All the week before my son Sean, then 3 yrs old, had been asking me:
"Mommy, what would happen if a plane flew into a building?"
It was an odd question that came out of the blue, and haunted him all week long. Sean has always been a kid that needed to know the why's and how's of everything, and that week, that was the question that he wouldn't drop. I did my best to explain how something like that was very rare, but would be very devastating if it DID happen. I wondered why on earth he would even be thinking of such a question -- after all, he wasn't normally fascinated by planes, and we never watched anything other than PBS kids' shows, so he wouldn't have seen horrible images from the news...
On the morning of 9-11, we were in my bedroom folding clothes and listening to the local Christian radio station. The DJ came on the air to ask all listening to pray about some "accident" that had happened at the WTC. Curious, I walked into the living room to see if there was anything about it on the news. As I turned on the TV I saw the Tower on fire. Sean came into the room and I held him close and said we needed to pray for the people in the accident.
"See, Sean? THIS is what happens when a plane hits a building. We need to be praying for all the people, baby..."
And at that moment, I saw on live TV the second plane slam into the building.
I fell to my knees, cradled Sean in one arm, Reilly (who was a toddler) in the other arm, and wrapped them both around my very pregnant tummy, and cried my eyes out for the people who were dying before my eyes... for my country, which would never be the same... and for my children, who would now be growing up in a world that was VERY different from the one I wanted for them.
May God have mercy on our nation.
The readings for today were extremely appropriate, weren't they?
Showing posts with label Sean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sean. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Birthday month is upon us!
The pressure's on, folks... 5 of my children have birthdays in October... and 3 of them in the same week (can you believe it??)... and I have a miserable cold. Oh Lord, help me to heal quickly!
I can't promise that I'll be able to do each birthday justice (and oh, will I feel bad if I leave someone out!), so let me highlight NOW the birthdays (and anniversary!) coming up:
October 3rd: Sean turned 11, and had his very first sleep-over. We have a small house, so there's really no place to put a bunch of kids who plan on giggling all night... unless you put them in a tent in the backyard! Problem solved!
I know that many are tired of hearing his story, so I'll just direct you to last year's birthday write-up if you care to see how he came into this world. We are so blessed to have him.
Happy birthday, sweetheart!
October 11: Miss Grace is turning ONE! It's been a wild ride with this one, starting with the panic attacks that I had (see my St. Therese post below) in the hospital after having her. She's an incredible imp and we love her to pieces!
October 15: My dear, sweet, quiet Kathryn is turning 8. She came into this world howling like a banshee (she screamed the ENTIRE time the doctor's were sewing me up after the c-section), and she has been a little spitfire ever since. She was a challenge for the first two years, and then she turned into this amazing, sweet, wonderful little girl who takes joy in quietly serving. When I'm having a rough day with Grace, I can guarantee you that Kathryn (or Reilly) will come up and tell me that they are just itching to play with her... and graciously take her from me for awhile so I can think.
Underneath all that sweetness, though, is still the same little spitfire we saw in the OR. She loves to serve and will bend over backwards to help, but if she feels like someone has crossed the line, look out! When she was very, very little... maybe 7 months or so... Sean tried snatching a toy from her (he was 3 at the time). She got this look that can only be called righteous indignation, and she reached out and smacked him across the face and grabbed it back.
While we don't condone hitting, my husband watched that exchange and said, "I don't think we ever have to worry about Kathryn. She'll be able to stand up for herself."
And she does.
Kathryn, I love you more than words can say. You rock!
October 16: yes, the very next day Thomas turns 5! To say he "twinkles" just doesn't do it justice. He has got more energy than I've ever seen a child have before, and he just flits from one activity to the next, with an angelic smile on his face that can light up a room.
He is a challenge, though. He tries to use that smile to get out of doing what he doesn't want to do, and my husband and I struggle to keep him contained without breaking his spirit completely. I can only trust that God will give us the wisdom needed to raise this little guy.
But when it's all said and done, that sweet little guy will ask me to lay down next to him and tell him a story about when I was little, and he will grab my face in his hands and say, "you are really the best Mommy in the whole world... the whole UNIVERSE even!"
