Everyone needs to listen to this and think about why you do what you do! I even made my kids watch it and Coop just looked at me as I expected but Raelynn even got it! She actually said to me, "This is why our foundation has so many people that help us!" Wow, how I hope so!
Tonight I planned to make a post because my kids make me smile every day and today was no exception. I keep this blog not only to keep my family up-to-date on our lives but also to keep a journal for Raelynn and Coop so when they are my age and raising their children they will have it to reflect on. So today I picked Coop up from Mary Beth's. As we are driving to get Raelynn he is telling me in true boy fashion about the fun he was having with his friends. He says with a smile on his face and almost a laugh in his voice, "Today I was playing basketball with my friends and when I was sitting in time out Kaden's ball got stuck on the goal and he hit it and it popped right out, it was so funny." I am sure he was expecting me to laugh along with him and ask a couple pertinent questions as I always do but instead I had focused in on the part where he said "when I was sitting in time out". So I said, "When you were sitting in time out? Why were you sitting in time out?" Coop says, "Oh, I shouldn't have said that part." I couldn't help but chuckle a little before I continued to peruse the reason for the time out.
So these are the cute things I experience with my kids every day. Every day is something new and better than the day before. So tonight when I took a call from my Mom, my heart sank. My cousin is pregnant with her first biological child. My Mom and sisters had just been out to her baby shower last weekend. She is due in 2 short weeks and so happy. I am FB friends with her and I love her posts. She is a nurse in Colorado and through her posts I have watched her beam with happiness through this pregnancy. So tonight when I received a call from Mom telling me that she had lost her baby I could hardly breathe. I sat down immediately and tears came to my eyes. I instantly felt pain for her and yet knew that the knot in my stomach did not compare to a fraction of what she and her family felt. Tears run down my face as I type now, I don't know if it is because I am a Mother and know how incredible it is or if it is because we have been so close to loosing a child of our own but I cannot help but hurt for her deeply. I know God has a plan and I always keep that in the forefront of my thoughts but it does not make the pain go away or the sadness disappear. I know she will be ok, she is a strong woman, but I will pray hard for her. I have always believed that death is painful for us left behind but for that beautiful baby, he was able to skip everything here on Earth and skip straight to extraordinary bliss where everything is as perfect as he is. We should all feel joy for him and remember the pain we feel is our own and not his. He will be waiting to meet his family someday but for now will always hold a special place in the heart of his Mom, Dad and Brother that will give them strength they never knew they had and love they never knew possible. Our thoughts, prayers and love are with you all.
Today did not go as planned but was much better than I had ever expected. I got back from the gym this morning to Raelynn lying on her bed saying she didn't feel good. I let her stay in bed while I showered and then checked in on her. She seemed to be feeling a little better but was not herself. She had no fever and her eyes didn't look sick which are the two things I look for in both of my kids as they always have a fever when they are sick and their eyes look horrible. The truth is I probably would have kept her home just to see but Tom is in L.A. and Valerie would be at the office by herself and I didn't want that. In retrospect, not one of my best parenting moves. Anyway, I read to the kids at school as we do every morning and as I dismissed them I asked Raelynn how she was feeling. She said better and went on her way to class. I had told her sweet teacher she was being a little meek and to call if she got to feeling worse. I headed to work and at 8:50am my cell rang and it was Raelynn's teacher, she had thrown up in class. I felt horrible for her and was mad at myself for sending her to school in the first place. This is when being a working Mom and trying to balance being a good Mom and a good employee is impossible!!! Anyway, I got her home and situated on the couch. I quickly got myself situated to work from home and got busy. Now this is one of the amazing things about today's technology, I can do everything I do at work right here at home AND I have little interruptions. The day turned out to be amazing. I got some things done at work that I have had pending for far too long. I got so caught up on both work and the foundation I am actually going to bed as soon as I finish this post, note it is only 9:40pm!!!! That's awesome!!! I also snuck in a little snuggle time here and there with cuddly Raelynn. So a day that started out a little hectic turned into one of the most productive days yet!!! Makes working from home a day each week look really appealing!!! (Just joking Tom!!!! :) ) Raelynn is doing just fine tonight and ready to be back to her normal self tomorrow. A successful day all the way around!
You know how there are those does when nothing goes right? Well today was NOT one of those days! The morning started bright and early as we had the presentation of funds for CCF for the family that was selected to receive funding this year. We met the Nichol's Family for the first time today and they were wonderful. They were so grateful and already talking about how they could give back and support the foundation! Their son, Ethan, was adorable and even chubby which you don't see often in heart kids which made him even cuter! We also met a new "partner" in CCF. Shelbie is a local Mom who had contacted us about making these special shirts for the heart kids we fund. They are shirts that open in the front so the kiddos can wear them while at their doctor appointments and in the hospital. I was so excited when she contacted us about doing this but I was even more excited when I met her today. She is absolutely delightful and her son, Noah, was adorable too. Anyway, it was a very inspiring morning and always my favorite "event" of the year. We are so very lucky to be able to be doing what we are. I just cannot even tell you how fortunate we are. The other such rewarding side of it is to watch Raelynn and Cooper grow in all of this. Coop is finally starting to really get it and what is really cool about it is it just seems like he knows this is what he is to be doing. It is not like it's anything special but yet he takes it seriously. I don't really know how to explain it other than he is falling in the role very well. Today after we got home and the kids were playing they were pretending to do their own presentation of funds and Coop is the one who started the role play. He announced the recipients and explained the foundation and let me tell you, he explained it very well. Then he handed the play mic over to Raelynn and he introduced her as "Raelynn from Raelynn's Rock Stars, the original Rock Star!" It fills me with pride to listen to them. So with a start to the day like that, it is no wonder the day went just as well.
When you are completely drained and only thinking about the weekend by the start of Monday you know it is going to be a long week. That is how this past week was. I have to say I haven't had one like this in a long time. There was a lot of stuff going on that was upsetting/stressful for me but eventually the week ended. Wednesday night we did get to go to the KU/Oklahoma game which was fun. The kids picture got put on the overhead screen 4 times so that game us all a smile.
