I sat down for a minute.

I did. On a Saturday, at that. It was wonderful. At least, it looked like it would be wonderful. I worked all morning - cleaning, cooking, prompting everyone else to do the same. Then afternoon came and I decided to sit and have a cup of tea while Vetta slept. So I put her down and she happily smiled at me while I waved at her from the half closed door.........and then she went to sleep. Wonders! I knew my afternoon rest was meant to be.

I should have immediatly brewed my tea and sat down. But I pressed my "luck" and got a bit more done, visions of my rest time keeping me going. Finally, the visions were fading and I knew that if I didn't just "do it", it would never happen. So, I plugged in the kettle. It boiled, and then it boiled again as I got just a coupla more things done. Finally, I made my tea, made sure the coast was clear, and headed for the back deck. Aaaaaah. Bliss. Pure bliss. A good book, a hot cup of tea. I relaxed back into the chair and sighed deeply, feeling the ache in my legs melting away. Then Vetta cried. I thought "what? Already?!!!" But all my "getting one more thing done" had wasted that nap time away to nothing. My shoulders sagged momentarily. But I wasn't beaten yet - no sir. I ran upstairs, grabbed her, and snagged the excersaucer (and a chocolate chip cookie - surely I deserved it by now...) on my way back outside. She loves that thing - surely she'll be happy in it for just a few minutes. I popped her in, and settled back into my chair. Aaaaah. Vetta cooed happily and I opened my book and took a sip of my lukewarm tea.

Then I heard little Corin footsteps. Not the "charge around" footsteps that mean I can tell him to go elsewhere. Not the "I'm busy having fun don't worry about me" footsteps. No, they were the hesitant "I'm looking for mom b/c I need her" foosteps. I can't resist those footsteps. Sigh. "I'm out here, honey". The footsteps quicken and soon my little guy bounces out the sliding door and into view. His sad little face brightens immediatly and I know I did the right thing. He hops onto my lap and I realize that my tea is now the perfect temprature to give him a little sip. He sips contentedly and then notices my chocolate chip cookies. "We can share, mom!" Yah. I know what that means. In a few moments I'm handed little more than a crumb. But he gives it with love and really believes that we've "shared" the cookie. He gives me a big kiss, leaving chocolate on my face. And then he leaves.

My rest time is over. I get up, reach down and scoop up my delightful armful of baby. Because I'm a mom. And I'm strangely rested by this interlude. And I walk into the house smiling.

Tamarack 2008 - and a picnic :)

Rich was asked to speak at Tamarack again this year, and boy were we glad! It's a week like no other - a very special time to be encouraged and refreshed by God's word, to develop relationships, have fun with old friends and new ones alike, laugh a lot, cry some, and get a bigger picture of what it is to live as Christians in a fallen world. And to be pointed to heaven, our eternal home.

Unfortunately, I only took a couple of pics - and only of my own kids :) Since Yvetta is still nursed, she had to come along. And since Corin is a big mommy's boy, and there were no grandparents available to leave him with, he came too. And they both loved it!

On Labour Day, Rich decided he and the older boys still needed one last camping trip, so they threw a bunch of stuff in the van and took off, leaving me, the 2 littles, and Laura to fend for ourselves. Well, no problem there! We packed a picnic supper and headed for the park. Here is Yvetta discovering the joys of grass.........

After that, we played at the playground, I met some moms and did some talking, the kids played and then we went home. We put the littles to bed and Laura and I ate chips and watched a movie. And this morning we started school. And that's another story in itself. Deep breath, Cher - just keep on breathing........