A Mom's Life

I always knew I wanted to be a mom. I wasn't one of those girls who planned out every detail of her wedding in her diary, but I knew I wanted to be a mom. When I was in my late 20s I was told by a surgeon that there was a good chance I could not have my own biological children. I was devastated but knew I'd be a mom in some way, shape or form. Today I am thankful that God blessed us with 2 great boys.

The boys are at such a fun age. I liked being a mom when they were toddlers. I was blessed to be able to stay home with both of them off and on for 3 years of their lives before they started school. We played, danced, took walk, did crafts and were silly. But this current age they're at is my favorite so far.

Both boys are becoming their own person. One is quick witted, loves hunting like his daddy and is a natural athlete. One is book smart, analytical and loves all animals. Both are tender-hearted, put God first, love to snuggle, are compassionate and musically talented.

Although I absolutely love this age, it's not for the faint at heart. I am a Mom Taxi the minute my job ends each day. We go, go, go pretty much every day of the week. We also have to have some hard conversations, ones that teach the boys life lessons.

Last night our oldest and I got into a pretty in-depth conversation. After he went to bed I pondered what we had discussed and I was thankful that he could be open and honest with me. That's one of the most important things to me as a parent- knowing that the boys feel safe and comfortable coming to us about anything, knowing we will listen, support and help in any way possible. 

I want to cherish every moment with each boy. We try to do special things for them and with them. One boy is going to a bonfire tonight so I'll be taking the other one on a date. I can't wait! I love our special times together. I love that we do so much as a family now and travel every chance we get. But I also love the every day moments and the 1:1 time with each boy. I love the moments where we just sit and discuss life or watch silly YouTube videos or sing our favorite songs at the top of our lungs or worship the Lord together. Being a mom is the hardest, most rewarding and best job I'll ever have and I don't take it for granted!

The Story of Two Squirrels

 Hurricane Ida brought a lot of stuff....disaster, heartache, stress, lost lives. One of the good things it brought were 2 baby squirrels that had fallen from a tree near my inlaw's house. Each boy named one and was diligent in taking care of his squirrel by covering it with blankets, warming it under a heat lamp, holding it and feeding it puppy replacement milk several times a day. Both boys knew that the squirrels would be released once they were healthy enough. Although they knew that, they still didn't want to accept it. 

After Ulysses and Ruby were at our house for a couple weeks, Rob noticed that there were flies all around the cage that the boys had bought for them. So he decided to move them to the dog crate since Rebel hadn't been using it recently. He put chicken wire all around it, but P's squirrel, Ruby was quick to escape. 

She had been the daring one since Day 1. She was the one we didn't worry about surviving because she was active and eating from the moment she was in our care. P decided it was time to release her. He let her go on a tree by our driveway. But, after considering the fact that the tree didn't have food for her, he decided to relocate her. He put her in a bucket and walked her over to an oak tree on some property across the street from us. That night he started regretting it and cried himself to sleep, worried that she wouldn't survive in the rain. The next morning he woke up early to look for her and bring her back to the house. But she had already relocated herself and we haven't seen her since.

On Thursday afternoon E fed Ulysses before we left for a school football game. After we got home, E went to feed her before bed, only to realize she too had escaped. He handled it well, knowing that she was ready to be released. The next morning, however, as we were leaving for school, she showed up next to my car. She ran over to the flower bed, where she watched us pull out. Then she climbed up the tree by our driveway as we left for school. Later that day, Rob texted me a picture of Ulysses back in her hamster cage. He had gone to check the chicken coop for eggs and she was in the nesting coop next to the eggs. Rob said he put a water container in her cage and she drank and drank from it. That night we put her in the converted dog crate again. She snuggled up under the blanket after eating a feast of squirrel treats. Yesterday morning, I checked in on her before going to the gym. Later P went to give her more treats only to find out that she was once again gone.

We haven't seen either squirrel today. We know they are nearby somewhere and that we may or may not see them again at any given time. We were thankful that we got to rehab them and watch them thrive under our care. Now that we're pros at it, maybe we'll rehab more squirrels in the future. 

One of the Guilty

 I'm sitting here, wearing a robe because our a/c freezes me out in the morning, eating a hot breakfast and using my internet to blog instead of lesson plan (which is what I really should be doing). When I'm done I will soak in a hot bath and then get ready for work and a dr appt. All with a roof over my head. All knowing that I am secure. This has been the scene in our area for close to a week now. But, 20 miles down the road that is not the case. I have co-workers who still don't have electricity and are humbling themselves to ask for help with laundry. I have a co-worker who is living at a relative's house because her house was completely destroyed when 2 trees fell through it during the hurricane. 

I know I couldn't prevent any of that happening. It's mother nature. But I still feel guilty. It's the same way I felt after the Flood of 2016. We were the first house on our street that didn't take in water. We didn't lose everything like most people did. Our marriage didn't fall apart like some of our friends' marriages did after the flood.

I'm a person who naturally feels guilty, even when I'm not. It's a weakness of mine. But something I consider a strength of mine is my servant's heart. My love language is giving....time, resources, etc. So I've *tried* to turn that guilt into productivity by helping others. Sunday, after church, the boys and I went to a neighbors' house and helped clean up tree debris in their yard. Then we went to a local restaurant, where we picked up 145 meals. We drove around to designated areas, handing out hot meals to the linemen who have tirelessly been restoring power as fast as possible. Tuesday we went up to my school and cleaned up the parking lot and playground. 

I have offered to house people, do their laundry, bring them a homecooked meal. It's something I enjoy doing. I've learned, however, that it's something most everyone in the South likes to do as well when there's a need. Maybe it's not the South. Maybe it's just Louisiana because there are so many natural disasters here. Whatever the case, I have heard multiple times in the past couple weeks that out of town contractors can't believe how giving the people of Louisiana are. That's just their nature. I don't absolutely love Louisiana by any stretch of the imagination, but I will say that the people here are the most unselfish people I've ever met. 

No matter how it's happened, everyone in the south eastern part of the state has been affected by this hurricane. As usual, it's drawing people closer together, bringing out the good in them. For that I am thankful.