Jack's 1:1 Date and Ben's 14th Birthday Party

Posted by Chandra December 14, 2020

Jack's 1:1 Date and Ben's 14th Birthday Party

This weekend had its highs and lows.

On Friday, I took the kids and drove all the way down to San Clemente to take Kari's family picture. We left a little early so we played at the park and had a super nice visit with my parents in the backyard. When we got down to Kari's it was dark and the picture was proving difficult to take. Kari didn't want the kids inside her house so they had to stay in the backyard. That was fine with them because they were excited about the trampoline but as time went by, they were really wanting to come inside and it was cold. I could tell Kari was getting frustrated and the kids were not super excited about the millions of pictures. I felt badly and tried everything I knew how to do to make the picture turn out. But in the end there was only 1 good shot and it was blurry. BUT, my kids were sooooooooo good. I was so incredibly grateful to them for their perfect behavior! I rewarded them with some ice cream.

That evening, Tanner and I attended the Blahd's annual Christmas party. Tanner had to meet me there....

Funny Story: earlier that day, he'd rented a truck to pick up some much needed PPE from the office in Mission Viejo. As I was driving down to Laguna, a big red truck pulled up next to me and started honking. "How rude!" I thought. Parker looked over and busted up laughing, "It's Daddy!"

Anyhoo, he was late getting back so he met me at Erika's party and left before I did so he could drop off the PPE at his office. The party was so fun, though. We had a yummy dinner, played the musical bell thing game, and told about the funniest thing that happened to us that year. I love my friends and I'm so glad we have each other!

Saturday was Jack's turn for his 1 on 1 date and he was so excited! We took him to a local diner called Cowgirl Cafe that was highly recommended AND they had indoor dining! When they brought out Jack's special chocolate milk, he started crying. That boy has the biggest heart. He was so happy about being together and getting spoiled with that whipped cream. It made both me and Tanner tear up too. Jack is something truly special and it was so nice focusing on just him for a few hours. We took him shopping at Target and he picked out a LEGO for Parker (Jack drew Parker's name this year) We don't spend nearly enough time with just Jack. He's incredible. He's hilarious and makes me belly laugh every day. He's smart and compassionate and very snarky. And I'm SO glad he's mine.

Later, we picked up the rest of the kids and drove down to Jon's park for Ben's 14th birthday party! We had pizza and cupcakes and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. I was able to re take Kari's picture and also snap a few for Cami and Josi. It's always so fun when the family gets together and I'm so glad we live close by each other. The big boy cousins all huddle around and chat. They played catch and did push ups. The little boy cousins run around and play hide and seek and make believe. Ella LOVES her big girl cousins and they take such good care of her- pushing her on the swing and entertaining her.

After the party, we ran a few errands, grabbed some Chick Fil A, and drove around Ladera looking at lights. Tanner got all excited and was like a kid in a candy store checking out all of the super awesome displays.

Sunday was no bueno. It started out fine but then Tanner got a call that a disgruntled staff member called the fire department and reported the facility was short staffed (which they were NOT). 12 ambulances were lined up to take patients away when Tanner got there. It was NUTS. But he got everything straightened out and the guy who made the call got fired. Tanner came home around 3 and we watched the MCO concert 2 more times and by then I was really feeling like I'd been GIVING for too long and was really just wanting to partake of the sacrament. I gently nudged Tanner a few times until we finally all gathered but the kids were wiggly since it was now bedtime. Tanner told me to get them under control and I broke. I just sobbed. All I wanted was the sacrament but it's something (one of the ONLY things) I cannot do for myself. The kids saw me crying and calmed way down. Our meeting was quick and then I needed to step away and compose myself. Tanner put the kids to bed while I drove to the park and cried and cried. I was just feeling so heavy. I'd been carrying too much for too long and I could not bend any longer. Ironically, that day's Light the World prompt was to find a quiet place to reflect on how God speaks to you. I needed that 20 minutes of solace. It's a rarity these days to be completely alone without anyone interrupting my thoughts. As I sat praying, petitioning God for help, I felt these waves of grief wash over me. I just kept thinking, "It's too heavy. It's too heavy." And then I heard, "Then lay it at my feet."

For my yolk is easy and my burden is light.

Well, I dried my eyes and was home right after the kids went to sleep. Tanner and I had a good talk and I know things will get better. They always do.