Sunday, August 28, 2011

30 and All Grown-UP.

Sometimes it is not fun being a grown-up. I just knew it was going to be hard even when I was a little kid! Now I know why I never wanted to go to school and why I swore I would live at home for the rest of my life, something for which I am sure my mom is greatful never happened!

At least my boys have progressed in their "grown-up" plans to living next door instead of always with us:)

Back to being a grown-up though. Sometimes it's just the pits! The bills you have to pay, working hard to get the $ to pay the bills, responsibility and confronting people sometimes.

Wait! Before you get all depressed on me and go bury your head under the covers while you sneak your Hershey's Kisses, there are wonderful things about being an adult, too.

I'll get back to you on that;)

So the boys have their little friend Mikey who comes over daily (and multiple times a day) to play with them. We were thrilled to have a friend for the boys over the summer but I must admit lately that when I hear his high-pitched little voice at the screen door or see his little nose pressed against my newly cleaned glass sliding door, my heart sinks a bit.

Mikey is a really sweet kid and the boys adore him. And I have a ton of compassion for him, which I'll tell you about in another minute. However, M has been getting a bit rough lately. He doesn't treat his own possessions well like when he pretty much tore up his bike tires braking so hard on our sidewalks, leaving deep black scuff marks and leading to him having to get a new bike.

Treating your own stuff poorly is one thing. But coming over to a neighbor's house and destroying their stuff is another! In the past 2 days, he has broken Zakkai's "new" bike that he worked so durn hard for this summer (cracked off a training wheel), lost several of our baseballs, ripped the steering wheel off a push toy I was saving for Eliana and together with Zakkai, came up with the brilliant idea of ripping up handfuls and handfuls (and handfuls) of grass so that our yard is now covered with huge bare patches.

So. I had to hike up my grown-up mommy pants and go over to have a friendly chat with his mom. Now I will tell you why I have so much compassion for Mikey and why this was so hard for me. I hate talking to people about issues anyways because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make someone feel bad but I couldn't allow this to continue. Another reason I felt so bad was that Mikey's daddy suddenly passed away earlier last month.

So now his mom is a single parent of 2 boys, 5 and 9 years old. B and I have really tried to consider that and have often felt over the past month that Mikey's like our 4th child. It started out as a joke that quickly developed a half-serious undertone considering how often he comes over and how much "parenting" we have to do with him. We always try to be very gentle, especially considering he isn't our kid!

He spends hours and hours roaming the neighbhorhood all by himself with no supervision whatsoever. And to clench the deal, I overheard him talking to the boys on the porch today about when his dad died. And how he is in heaven now and he's never coming back.

Now do you see why it was so hard for me to go over there? His mom was very sweet and I tried not to make a big deal out of it. I told her how much the boys love playing with him and how he's a sweet boy but I thought she should just know that he's been a bit rough lately. I have been hoping for a chance to reach out to her and show her that I care. It's hard to reach out to a stranger and a bit out of my comfort zone!

But I think this is a great chance to show someone God's love and for me to learn how to be a real true neighbor to someone as God has asked us to do. I would love prayers for courage and wisdom in how to reach out!
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This is a mobile made especially for Miss E by our dear and wonderful friend, Miss D! I just wanted to say for the record, before she becomes wildly famous and world-renowned, that I knew her!!

 Isn't it cute?! 4 crocheted, stuffed little elephants~which is E's special stuffed animal. She has lots of pink elephants! And now she won't try to roll of the changing table anymore to get away from the cruel practice of having her diapers changed:)
 And behind her dresser is the "hat wall." :) My sister sent me these cute hooks and I thought it was a great place to hang up the many summer hats (and soon winter hats~yikes!) that a baby girl needs! I should go find the missing one while I'm thinking about it....
 Missy showing off her new skills while I take pictures:) She is so big pulling up on everything and getting stronger and faster. It's too cute to see her standing up on her wobbly colt legs with a big happy grin on her face!
And this little boy started us all off with colds in the past couple of days. He started off really hoarse a couple nights ago but thankfully it has just been minor congestion. Samuel was a bit grumpy today and was the second to catch his brother's love-cold. And now Eliana and I both have it, too.

Somehow Ben either gets it last or gets away with never getting it! Not fair....

2 comments:

Grandma W said...

Heidi, each of us has what I call a "life verse". A verse that we memorized (possibly as a child) that has helped us make it through when nothing seems to make sense. What is your life verse? Can you write and place it strategically around your home? Have it as a constant reminder that God is still in control - even when it doesn't feel like it - and that He is faithful and His words are true...no matter what. My life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6. I love you and am praying for wisdom and protection for you, Benj, S, Z, and E.

Melissa Baird said...

Heidi, I will definitely be praying for you and this neighbor and her son! Sounds like you handled the situation beautifully. I will pray that God continues to provide opportunities for you to be a vessel of Christ's love! Miss you!

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