And then there were five...

I know, I know...I said I was going to post only on Sunday, but I decided to give you a little background on those five gorgeous children on that swingset. If you've read my "About Us," you know that I am not really a "me" person...I do not see myself apart from my family. And this is how it happened:

Josh
I discovered I was pregnant with Josh the day after I got pregnant -- no kidding. I have never thrown up so much in my life as I did that forty-three and a half weeks...yes, he was truly three and a half weeks late. During that pregnancy, I could not eat anything without being sick. When FINALLY the day came for him to grace us with his presence, Robbie did not take me seriously! You've heard that hell has no fury like that of a woman scorned? Well, let me tell you, to ignore a pregnant woman three and a half weeks overdue is dangerous to a person's health! Once we got on the same page (after I threatened to call Mama and Daddy to take me to the hospital while he went to work), off we went to the hospital -- to be told that we were going home. I'm not sure what made the doctor change his mind; it could have been my overdue status; it might have been the distance we were from home; most likely, it was the semi-hysterical sobbing I dissolved into when I heard "going home." And finally, later that night, Josh was born. And the nurses gave him to Robbie to take the nursery so our family could see him. And they forgot to show him to me. No kidding. To add insult to injury, I was left in the recovery room for the required thirty minutes, which turned into an hour and a half when I was again forgotten. So how, you might ask, did I ever even THINK about having another? That was easy...one sweet nurse came to my room after I had been told that the baby would need to stay in the nursery -- I had not seen him at all. She peeked in to see if I was awake and saw Mama there. After a nano-second of hesitation, she brought a tiny bundle to my bed--and my heart moved outside my body. There he lay, wide awake, healthy and pink, ten fingers and ten toes, a head full of hair washed and combed. I knew then what Ben Jonson meant in his poem "It Is Not Growing Like a Tree": "In small porportions we just beauties see, And in short measures life my perfect be." Ahhh yes...it was a perfect moment.

Josh grew up quickly -- the country song that warns us not to blink is right-- and married the love of his life, Vicki. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She complements Josh perfectly, is a wonderful sister to our daughter Lauren, and is a terrific mother to their daughter, Grace.

And that's the first of the five on the swingset -- Grace. She is our first grandchild and has taught us far more than we have ever taught her. Recently Josh, Vicki, and Grace finished their house and moved from right beside us. Words cannot express how much I miss that little munchkin calling our here and saying," Watch for me ZiZi -- I'm coming across the yard!" 'They are only fifteen minutes away, and I am extraordinarily happy for them, but do miss them terribly.

Josh, Vicki, and Grace 

Stay tuned for more -- Lauren is next!