Blankets, Comfort Level, Benae's Love Cup and Homework

Just a few random things that are on my mind this morning....

 

Last night when I tucked in Andrew (our resident Eskimo---he's so cold natured!), he asked me to give him his baby blanket.  It's a worn out, faded, tattered Elmo blanket that (if it were mine) would've gone to Goodwill long ago.  But he loves it.  He said it's a "lucky" blanket for him.  When Samuel heard him mentioning his baby blanket, he decided he wanted his, too.  Samuel has 2 blankets/quilts that family members made for him, which he loves.  One was made by his Aunt Cindy (my sister) & one by Grandma (my mom).  They're about the same weight & size, so he'll often snuggle them both at one time.  When Andrew saw that Samuel had those, he asked "Why don't I have one of those?" (a handmade blanket).  I explained that these were made by relatives when Samuel was a toddler & that he had not lived with us then.  When he expressed that he wanted one, too, I had to put in a quick call to Grandma.  She's our usual blanket/quilt maker, so she's now on the hunt for flames and/or motorcycles fabric (like Harley Davidson).  If you know of some, let us know!  I can't wait to see him open a present with his very own blanket or quilt at Christmas.  I know he'll love it.  {Note:  I know that he had some kind of personalized blanket as an infant, because I've seen pictures of it, but I don't have any idea where it is now & he doesn't remember it.}

 

This morning when we pulled up to the school, God gave us a very special oppurtunity to be in the car line behind a sweet little boy.  He taught us several things just by watching him.  I love those teachable moments...but they're even more profound when *I* am taught right along w/ the kids.  As we drive through the line, we are usually trying to hurry up & get the kids delivered & get on the way, not only because we're usually running late, but because there are a thousand people in line behind us waiting for us to MOVE.  There are 3 spots along the sidewalk where you can put the car in park & have your child unloaded by school staff.  When we were in the #4 position (just about to pull up....) the car in front of us put on the brakes, put the car in park & the driver got out.  I was astounded.  I mean come on....you don't have time to get out & re-tie little Johnny's shoe or dig in the trunk for the CD you're wanting to listen to!  Get out of the way!!  But then it happened.  All at once I was slapped by conviction & the kids were watching in amazement as the mom pulled a teeny, tiny little walker out of the trunk, sat it up on the curb & reached into the car for the little boy who would use it.  This little man was so cute.  He had blonde spikey hair & a camo backpack (Samuel's favorite part).  She propped him into the walker & with a quick kiss, ran back around to get in the car & "get out of my way".  This sweet boy began to walk off & we realized that he walks not on the bottoms of his feet, but the tops!  He could barely budge the walker at all, but he was giggling & excited to be at school!  Wow........how humbling!  I had to ask God to forgive me & thank Him for such a precious lesson as I drove away.  And what was more precious was seeing the kids get out of the car & go walk next to him inside the school!  :::wiping eyes....I'm so proud of them!:::  How often do we get comfortable in life & start complaining about what we have or don't have?

 

Since Andrew & Kourtney moved in, each of them have found special people at church or school who they really connect with & feel loved by.  While they have us at home, they've both really "clicked" with several other people as well.  After watching that little boy this morning, I was reminded of one of those special people in particular.  Benae H. is a tenderhearted sweetie from church who loves Miss Kourtney.  Every time I pick K up from any sort of class or event, Mrs. Benae is hugging on her & telling her how much she loves her.  She tells Kourtney that her hugs fill her love cup.  Benae's "love cup" illustration sure came into play this morning.  My love cup was certainly overflowing as I watched this sweet baby boy walking on broken legs with my 3 youngest children at his side.  Thank you, Benae, for being a sweet part of Kourtney's life.  She often looks for you when we pull up at school, trying to see if she can spot you in line with Sarah.  She really adoresyou!

 

My heart is heavy as I watch Andrew struggle with homework every day.  He's having to work twice as hard as he was before to stay on top of things homework-wise.  The dyslexia lab is doing great things for him, but it's also a lot of work.  Every day we spend at least an hour or two sitting by his side, walking him through one step at a time on his homework & even with that assistance, I haven't seen him go through a day's work without crying in a couple of weeks.  He gets frustrated & overwhelmed so easily and wants to just quit & give up.  He says that he's behind because he's gone to 4 different schools.  (For some reason, he thinks that if they had stayed at one school the whole time, he would be in 5th grade by now.  LOL  Not sure why he thinks that, but I keep telling him that he's indeed in the right grade.)  He says that he's not used to doing work "this hard".  I try to remind him that every grade is a little harder than the one before & that's why this feels like it's so hard to him.  He says he doesn't care about his grades & just wants to give up & quit.  I ache when I hear that.  How does a child reach that point so early in life?  I've explained that quitting is not the answer & have reminded him of circumstances where he kept trying until he figured something out & got it perfect.  I know he's a strong little guy & he CAN do this.......but it is so hard to watch him struggle & feel so helpless to fix it.  I want to climb inside his brain & rewire whatever is mis-firing in there & watch him glow when it all clicks.  I know that he will get there & his potential is different from the other kids', but it's hard to see him have such a tough time.  Please keep him in your prayers as we continue with school struggles.  I am reminded of Isaiah 40:31: "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.  They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run & not get tired, they will walk & not become weary."    Also, the one about pressing onward to the prize....can't think of the exact wording or reference at the moment though.  Can anyone think of any other verses I could use to encourage him??

 

Thank you for your continued prayers!  We love each one of you & the support & love you keep giving us.  Thank you for being a part of our lives.