Redirection, Meltdowns and Grapefruits

Oh my! It has been a day. I can't even get into work. I need time to absorb. Lots of time. Maybe a year. Don't have a year...only have tonight.

Charles picked up Noah today and TODAY Noah deceided to be wild. WILD! TODAY while we had a person from Columbia who, by the way, met with us from 9:45 until 6:15(ok head stop spinning...heart stop racing...you have time to absorb). TODAY, when I had so much to process and talk about. TODAY, Wednesday...Church night...153,487 people coming through the door and stopping to talk (which in a normal day I LOVE but on a day like TODAY just move along! Move along). TODAY he decided he was starving and he had to eat and he needed water and he needed to tell me something and that boy, that teenager was talking about him. TODAY!

So TODAY, while we were in hour 152 of our meeting (or it could have been hour 7- not sure) I hear "RACHEL" being yelled down the hallway. Ms. Debbie kindly went to see what was needed and came back down the hall carrying a most precious package. A precious packed that DHL had dropped out of the back of the van and then run over. Here is what I saw come through my door in hour 152 of our meeting, after Noah has been WILD and I have gotten quite grumpy...

The picture does not do it justice. My poor baby is going to have quite the black eye. (And please note that I have the child sitting on the actual stovetop...have I mentioned my Mother of the Year 2010 award?) He was hurting and I, in my fragile state of mind said "I don't think it needs stitches" and moved right along with the never-ending meeting. I think my brain had gone into some sort of pre-shutdown mode where it really did not register that my sweet baby's eye was as big as his fist and that he was bleeding from his face. So guess who sat in on the last hour of this marathon meeting. You guessed it...sweet Gabey Baby. I'm sure he learned a lot. Maybe he can help me out cause I may just have a break down.

So after the center closed and my visitor went back from where she came, I went to the ever cool Library Book Club (shout out to my girls) and enjoyed about 45 minutes of some fun talk when reality set back in and The Squires Boys came out in full force. Now can I say when the Squires boys are all 5 together chaos is sure to follow...add a bunch if their friends from church into the mix and you may as well go and check yourself into 2 East of Beaufort Memorial. Let's just say after the aforementioned TODAY I did not handle this well. As a matter f fact I had a little meltdown. Why oh why can't my children be the ones who come to my room right before we dismiss and tell me "Guess what Mother? I memorized 182 Bible verses tonight and then I volunteered to help that child who everyone makes fun of by walking him to all of his classes tomorrow." No, my children are the ones who are on the playground, the TODDLER PLAYGROUND, playing kickball with one of those balls you sit on a bounce (you know the big balls with a handle) and screaming at the tops of their lungs that "Yes huh he was out! HE WAS OUT!" Oh, that's right!  I have boys! Boys...not girls...BOYS!

When we finally get on the road (after my embarrassing screaming fit to GET IN THE CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) Noah looked over at me and said "You mad at me?". Are you joking? I explained that we had  a "big boss" who was there and that he had embarressed me. Get ready for the redirection because Noah and Wil and the Kings of Redirection.

Noah: Well you not tell me the boss was there and why you not tell me? And it the fault because you not keep your promise. You promise I go to the beach and Da promise I go to the fishing  and which one true God story or caveman? cause I think God story right and that Social Studies is lying and I hate that social studies cause it stupid. I not go to school anymore cause that is lying.

Wil: I really think that it was unfair of the vice principal to suspend Spencer for the day. How can anyone be held accountable when balls are being hurled at their faces? Really, wouldn't it have been more effective to punish both of the participants in the conflict rather thaan just someone who was defending themselves? I just can't believe they are not allowing him to make up the work that he missed while he was out.

Masters, I tell you! Rediretion Masters! After that I didn't even have the energy to bring the conversaiton back around so I just kept quiet. They do outnumber me after all.

I got home and checked my phone because the good Lord knows I had no time to look at it earlier! Guess what I had? A message from Margaret. Margaret is my friend whose daughter, Jessica was my flower girl. This is Jessica....

Isn't she gorgeous? Yup! This is Jessica's brain...

Jessica's brain with a lemon sized brain tumor (or so we were told). This is Jessica the day I saw her at Duke after brain surgery...

This is Jessica a few days later..looking good I might add!



Today she went back to Duke and...........she is tumor free! Yup the doctor showed them the MRI and there was nothing there! He pulled out one taken at the same time as the one above and he said "Look at that thing... it's the size of a grapefruit!" What? I thought it was a lemon. I could deal with a lemon...a grapefruit is so much less of an appealing fruit. Lemons are yellow and cheery...grapefruits remind me of old people. I am glad we started out with lemons...Jessica can now enjoy lemonaide much more now! Join me please in praising a God who can, through skilled doctors, amazing medicine, a loving family and prayer can heal one of his children with a peice of fruit in their head. We serve an awesome God!