It takes a village....

Well, I’ve definitely been lagging on my blog lately! Why? I had three special events for Vital that took place last week in Omaha, Polk City and Riverside, so I was busy arranging those and travelling! I’m not sure how travelling working moms do that every day…all I know is that when I got home at night, finished planning for my next event, a healthy supper was far from my mind! Just when you think you have the whole career/mom/wife thing down – BAM! You are put right back in your place! So, I sure hope this week is different!

Here’s some of the things that took place in the last week or so:
Joey started Sunday School at Lutheran Church of Hope! It’s a large church so I was worried about the size of his class but he has just 8 kids in his classroom! He brought home a picture of Jesus surrounded by children. The children were colored ALL over – bright red and blue – but Jesus was white. I think that’s a good sign. Bright red all over Jesus’ head could not have been good.

Speaking of Jesus….so, we were praying before supper last week and we say the same prayer every night. After the prayer, Joey looked up to Jesus in the sky and said, “Thank you Jesus! I love you Jesus! You – Jesus- you up there with the dead birds!” I about lost it. Joey had remembered when we were on the walk and saw the dead bird and I told him not to be sad because that bird was in heaven with Jesus now….I can clearly see Joey’s first picture of heaven in his head- Jesus, surrounded with a bunch of dead birds! It cracks me up every time I think of him!

Maddox walked 4 steps! Whoopee! We were so excited. I smiled just as much when I saw Joe and Joey jumping up and down and clapping. Our house was full of joy when we saw him do that…..

Maddox has since not walked one step by himself. What the heck? We thought walking had to be right around the corner, but it’s not. I think we scared him when we were celebrating like we had just won 8 gold Olympic medals.

Maddox has started temper tantrums. Joey never did this, and I’m not even sure what it is. But, he kicks his legs, flails his arms, arches his back, and screams. It is sending me over the edge. So, our solution right now is to set him down in the middle of the room, let him do “his thing” and when he comes back to us, we snuggle him. But, he has to work out his problems on his own before that. He’s now pulled this during the middle of the night twice. We know he’s not sick, we know his ears look good, he has no temp….so I keep telling myself that he’s fine, he just obviously wants to get his way and we cannot be starting that at 1 year of age! Like I said, Joey never did this so this is our first experience with this so I hope we’re handling it okay!

We had a graduation party for Kyle Coppola. Yeah, Kyle! He is officially a graduate of Simpson College, and has started a new job at an elementary school working with challenged kids. He loves it, but most importantly, those kids have someone like Kyle on their side. There’d be no one better to help them.

My friend Abby, and her husband, Marcus had a baby - a boy- Maddox. That child is destined for greatness! : ) Although I don't know Marcus, I know Abby well enough to know she'll be a great mom. We've gotten back in touch with blogging - she was a friend from college. It's funny how motherhood can bring you together with long-lost friends. I love that. It's a mom thing for sure.

My brother and sister-in-law, Tony and Kelly, signed a contract to go to Decorah for 3-4 years. Tony got a job at the hospital there and will start next summer. Decorah has offered help with their school loans, and it’s a chance for Tony to serve a smaller community, and an opportunity for Kelly to stay at home with Davis. Of course, we are going to miss them terribly. But, I have a feeling they are going to settle in like it’s home. Decorah is a great community and Tony and Kelly make friends real easy. They will find their way just fine. It’s a ‘leap of faith’ that I know they won’t regret taking.

My little nephew Carter is sick! He’s been having a high temp for the last 5 or 6 days now. He went to Blank Hospital yesterday afternoon, after Ali and Cary were just uncomfortable with how he was behaving – sad, clingy, a little lethargic. He just wasn’t snapping out of it. They ran a few tests and we’ll get the results back in a couple of days so please keep him in your prayers.

Joe went to the Michigan-Notre Dame game at Notre Dame. His cousin flew a few Coppolas out for the game. As most of you know, Joe is a HUGE Michigan fan so we couldn’t pass this one up. He actually loved the Notre Dame stadium as much as he loved the game. But, Michigan lost and it poured rain (into his cell phone, as well), so that damped his mood (literally). But, he had great time.

We got new carpet in our living room/t.v. room! We needed it bad – with two kids and a black lab, it has been beat up pretty bad. We love it!

So, the last few days have brought several smiles and a few frowns! It has definitely kept this mama on her toes! Joe has really stepped up to the plate in the last week or so – getting the kids up and going in the morning when I was on the road, getting up with Maddox the other night (from 11-3 a.m.!), watching the boys so I could get some work done at night on the computer….every bit has helped (we’ll let the laundry slide….). All I know is that single moms and dads everywhere need applause – I’m not sure how I would have made it without Joe! The African proverb that says “It takes a village to raise a child” is right on….and I have one great “village” around me every day. What a blessing!

Here’s a photo of the boys during bath time last night. Joe gave baths and they played together for about an hour! Joe combed their hair back and made them look goofy – but they are still darn cute!