Minivanmoments’s Weblog

I have a few pictures to share with you from this week.  The first one is of my kids this morning lounging on the couch.  To most of you this just looks like a normal morning……but let me point out one thing that is different.  Please notice the little blue stuffed animal Mabry is holding.  She has been carrying that thing around all week.  What makes this so strange is that Mabry has never REALLY played.  She has never cared about toys….baby dolls or anything like that.  Yesterday I saw her actually rocking this guy and trying to feed him a water bottle.  These are huge steps at our house.  Isn’t that great?  It is also funny what it is that kids get attached to.  This blue star was given to Mabry by a lady who works in the cafateria at her school.  It is the cafeteria mascot and Mabry thought he was so funny……so this lady gave this to Mabry.  So sweet.  His name is Mr. Blast-Off Star……try saying that three times real fast.

On a different note….two nights ago there were pretty bad storms here in Prosper.  The wind is what always seems to kill us around here.  Here is a picture of our swimming pool…..with everything that had blown into it……do you notice anything wierd?  What is the brown thing on the pool cleaner hose?

OK…..her is what it was…..GROSS!!!! I was so grossed out all day long.  Thank goodness it was the pool guys day to come and he took care of it.  YUCK! Look how big that sucker is!!!!

OK…..so it happened to me.  It always intrigues me how people deal with crisis.  I always like to think that I would be calm and level headed….but it never works out that way. This past Tuesday I found myself in the middle of a HUGE situation.  I was out in the front yard waiting for Mabry’s school bus to drop her off from summer school.  I started getting concerned when the bus was not there 20 minutes after school had let out.  So….I went inside and started calling the school…..no one answers.  So my heart is starting to beat a little faster.  I decided I would try to call the transportation department just to see if any of the buses were broken down or anything like that.  This is now 35 minutes after I finally got a hold of someone.  They said the bus driver just called into dispatch and reported he was lost.  She said he would be here is 10 minutes.  10 minutes go by and there is no bus.  So….I call again.  She said, “What he’s not there yet, let me try to dispatch him again.”  She could not get a hold of him.

Please keep in mind that my daughter is 5 years old and special needs.  She has a very very limited amount of verbal communication.  This bus is now 45 minutes late getting my child home.  We live less than 3 miles from the school.  Mabry is the only child riding the bus……with a male bus driver.  Can you imagine the thoughts that were running through my mind?  My mind went to terrible places.  Is that a lack of faith in God that He will protect Mabry at all times…..or just pure human nature?

Finally I call the bus company back and tell them that they better find the bus or I was calling the Prosper police department to stop any bus they see.

I will make a very long story short and let you know that 1 hour and 20 minutes after school let out the school bus pulled into my drive way with Mabry.  I was furious, scared, terrified, relieved and exhausted all at the same time.  Mabry was finally home.  I won’t write the conversation between me and the bus driver…..not appropriate.  But….that brings me to my first question.  Have you ever freaked out?  If you have…..how did you handle it?  I think there are times when acting like a crazy woman is appropriate….this was the time.  I was devastated…..I had no idea where my daughter was for an hour and twenty minutes.  I had no idea what this man could be doing to her.  The anguish I was feeling was so overwhelming.

I think God has a way of doing things to get our attention.  I am happy to report that Mabry is fine.  I made a trip to the pediatrician to have her completely checked out….and there was not trace of wrong doing.  There is still an ongoing investigation into exactly what took place during that time.  Don’t think I am letting this go…..I’m not.  But….I think for a brief moment I realized how quickly this can all be over.  How in one second…..your life can change forever.  I think my time with Mabry the past two days has been a little more special.  I realized that I need to value every second with my family….it is precious!

Please enjoy the pictures below of Mabry on the bus……they are the only ones you will see for a while.

Today was Mabry’s first day to ride the school bus home.  We have been talking about this for some time around our house.  She loved it…..the pictures don’t really do it justice.  It was so cute watching Jack waiting for the school bus……he said “I’m gonna ride that bus tomarrer (tomorrow)”  She had a great time and can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.

Mabry had her first day of summer school today.  She was very excited…..mainly because she gets to ride the bus home from school.  Well…..today there was a very bad storm when it was time for school to let out….so I went ahead and picked her up from school.  I am sure she was thinking what about this bus they’ve been talking about.  But…..tomorrow will be better and she can ride it then.  Mabry had a pretty good day at school.  She seemed to like all the people there pretty well.  She didn’t run off, she didn’t hit or bite anyone…..so I would say the first day was a success!

Last week when we were at Honey’s house I was able to stop by the Oklahoma City Memorial in downtown Oklahoma City.  It is a tribute to those who died and were forever changed by the Oklahoma City bombing.  It is amazing.  I was not able to spend much time there…..b/c the kids were done…..but it is something I would like to go back and explore further.  It is hard for me to imagine that this tragedy happened so close to us and we hardly hear about it anymore.  I encourage any of you to go to this memorial and spend some time…..it is amazing.  It really makes you feel like you were there.  My favorite part of the memorial was actually across the street from the memorial……the church there had created a statue in honor of the tragedy.  It is an awesome statue of Jesus with his head in his hands……at the bottom of the statue is simply states….”And Jesus Wept.”  Very moving……very beautiful.

