Jack's Injury

I know I would be mad at myself if I didn't briefly blog about Jack's injury. I am just going with the facts. I am too sad about it to write any thoughts or analysis of what happened. On Monday at his school, Jack was hit in the head by a tv/vcr combo. His injuries required four stitches. The doctors think he may have a mild concussion. He still talks about what happened, and reenacts the whole incident many times a day. I am thankful to God that he was not injured worse. We go to the er on saturday to have the stitches removed. Mike's blog, www.butthesegoto11.blogspot.com has a lot more detail about the accident. Please keep us in your prayers, mainly praising God for his protection for my little guy. I will post pics later. thanks so much for all of your calls. They have meant a lot to me.

Happy Birthday, Jackson Patrick

Tomorrow Jackson turns three years old. God has blessed my life so much in these three years, and I am grateful (as I know all moms are, and in a way only moms can understand) for his life, and that God lets me share in this precious time with him. Here is a poem I wrote in Oct., when Jack was only a few months old.

10-26-03

I will always remember you this way...
On a lazy, cool October day
You: a chubby cherub cheeked newborn,
Your fingers like sausages glow in the light
Of a dwindling fire as you sleep
Peacefully on your father's chest.

I ponder the mystery of the blessing that you are.
I long to ask God what I did
To deserve the perfection he delivered in you.
As you rise and fall on yourfather's chest,
In an earthly perfection only God can create,
I revel in a love and adoration
I never knew possible.

The fire produces a static symphony of a backdrop
And the dreary October day
Gives away no hint of the contentment you have brought into my life.
To watch you grow daily and know someday
You will be a man is a joy tinged with
Melancholy that steeps my soul in wonder and gratitude.

Someday, I know, in a very short time,
You will tower above me as a grown man
But I will not see the strong man you have become.
I will see an infant,
Rising and falling on his father's chest and I will ache with
A longing only a mother can know
For this dreary, rainy cold October day
When your sweet body gave way to sleep
On your father's chest.

She Said Yes!

While I realize that many of us are long past the engagement days, Mike's younger brother Myles (almost six years younger) just got engaged, to his girlfriend Lisa, who lives in New York! She said yes! That means I will have a new sister in law whom I adore, and the kids will have a fabulous new aunt. Both Mike and I feel blessed to have a new member of the family, and I am so pleased because both Lisa, and Nicole, my sister in law are gifts straight from God. They are kind, generous, caring and beautiful people on the inside and the outside. God has blessed my brothers (Myles feels like my brother) with great wives. Thank you Lord. Now, keep Lisa and Myles in your prayers! It is such a wonderful, exciting time for our family.

Beach Pictures And A Trial For Hermit Crab

Here are some pictures we took while we were in Galveston the weekend before last. I love to visit the island. It was so much fun to see Jack and Molly playing in the water. We had lots of family there, and my brother and sister (in law) helped out a lot as did my mom and dad. Although I must admit, the reason I love the beach (I usually do nothing except sun tan and read) was virtually non existant, I loved it for other, more exposed, naked reasons like the one pictured below. We did return with two hermit crabs. While Jackson was examining one for like 25 minutes on Highway 45 right outside of Pasa get down dena, the crab bit Jackson's finger and brought blood. Being the crude person I am, after we picked up the crab and doctored Jackson's finger, and comforted him, I suggested we put the accused crab on trial for assault. If found guilty, we'd go Medieval and chop off his claw. I didn't know Jackson was listening. I asked Mike, who should chop off his claw in the event he was found guilty, as in our court, all crabs are innocent until proven otherwise. Jackson volunteered to mete out the punishment. I chop off his claw, mama, he said. YIKES. I didn't let him near the crabs, and sadly, they have all died due to natural causes while awaiting trial. It's a sad end to the beach, but we loved it! (the beach, not the crab attack!).



 

Do You Think The Names Fit?

 

13 Funny Nicknames We've Had For Our Children

For Jackson:
1. The Snowman; in the early sonograms, he looked like a snowman, and I found out I was pregnant with him on Christmas Day, so it just fit!
2. Sumo-Wrestler; he was chubby at birth
3. Chubbers; He continued to be chubby
4. Jackster
5. The Man
6. Butters; he was chubby still at two!
7. Boss
For Molly:
1. Sweet Girl
2. Mama's baby
3. Molly Anna
4. Sweet Baby (not very original!)
5. Molly McGrabberson (Jack calls her this when she steals his trains)
6. Molly Monster

And for them collectively, Our Sweet Monsters

The beach was great. If you know me well, you know who knows when I will actually have pics. to post. I think I am a poster child for the sayings, The road to hell's paved with good intentions. And, The best layed plans of mice and men often go awry. I will see if I can post some funny pics of the kids as babies.

