Last week got off to a rocky start, with Michael and I both under the weather. With the help of a lot of laying around, resting and some great meds, we are finally feeling better. Just in time for Meredith to come down with a bout of the stomach flu. It was short, but it was nasty. I'm happy to say that it is over, but truthfully, that is just the worst. At least she's old enough to...well...you know...
Besides nursing myself and the little kiddos back to health, I have also gotten to rock it as a mama to my older girls. They have both made me proud this week!!
Marky shot out of the gate on Monday night with an awards ceremony at City Hall, acknowledging her as one of the winners of an art contest that took place in our city. It was for a drug-free campaign that the sheriff's department heads up, and Marky plus 11 others were chosen as winners to illustrate this year's calendar. She was confident and beautiful as she walked to the front of the room to accept her award. She is such an incredible girl, weaving and bobbing her way through middle school; finding her niche, settling in to this new stage of life. Music, writing and art seem to where she is touched most tenderly, what stirs her heart the most. It is thrilling to watch God write her story. Every day, a different aspect of her personality is revealed, a another layer of her soul peeled back. There is a deepness to my Marky that beckons me to listen to her, to find out what she is thinking. Being proud of her is a given, wanting to be like her is a privilege.
Today brought Maddie to the finish of her "book-bowl" competition (basically a reading comprehension event). My sweet Maddie is the most precious 4th grader that you will ever meet. She was one of the spokespersons for her team, and she volunteered for that postition. It is a position where you have to speak confidently, but only after having listened to your team mates gather up their answers. They handed their answesr to her, trusting that she would deliver it in a confident, direct manner and boy, did she ever deliver. I could tell that she was nervous, because when she feels those butterflies flyin' her hands are messing with her hair. The hair was-a-twirlin! Yet a little case of the butterflies didn't get the best of her and she represented her team quite well. It was obvious they liked her as their team leader. Maddie's heart is so big, it barely fits into her tiny chest. She is constantly thinking of others and is very sensitive to the needs around her. To see Maddie wtih her friends is to view a perfect example of what God defines friendship as -to lay down your life for them - a verb, action, taking care. Her compassion and sweetness is contagious. She just makes the world a kinder place.
Meredith take this singing business quite seriously. She is very focused on her director, and sings every note correctly. No wrong notes here, no ma'am! Meredith is so incredibly gifted as a musician. It will be so much fun to see her develop as a musician; especially such a determined one.
This mama's heart just might burst with all of it's mama-happiness. My kids bless me so, and since it's my blog, I won't even apologize for bragging about them. Cuz that's what mama's are supposed to do.
