and take his body (he was at home with hospice caring for him when he died). She said it was so amazing to watch how much love her parents had for each other after all this time.

At the visitation on Tuesday her love was evident again as she asked for his casket to be closed. When they started to close it she ran to him and said no, they couldn't close it. She wasn't ready to not see him again. They left the casket open and she could not take her eyes off of him. She whispered in spanish to him and stroked his hands. Her love for him was overflowing. My friend said that even then her mother was calling to him with her Cuban nicknames for him. My friend was so overwhelmed with the love her parents had for each other. So was I.

At the funeral on Wednesday as we went through the funeral Mass and the burial, I could only think about being in this position one day. It's not a thought I like to think about at all. All the what ifs of Mike's job crept into my mind. What if he's killed while on duty? What if we don't get 50 years together but only 21? What if my children don't get to know their daddy? What if we don't grow old together? As I sat thinking of this I looked at my friend's mother and thought that even in her intense sadness she wouldn't trade a minute of the life they had together. I thought about my life then. I had to stop thinking of the what ifs and think of everything Mike and I have done together... what we will do together. We will deal with the what ifs if they ever come up but to dwell on them now is not going to help me at all! Like my friend's mom I wouldn't trade a single day to avoid that hurt and sadness. There's been too much good in our lives!

While I know my friend's mother was grieving I also know that she had achieved something we all hope to have... a love that will last forever. Even in death that love survives. Later that night when Mike got home I hugged him tight and knew that I was as lucky as my friend's mom. I have a love that will last me forever. I know that I have been blessed. And while I hope for another 50 years together I am so thankful for the years we've had together so far. If anything should ever happen to Mike I know that the love we have now will last a lifetime and beyond. I can't ask for a better or more perfect anniversary gift.

Music: "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillet

Polite Dinnertime Talk

Tonight at supper we had tacos. Taco night means we put everything on the table and everyone does their own thing. It's a favorite and normally pretty loud as everyone gets excited about making their own plates (I usually fix plates assembly line style). Mike was home so that was a nice treat as well.

As we were eating Mike was asking about our day. He then turned to Savannah and asked, "Did you do the chore I asked you to do today?" I told him I forgot to tell her to do it but he quickly said he told her before he left for work. Savannah said she tried and did the best she could.

So what was that chore? Well, with our tax return we bought new livingroom furniture. It's beautiful and it's leather. So far I've loved it because it's very easy to clean up and I never have to worry about spills, leaking diapers or poopy accidents. It's been wonderful. Mike, however, did discover a drawback of the furniture. The way the furniture is made is that the cushions are not removable. We bought this because that way kids couldn't destroy the cushions, take them off and jump on them, lose stuff under them or anything like that. But it does lend itself to little bits of stuff being trapped in between the small crack separating the cushions. Mike was certain that he discovered that someone had put a booger in them. So, he told Savannah, whose chore is the livingroom this week, to clean out the cracks both with the vacuum and with a wet cloth.

While talking about the chore at supper Mike wondered aloud who might have done such a thing. Immediately Bella pipes up, "Now wook... I didn't do it." She had a very strange look on her face (like a guilty one) and she had her hands up in front of her as if that might convince us that she truly didn't do it. Bella, being Bella, would have been our first suspect anyway but with her speaking up first we were convinced it was her. Mike asked her why she would do such a thing and she cocked her head to the side and thought very hard. She was trying to figure out a way out of the mess she was now making for herself. She said, "I'm telling you, I weally didn't do it. Maybe it was someone else". We knew she wasn't going to admit it so we let it go with a warning that no one should be putting anything in between the cushions of the couch or anywhere else that wasn't appropriate.

I looked at Mike and asked him if for one night we might have a meal that didn't include burping, farting, talks of poop or boogers. He looked around at all the kids and said he thought we had a long, long time before we'd reach that point. I looked around at my 8 kids sitting at the table with us and knew he was right. I guess I should just accept that polite talk is not going to happen at our table. I can only hope they have enough sense not to talk about these sorts of things at any other table than our own!