13 Reasons I Love Galveston Island

1. seeing jack and molly relish in the surf and sand.
2. watching molly's first reaction to the water
3. the salty air
4. the stiff gulf breeze
5. the sand
6. fresh sea food
7. the state park in galveston that is right on the beach! (only a short walk over the board walk)
8. sea gulls who risk life and limb for a crumb of bread
9. camping with my whole family
10. the strand at galveston
11. the brown water (I know this seems counterintuitive, but I actually like the color of galvez water)
12. remembering all the trips Mike and I have taken to a beach
13. hearing the sound of the waves and realizing how small I truly am compared to God's greatness

9/11 Memorial

Simon Maddison, age 40.
Place killed: World Trade Center. Resident of Florham Park, N.J. (USA).
He was a devoted family man. Please pray for Mr. Maddison's family today, as well as all of the victims of the attack. Do you remember where you were on 9/11? I was in an English class at UTA. Our professor had no idea the scope of the disaster, and we were reading Candide by Voltaire, which is about wide spread tragedy and the senselessness of initial responses to it. It was quite ironic. I remember going to the library and watching the news on the tv surrounded by several other fellow students. I felt numb; unsure of how to react or what to feel. The following days, I remember the silence of no airplanes. We lived in North Arlington, very close to Bell Helicopter and DFW. Airplane noise was white noise to Mike and I. And the silence was eery. I wrote a poem about the disaster, and since Mr. Maddison was in the twin towers, I will publish it here in his honor.


Twin Towers

The towers
The people
The planes
The fuel
The smoke
The fires
The rescuers
The firefighters
The jumpers
The collapse
The rubble
The collapse
The darkness
The dead
The body parts
The steel
The workers
The flag
The anthem
The hope
The collapse

During the first anniversary, I began to understand just a small bit of the tragedy as the personal stories were retold. I think of the loss of thousands, and the widows, parents, children, siblings and friends left behind to grieve. I was teaching 9th and 10th grade English at Lamar, and I had my students read the obituaries of some people who died during the attack. Which brings me back to Mr. Maddison, who left a wife and a family behind. Please pray for them. I know I already asked that, but I am sure that today is lonely and empty in a way that many of us will never understand, but in a way that God understands. I am truly, deeply sorry for their loss.

Gone With The Wind

I am taking a class on Civil War Lit, and the book and movie Gone with the Wind were on the prerequisite list. I took one look at the book, opted for the movie version which I have heard is pretty true to the book. What an awesome movie! I had never seen it in its entirety; all four plus hours. But, it was amazing. I loved Scarlett. I adored Melanie and Rhett, and thought Ashley was lily-livered. Have you seen this southern epic? What do you think of it?

Mike's "Kinky" political blog

My husband had the courage to write a blog about politics that reflects my feelings deeply. For a long time, (since college) we have both felt this way. Check it out. And feel free to disagree adamantly.
http://butthesegoto11.blogspot.com/

13 favorite writings

1. Bible (it's a given)
2. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich (novel)
3. Julius Caesar by Shakespeare (play)
4. MacBeth by Shakespeare (play)
5. "I Will Return" by Claude McKay (poem)
6. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (novel)
7. "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman (book of poetry)
8. Any poem by W.B. Yeats
9. Hank the Cowdog books
10. The Blue Jay's Dance by Louise Erdrich (biographical account of childbirth/infants first year)
11. Any Harry Potter book by J.K.Rowling
12. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (novel)
13. Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway (short story)

Here is a list of my favorite readings of all time! What books do you love? (Books on CD count, Amy C!) I am going to post the poem by Claude McKay, it paints a beautiful picture!

"I Shall Return"

I shall return again; I shall return
To laugh and love and watch with wonder-eyes
At golden noon the forest fires burn,
Wafting their blue-black smoke to sapphire skies.
I shall return to loiter by the streams
That bathe the brown blades of the bending grasses,
And realize once more my thousand dreams
Of waters rushing down the mountain passes.
I shall return to hear the fiddle and fife
Of village dances, dear delicious tunes
That stir the hidden depths of native life,
Stray melodies of dim remembered runes.
I shall return, I shall return again,
To ease my mind of long, long years of pain

This poem always makes me think of heaven, and how it will feel to be there with our Lord. Although, Claude McKay was remembering Jamaica when he lived in New York.