Siblings

Boy oh boy did I have one "poopy" (literally) weekend last week.  Jared left on Thursday morning to head to Queensland for a doTERRA convention.  I am used to Jared traveling and that is nothing new to me.  Some might even say I am a pro!  He has traveled a lot over the last couple years and I have grown from it.  Normally when he leaves I have heaps of neighbors and family and friends that take care of me.  They feed us dinner, they would make us cookies, they would watch my kids so I could go out, they would have my kids come and play so I could get a break, they would come sleep over with me if I got scared or let me sleep at there house.  So yes I was a pro at Jared leaving but I was a "pro" because I had an army of amazing humans behind me to hold me up!  

Thursday was a great day.  My sweet friend Deb came over in the evening and made us dinner and I had collected some stuff and we made a very cute Christmas Wreath from pinterest.  It was a great day and an even greater night!  Then Friday came...Lillie had a birthday party after school at Mackers (McDonalds) and I took Boston and Paxton to the party as well.  Didn't really have a choice since Jared was gone.  Long story short...Paxton pooped his pants and while going into the bathroom it went all over the floor.  The tears immediately sprung to my eyes.  Why?  As my good friend Ross Gellar would say, "why do bad things happen to good people!!"  So here I am cleaning up his poop off of him, the floor, etc.  I then take my shirt off (luckily I had on an undershirt) and wrapped him in that.  I went out and told the Mom of the birthday girl what had happened and I would be back soon.  She was very sweet and told me not to worry she would keep an eye on Boston and LIllie.  So off we headed home to clean up Paxton.  He screamed the whole way home that he wanted to go play at Mackers.  I got him bathed, new clothes, did his hair and then I headed to my room to clean myself up and change my clothes.  Meanwhile he starts watching a movie on the iPad  I finish cleaning myself up and go and get him and he screamed bloody murder because he wanted to stay home and he did NOT want to go back to Mackers.  For the love!

Enter sibling #1

Isn't she pretty.  Luckily, for me with the time difference of us and Hawaii she was awake and listened to me rant, rave, and cry.  She is a mother of 5 and so she has been where I have been.  She didn't interrupt or try to defend Jared for being out of town or defend Paxton for being a toddler (both of those things she could have easily)! She sympathized with her little sister.  She simply listened and listened and then said..yep...it sucks!  She didn't give me any "fluff!" She told me how it is and for that I will be forever grateful!  She's my tough sister.  Some might even call her a hard A!  A true Shepherd!  She has been through everything I'm going through and she has set the bar high for me!  I love her and so grateful for her example to me.  Thank you sis for being a good sister with a big heart!  

Next, come Saturday!  Oh boy!  It was a little rainy and overcast and so I decided to get out of the house.  We went to an indoor play centre.  It is full of germs but man alive do my kids have fun there!  We had been there for a little over an hour.  I was prepared this time for an accident.  Every ten minutes I kept asking Pax if he needed to go potty.  Over and over!  He went once and then the rest of the time he was good.  About 20 minutes later he comes waddling over to me and says "mom I poopy!!!"  Oh boy did I want to die!  I didn't even try to clean it up.  I got my other two kids and headed home.  In the car Paxton put his hand in the poop and kept asking if he could lick it!  I repeatedly told him NO NO NO!  He kept asking so I finally said I don't care what you do.  His hand got right next to his lips and he started to GAG (he gets that from my side)!  I got him home cleaned him up, me up, took the carseat apart to wash it!  And thenI called my sister!

Enter sibling #2

Isn't she pretty!!  It was kind of a repeat of the same conversation I had with my other sister.  I cried and cried.  I told her I wanted to come home.  I needed family and friends.  I needed them!  I went on and on and on!  Poor picked on me!  Once again my sister...being a mother of 4...to kids that would have never have done anything like this!! :) (inside joke!)  She didn't interrupt.  She didn't defend (which looking back both of my sisters could have easily have done).  She cried with me.  She wished she could come and help me.  She has a heart as big as Texas.  She told me to stay strong!  She asked me if she could help book our tickets! Wink!  She would do anything for me and my kids.  She's my oldest sister and is all of our 2nd mother!  She takes care of us and always has.  I know all of my siblings value her opinion the most because she's always been there for us!  A true 1st child!

