No Place Like Home

The last few days have left me feeling so peaceful and blessed.  Not that I don't always feel blessed when I think about it, but you know, sometimes it's like God just makes me more aware of things than other times.

Yesterday Kendi found this nasty old stuffed bunny outside.  NASTY!  It was covered in dirt and dried up slime--obviously a victim of doggy chew time.  She was so excited.  "Mommy!  Mommy!  Look at this beautiful baby bunny I found!"  I watched her as she proceeded to take a wet rag and wash the bunny up with care.  Then she went and got a baby carrier from her room.  She brushed his fur for a long time and complained because she couldn't find any bunny clothes.  [I explained that bunnies didn't need clothes.]  She carried that bunny around all day just like it was her baby.  What a beautiful illustration of redemption!  As I went to kiss Kendi long after she was asleep last night there he was, the bunny, still living happily in his new bed.  He is forever rescued from the backyard!  It makes this mommy heart happy that my youngest sees beauty in something the rest of the world would say is no good.

My 10 year old son Samren seems to have sincerely found a passion he can really dig his teeth into!  Cooking!  It's not something that he's ever shown an interest in before this summer (beyond loving to watch the Food Network) but WOW is he the budding cook now!  Last night Eric and I thought we'd splurge and eat out.  This would normally be something all the kids (especially Samren!) would be super happy about.  Not last night.  Nope.  Last night Samren was disappointed because he had planned to cook dinner. =-)  Mind you, we're still at the Mac and Cheese with oven-baked chicken stage, but he's just so proud of himself.  And what he does, he does well!  Samren is a kid who fights hard to grow up.  He learned to ride a bike at 8.5 instead of 5.  He still can't quite say his "r" sound.  And he still can't swim.  So this is a big deal for him.  It's so wonderful to see him fight to grow up.

Things with Bright have leveled back down into a much more manageable place now that we're back into our regular schedule after vacation.  Wow.  Vacation was NOT good for our little guy.  We have never seen him so out of whack.  It's good to see him happy again.  Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments in my last post that was about him.  I want to mention that we homeschool, but through the public school.  I know--it's weird!  Bright has an IEP and can receive services in that way.  We have thought about having him go to the local brick and mortar school, but for many reasons that isn't the right decision for our family as a whole.  We've now set him up semi-permanently in our bedroom in order to protect him and our older son Samren, and that seems to be working well.

Our oldest, Taevy, is growing up too fast.  Unlike Samren, I have to beg and plead with her to please SLOW DOWN and try not to grow up overnight!  Taevy will be 12 in September.  One of Taevy's positive attributes is her respect for money.  She never assumes that Eric and I will buy any "extras" for her.  When she wants something like an iPod, or even to go to a movie with a friend, she doesn't even ask if we will give her the money for it.  She just starts working to get the money herself.  Imagine her delight when she got a job in our neighborhood as personal assistant to the owner of a bed and breakfast down the street!  $5 and hour--big bucks!  This all happens under the pre-tense that she takes care of business here at home.  Evidently, she is quite the worker over there, helping with everything from weeding, to cleaning out guest fridges.  We're proud of her for being willing to work for her money, rather than expecting it to just be given to her.

My mind just keeps going back to our vacation when I think about what to write next.  We had fun.  We really did.  I don't know why most families go on vacation each year.  The first thing that comes to mind is "to get away."  However, what our vacation showed me is that I really like our life.  I like my little chair and table where I sit and work every day.  I like that my kids run around and make chaotic sounds all around me (even though it doesn't feel that way at the time).  I like the sound of our dishwasher and the buzz of the dryer, along with the croaks of frogs in springtime and the rhythm of the locusts in late summer.  My vacation made me miss home, and I suppose that is the best possible outcome of a vacation when you think about it.  This dusty, sometimes stinky, usually loud, oftentimes chaotic place I call home is the place I most want to be in this world.