Just One of Many

There are so many things I am thankful for today... 2008 has been a very eventful year with more blessings than I can count. But, there is one that stands out so hugely today - I've been thanking my Heavenly Father for it in every prayer since Tuesday afternoon. I am so thankful for the blessing of Bubba's safety!

After a long visit to the doctor that morning (for me), I fed Bubba his lunch and put him on his bus for an afternoon of school. About 15 minutes later the phone rang... it was a representative from the school district's transportation department, they said, "Your son's bus has been in an accident, he's crying... he's scared... an EMT is checking on him right now... they'll give you a call in a couple of minutes and let you know what needs to happen next."

It was probably only 5 minutes at the most - but it seemed like forever. The call came... "he's got a few bumps and bruises - and pretty scared. " While talking with the firefighter, I decided I would drive over and pick-up Bubba myself.

When I arrived at the "scene" I found Bubba surrounded by six firefighters all talking about how cool his back pack was and how awesome it is to be a fireman. By this time the tears were gone and he was high-fiving everyone. They'd also been giving him a few snacks...

his prized possession?

This bottle of Gatorade!

Kids get over things a lot faster than mothers do. Bubba really wanted to go to school - he couldn't miss the Turkey Trot. So that's what he did - went to school - ran in the Turkey Trot and showed everyone the special Gatorade that he got from a real fireman.

Bubba's doing fine - just a bruised elbow and one bruised knee. The first thing he said when telling his brothers about the accident was, "Now I know why seatbelts are so important!" (Luckily, he was on a little bus - so he had the seatbelt to help keep him safe.) Then of course he was showing off what was left of the Gatorade.

As for me, I'd be perfectly fine if I never got another "your son's been in an accident" phone call again. This was my first (hopefully my last) - and I am so thankful that Bubba was safe!

Soccer All Stars

I made it to my second game of the season this last Saturday... here's a little bit of what was going on. (My pictures are taken from pretty far away - so if you want to see more detail - just click on the picture and you'll be able to see everyone a little bit better.)

Handsome Hubby Coached (he's the guy in white)...

OTG Boy played all over - this is him at forward (look for the sunglasses -that's him) - he did a great job!

The Professor has been an excellent defender this year - he's number 4 out on the field!

Bubba spent his time rolling down the hill - life doesn't get much better than that!

What did I do? I came home with a nice sunburn - that's the most sun I've had all year. Leave it to me to get my first sunburn of '08 the second to the last Saturday of November!

Transitions

Inside Clear...

Outside... Sunglasses!

Thank you transition lenses!

OTG Boys was very excited to get "sports glasses" this year... now he can actually see the ball while he's playing soccer!

Lighting Up the Night

What do you think of our Christmas lights this year?

They are very economical - they light up all night and don't add a penny to our electric bill!

Really, what started out as a city employee coming by to let us know our gas-line needed some updating (since our house is about 50 years old)... has turned into quite the project.

It began with this little hole in the front of our yard... then they decided they also needed to chop our tree down...

and remove the stump.

(still working on that one)

Thanks to the help of a few neighbors our yard is now cleaned up (from tree branches -not giant holes). One loaned us a chainsaw - we now how have a pretty large pile of firewood for camping...

(Handsome Hubby had entirely too much fun with this wonderful power tool!)

...the other offered a truck and a ride to the dump (if you look close you can see it parked across the street) - not to mention several helpers from across the street helped us get the little stuff raked up and into green garbage barrels.

Thank you everyone for your help!

The biggest blessing - we've been thinking about how to redo the landscaping in our front yard ever since we moved in - thank goodness we haven't been able to do it - we've had tractors driving all over the yard for a week. Now we're extremely thankful for our not-fancy-yard and dead grass!

One of Those Days

When's the last time you had a day like this?

Unexpected Twists

I can pretty much guarantee... Handsome Hubby never thought he'd be coaching soccer. But here he is - coaching for his second year in a row (after un-officially assistant coaching a couple of years ago).

Now he's already contemplating if he wants to coach one or two teams next year!

This man is an AMAZING DAD!

Technical Difficulties

The Professor's view of the world is a little bit different from most. His peers don't understand why he's not "like everybody else." Adults are amazed at his knowledge on almost any subject. He says it like he sees it - and reacts with great emotion to the world around him.

This past Sunday, I was in Primary to help Bubba share the 12th Article of Faith - I was sitting up front with another Mom (and good friend) who was going to help her daughter give the Opening Prayer. Well, when it came time for the prayer this cute little girl wanted nothing to do with it and started to scream and cry - when the Professor stood-up in the very back row and announced to the room, "Attention, we are experiencing some technical difficulties."

My first reaction - that kind of behavior is so inappropriate! But after I analyzed the situation (as I often have to do) I realized he wasn't saying that to be silly, he wasn't saying it to hurt somebody's feelings - he was just saying, so everyone could understand, sometimes we just have "technical difficulties." If anyone knows what it is like to be overwhelmed in the situation - The Professor knows.

I admire that he puts in to practice -everyday - what he has learned in his therapies. I admire that even though the kids around him pick at him and make his day hard - he still keeps trying. I know he's not perfect (who is?), but I have seen how far he's come - each day is a lot of work for my little Professor and I admire who he is becoming - a very strong, but empathetic young man.