Believe it or not I survived until Sunday!  Rock on me!  Our church is at 9am and I got us all there on time!  Jareds flight got in at 11:30 and we would get home about the same time.  Three more hours of being a single mom (to those of you real single moms..I salute you).  I should have known better than to get my hopes up.  We got new callings on Sunday and the Bishop asked if Jared could come straight to church after his flight to be set a part and then go to Bishopric meeting (executive secretary).  Tears sprung to my eyes once again and I said sure!  Jared went to his meetings and I went home and tried to put on a happy face.  Made lunch, played uno, made cookies.  It was a pretty good afternoon but my little Boston was just testing my nerves all the way through the day.  Jared walked in door at 5 pm. I had survived my poopy weekend and so did the kids.  I still felt bad for myself.  And for the kids.  We went to dinner at a ward members house.  If you can't tell we have the best ward ever and they are so nice to us!!  And we had a great evening.  Great food and great company.  We got home and Jared put the kids to bed.  I went in my room and cried.  At this point I don't even know what Im crying for anymore.  My cries turned into a prayer...To be a better mom, a better wife, more patient, more understanding, and praying for help to not miss home!

Enter sibling #3

It was 9:30pm on Sunday our time and my brother Tyler texts me to see how my Sunday was.  I found this a little odd since it was 3:30am his time.  He was having a hard time sleeping and so he thought he would text me and see how my Sunday went.  We sent some texts back and forth.  He had gotten word about my "poopy" weekend and was checking on me.  It was 3:30am and my brother wanted to see if I was okay!  My favorite part was that he was watching a Christmas movie and eating some dessert!  So Grandpa Johnson like!  It melted my heart.  He then sent me this text and it was truly a direct answer to my prayers!

Perspective!  You bet!  Answer to my prayers!  You bet!  All I was thinking about was ME!  I loved his text.  I loved everything about it.  Even the parts that are hard to hear and even harder to put into motion!  Thanks big brother!  

Monday was a lot better day.  Jared was here and that makes the world a lot better place.  He literally is my everything.  My best friend.  My world just spins a lot better when he is here.  My kids were great, school was great!  I still felt a little exhausted from my weekend but I was in a much better place.  Boston did a super cute FHE lesson and drew this picture for all of us.  

He said it was our house in Salem and he knows one day we will get to go back there!  My favorite part of the picture was that he wrote mum!  I love being his mum!  

It was a good day!

Enter sibling #4

Isn't he cute!  Sorry bro! Ha! Bet you didn't know I did a screen shot of our FaceTime!  He had been in Brazil for a couple weeks and he got home on Monday and heard about my "poopy" weekend!  If you can't tell my family doesn't have much secrets!!  He was calling to tell me how proud he was of me.  That he knows its hard but he wishes he could be here having the same experiences I am having.  We are growing as a family!  Our own little family.  He is my mom's "Sunshine" and that is exactly what he is.  If you know him you can't help but not only smile when you are around him but LOVE him!  He is a father to 5 children and a pretty good one!  He gave me a pep talk!  Told me he loved me I think 60 times and at the end of the talk he kissed his iPad!  A big slobbery kiss!  I love him!  I am so grateful for him and for what he has taught me in life!  Never to give up!    

I looked up on google the definition of sibling:  A sibling is one of two or more individuals having one or both parents in common. A male sibling is called a brother, and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together, facilitating the development of strong emotional bonds such as love, hostility or thoughtfulness. The emotional bond between siblings is often complicated and is influenced by factors such as parental treatment, birth order, personality, and personal experiences outside the family.

I am literally the luckiest girl in the world to have my siblings!  I would agree with google, we

 have a strong bond!  We were raised in the same house, with the same parents!  We each

 turned out a little different!  I am the baby of the family and I wouldn't want it any other 

way.  I get to look up to the most amazing people!   get to learn from their example, 

mistakes, and influence.  I have the best nieces and nephews and that came from them as 

well!  In a three day period they all took the time to reach out to me and show me how 

much they love me! I LOVE them with all my heart!  Even though we are a little crazy!  And 

sensitive.  And miss each other like crazy!

 I. LOVE. THEM!