I just wanted to take a moment and tell you how awesome my dad is.  I think so often we don’t take the time to tell our loved ones how much they are loved and appreciated.  There is no time like the present to love on your family and friends.  Well…..today I want everyone to know that I love my dad.  He has always been so much more than a father to me.  He and I are really good friends……we always have been.  My dad is the hardest worker I have ever met…..anyone who can stay at the same job for over 30 years shows their strength of character and loyalty…..I admire that.  His love for my mom is so evident…..and I think that is awesome.  Here’s to you Dad……I love you and I hope you have had a wonderful day.  Thanks so much for all you do!

We had another wonderful day. I’ve said it before…..I am bound and determined this summer to get my kids in situations that I normally would shy away from. For example, yesterday I let the kids walk the entire zoo…..when in months prior I would have put them in the wagon so that they would not “bother” people. I am learning that people are not as bothered by Mabry as I think they might be. Even if they are bothered for a slight moment…..it is not fair to Mabry to not be able to have fun and enjoy everything other kids get to experience. So…..all that to say I am trying to “loosen up” as a parent. I’m trying to let my kids experience new things…I want them to have fun…..and I want to make memories in teh process.

So…..today we went to Bricktown. It is a realy cool part of Oklahoma City. Mabry and I took a boat tour along the canal….it was really interesting. Jack was a little scared of the boat…..so he said he would do it next time. Then….we found the dancing fountains. This is where the water shoots out of the ground with no rhyme or reason. Here is where I have “loosened up.” I let the kids just take their shoes off and play in the water. Did I have a change of clothes…..nope…..I just let them do it. They were soaked!! But it was some of the purest joy I have seen from my kids. They had a blast. They loved just runing free through the water. Mabry kept tring to drink the water while running through it and Jack kept trying to punch the water…..a few karate chops here and there. Also…..it was another experience with Mabry not running off……success! I hope you love the pictures from our day as much as I do!!

We had such an awesome day today at the Oklahoma City Zoo. It is a beautiful zoo and it was beautiful weather. We are visiting Honey (my mother-in-law) and we thought we would wear the kids out at the zoo today. I think it wore us out more than it did the kids. The kids were so good. They lasted over three hours…..which is huge in our book. I really think the kids had a good time. Mabry of course once she saw the rhino she was done……she loves them because Uncle Dave loves them. I think Jack was really excited that he saw the “real Nemo.” So cute! All in all it was a great day. I think we managed to see everything……and a good time was had by all.

Today was Mabry’s last game for the Miracle League season.  Mabry has had a very good season.  She played for the Tigers.  Mabry has had a buddy which she loves named Mary Kate.  Mary Kate has been so dedicated to be at every game…..consistency is such a huge thing with Mabry!  Thank you Mary Kate!

Today Mabry received the “Most Improved Player” Award.  We are so proud of her……she really did improve a lot.  At the start of the season Mabry would not last a whole game…..and most of them time John had to end up playing with her.  By the last game she was playing the whole game……and John did not even have to step on the field today!  Way to go Mabry!!!

There are so many people in this world who don’t get the recognition they deserve.  So many people do such great things everyday……and never receive any gratitude.  They do it because it is the right thing to do and because they want to do it……not to receive gratitude.  But for this brief moment I want to tell you about two angels I know…….and maybe for this brief moment they will know how great they are.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law have recently added a new member to their family.  Their nephew has been placed in their home because his prior situation has some problems that need to be worked out (that is a very long story short!)  Tyler is a very playful 3 year old boy.  This may not sound like much to you, but Gretchen and Dave’s youngest son is 8.  They have been away from this age for some time now.  What a shock to the system to now add a 3 year old into an already very full schedule.  Gretchen and Dave both work very hard full time jobs and are very involved in their son’s athletics and school activities.  They wear the street out from their house to the baseball fields.  Both their 11 year old and 8 year old are very very involved.

Tyler has been with them for about a month now and is thriving……he is doing so good.  The length of time that he will be with them is not determined, but Gretchen and Dave are in this for the long haul.  What a picture this paints of their character……their hearts……and their love for others.  They have taken the huge step of standing up for this child and saying “We Care.”  It would be really easy to look the other way and pretend that there is nothing that they could do…..but they didn’t do that.  I want them to know how proud I am of them.  I want them to know that I think they are very very special people.

I wanted to share pictures with you of Tyler.  I had the pleasure of getting to spend the day with him yesterday……he is awesome!  He and Jack are two days apart and have become best buds.  Notice how happy this little boy is!!

Everyday angels are all around us……you just have to notice them.