05/05/08

Cinco de Mayo... and how did we celebrate??? We didn't go eat Mexican but... I took Mikayla to get her ears pierced today. She was BEYOND excited and could not wait. It was quite a fun afternoon letting her get it done, I must say. It is one of those mother/ daughter bonding times that are kind of neat. She was ready, that is for sure. It didn't bother her a bit when I let her know it would hurt but for just a minute. I didn't want to tell her everything would be painless and then have a bad experience, so I felt I would err on the side of "over pain"... She was so confident sitting there. I only saw a small amount of nervousness when she saw the "guns" but when it came time to do it, she was AWESOME. She didn't flinch, didn't tear up or anything! There were people there watching her and they were impressed, too. lol I was quite proud of her. I knew she would do great.... it is part of her personality.

We chose her birthstone as her earring. I could have gone cheaper and done boring balls, but I chose not to do that. She is so girly-girl and loves sparkly things so I knew this would be best. I wasn't planning on spending a lot of money today, but it cost more than I anticipated. lol We decided to go ahead and get her a couple of pair of earrings and they were buy two and get one free, so she got three. I was happy for her and knew this was something she would enjoy a long time. She has been so excited since she got them. The talk has been non-stop, and for those of you who know Mikayla personally, you know that isn't hard for her to do. lol

I told her part of her responsibility with getting these earrings was showing responsibility around the house without being told. Her room is the major thing I was getting at! She came home and immediately tidied up her room. Now, I realize this will wear off and we'll have more moments of remembering what is expected, but I am cherishing this willingness at the moment! She called Mom and Steve to let them know how it went and then we stopped by Mom's on the way home. Mom was loving it. She is already planning on buying her earrings for Christmas. lol :)

Speaking of Mom, it was great to see her in good spirits and healthy. Today is the third anniversary of her getting so sick and having to be in the hospital almost a month. Some of you remember that quite well. Others who are now reading may not even know what happened. (Mom came down with Beta Group A Strep which is the "flesh eating" strep as well as ecoli and septicemia... her organs were shutting down. It truly is a long story so I will not go into detail. She was just VERY sick.)

It is almost hard to believe it has been three years, though. I just thank the Lord for how He healed Mom and allowed her to be with us longer. For a while there three years ago, we just didn't know. Those 23 days of her in the hospital changed my life dramatically. I used to be so obsessive over things, tried to be in control at all times, and that taught me I had no control and I needed to let go and let the Lord take it for me. Since then, I have learned I can't be "Super woman" and get everything done in a day. I want my house clean, but it doesn't always happen with working full time and the kiddos. I learned to continually release my control freakness. I am still a control freak in a lot of ways, but nothing like I used to be. God always takes circumstances in our lives and teaches us and molds us. That is definitely what happened three years ago. I have learned to trust the Lord in a deeper way since then. I have also learned that He holds us completely and worry causes only more problems. Doesn't mean I still don't have worry moments, but I am learning to continually put that trust back on Him.

The irises today are in honor of Mom and the fact that she is still here three years later. Irises were flowers that were always blooming around the house as I grew up. Mom used to have a zillion colors of them. Maybe that is why it is one of my all time favorite flowers. These are some I photographed yesterday. I know one of them looks like the same picture, but if you look closely one has a lot more detail in focus than the other.

Enjoy your evening. I don't have any papers to grade tonight so I am going to relax a bit. Steve is working late so I hope he'll be home soon. Cherish a special moment today....