A Team Week 159: Darkness

My dearest little boys...

This week began with the news of a shooting that killed nearly 60 people and injured hundreds and it broke my heart.  At your young ages your world is only starting to open up beyond the safe bubble that we call home.  Your major stresses in life include whether or not you will get dessert after dinner and how many minutes you have left to play before it is bedtime.  All too soon though you will begin to see the world in a new light or lack there of and if you are anything like your mother you will sometimes struggle to see any light at all.  That was my struggle this week as I tried to find balance between mourning the darkness along with the rest of the country and fighting to not let the darkness drag me down with it.  Some days the struggle is harder than others.  Sometimes the darkness temporarily wins.  In the end what always brings me back though is knowing that in the end light prevails and that our Hope is in Christ and in Christ alone.  My prayer is for you to place your Hope and Trust in Christ alone as well...for you to know that you are never alone...and for you to know that you are ALWAYS loved.   So...when you are feeling down and in despair, seek first the kingdom of God...and know that Daddy and I are always here too for a shoulder to cry, infinite hugs, and unending love for you.

PS: Ice cream helps too!  :)

As I said, my heart weighed heavily for those hurting this week...even more than it already has these past couple of months with the other news of devastation in the world after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, earthquakes in Mexico and fires out West, and even though there were moments that I just wanted to crawl into a dark corner by myself as your mommy and Daddy's wife that just isn't an option.  Thus, life went on and even as my heart hurt and I ached to be of some sort of help and comfort to those in need I focused on what I COULD do...helping, comforting and caring for my boys.  And as always, even through the darkness Christ's joy and light shown brightly through your twinkling eyes and radiant smiles...

Asher's 2017-2018 (Kindergarten) School Year Picture

Asher hard at work at school

We were excited to find that FB has a new snap pic filter!  Go Blue!

Video: Piggy Farts...

i.e. What happens when Grammy & Gramps give Avery a snorting toy pig for his birthday...

Avery: “mommy, my name is Avey Migin...and Asher’s name is Bob”

Apparently the world weighed heavily on Asher this week as well.  On Friday we had rest time and I left Asher in his room.  After about 20 minutes he came up to my room and said he wasn't sleepy and asked if rest time was over.  I didn't really respond and he crawled into bed with me and within a minute or two was fast asleep.

Avery painting..."I wuv purple!"

On Friday afternoon the boys and I played play doh so I made myself a pizza.

When the weekend came we did what we usually do (or at least try to) for the weekends...enjoyed our family time.  Saturday morning was a gorgeous fall day.  It had sprinkled a little, but then it got warm and sunny.  We all headed outside to enjoy some time outside.  Our annual block party (the 65th in a row!) was scheduled for that evening, so Eric had taken the boys to Meijer and purchased some crepe paper for the boys to decorate their bikes and gator.  For years we'd been hearing from the elders on the street that when their kids were little they loved being able to ride their bikes in the street for the few hours that it was blocked off.  Thus, the boys decorated their rides and then Avery and I played some sports together.  First he wanted to play football so we threw the ball around for a bit.  Then he decided that he wanted to play "bayball" so we did that next.  I pitched and he hit.  Finally, I ate some breakfast while he played a little hoops on his own.  It was a fun morning enjoying our backyard.

FB Post: First we threw a 🏈 around for a bit and then my little sports enthusiast asked me to catch a ⚾️. I told him that if he wanted me to do that I needed a glove. He ran off and came back with a toddler-sized Paw Patrol gardening glove for me. 😂 #notwhatihadinmind #futureathlete#makinggooduseofmysummersinbaseball

Video: Bayball with Avery

After a fun morning the boys headed inside for lunch and naps (I was enjoying a little personal time at Kohl's).  While we were napping it started to rain, and it continued into the late afternoon.  Then about a half an hour before the block party our neighbor came to tell us that the party had been canceled due to the rain.  After spending the morning decorating their rids, both of the boys were totally bummed and made sure to let her know it.  Another twenty minutes later, the rain finally stopped and our neighbor came back to let us know the party was on again, making our little guys much happier.

Avery woke up from his nap completely soaked from chewing on his shirt.

Happy to show of his Go Blue ride!

He's got the road all to himself!

Eric taking the gator for a joy ride.

Racing down our street.

Block party dinner!

Cheering for our team during the Michigan-Michigan State game that night!

Football snuggles 💙

On Sunday we closed out the week by taking advantage of the warm October weather and the flavor of the day with a family bike ride to Culver's for dinner and dessert.  While there the boys didn't drink their milks so we took them home with us and Eric asked them if our bumpy ride home would turn them into milkshakes.   😂   We thought they both understood the joke, but when we got home Asher took a drink of his and obviously disappointed said, "nope, junk milk".  Then Avery took a drink of his and pouted that his too had not changed on the ride home.  😂 #kidsarefunny #chocolatecoveredstrawberrycustard#yummy

Apparently starting and ending a week with ice cream is the way I roll!  :)