I love you too, baby. You are my most favorite-est 4 year old in the whole wide world, and it's a joy to have you in my life!
October 20: Ah, the poor kid is going to get more than her fair share of "broccoli birthdays," because we're all going to be so sick of cake by the time hers rolls around!
Miss Marie is turning 3. What a joy she is! We really got spoiled with her. After 5 children who had to be convinced that it really was time to go to bed, we were blessed with a child who would look at us sweetly, say (with her eyes) "oh, is it really time to go to bed? OK, if you insist..." and lay down without so much as a peep. My husband and I couldn't believe it. We didn't think God made these models anymore!
Believe it or not, I can trust this little girl to watch the baby... and she does a FANTASTIC job. Not a lego... not a marble... not a cheerio can go into Grace's mouth without Marie seeing it and saying, "No! No! You take dat outta your mouwth!" If Grace has climbed up on something, Marie will let me know. If she's reaching for the dog food or trying to swish in the toilet, my faithful babysitter is there.
What amazes me... and I know it's all God's grace... is that each child has gotten used to losing the "baby" status easily and gracefully, and has taken his or her role as an older sibling quite seriously. Marie still loves to snuggle, and I try to give her that whenever I can, but she's more than willing to scoot over for the baby, and to help me look after her.
Another first with Marie -- she's the only child we've had who has a special blanket. Her Dee-tee, she calls it (it was her attempt at saying "sleepy" when she first learned to talk). Dee-tee goes everywhere, and she worries that he will be lonely if she leaves him too long.
I love you with all my Mommy heart and soul, sweetie!
I can't promise that I'll be able to do each birthday justice (and oh, will I feel bad if I leave someone out!), so let me highlight NOW the birthdays (and anniversary!) coming up:
October 3rd: Sean turned 11, and had his very first sleep-over. We have a small house, so there's really no place to put a bunch of kids who plan on giggling all night... unless you put them in a tent in the backyard! Problem solved!
I know that many are tired of hearing his story, so I'll just direct you to last year's birthday write-up if you care to see how he came into this world. We are so blessed to have him.
Happy birthday, sweetheart!
October 11: Miss Grace is turning ONE! It's been a wild ride with this one, starting with the panic attacks that I had (see my St. Therese post below) in the hospital after having her. She's an incredible imp and we love her to pieces!
October 15: My dear, sweet, quiet Kathryn is turning 8. She came into this world howling like a banshee (she screamed the ENTIRE time the doctor's were sewing me up after the c-section), and she has been a little spitfire ever since. She was a challenge for the first two years, and then she turned into this amazing, sweet, wonderful little girl who takes joy in quietly serving. When I'm having a rough day with Grace, I can guarantee you that Kathryn (or Reilly) will come up and tell me that they are just itching to play with her... and graciously take her from me for awhile so I can think.
Underneath all that sweetness, though, is still the same little spitfire we saw in the OR. She loves to serve and will bend over backwards to help, but if she feels like someone has crossed the line, look out! When she was very, very little... maybe 7 months or so... Sean tried snatching a toy from her (he was 3 at the time). She got this look that can only be called righteous indignation, and she reached out and smacked him across the face and grabbed it back.
While we don't condone hitting, my husband watched that exchange and said, "I don't think we ever have to worry about Kathryn. She'll be able to stand up for herself."
And she does.
Kathryn, I love you more than words can say. You rock!
October 16: yes, the very next day Thomas turns 5! To say he "twinkles" just doesn't do it justice. He has got more energy than I've ever seen a child have before, and he just flits from one activity to the next, with an angelic smile on his face that can light up a room.
He is a challenge, though. He tries to use that smile to get out of doing what he doesn't want to do, and my husband and I struggle to keep him contained without breaking his spirit completely. I can only trust that God will give us the wisdom needed to raise this little guy.
But when it's all said and done, that sweet little guy will ask me to lay down next to him and tell him a story about when I was little, and he will grab my face in his hands and say, "you are really the best Mommy in the whole world... the whole UNIVERSE even!"
I love you too, baby. You are my most favorite-est 4 year old in the whole wide world, and it's a joy to have you in my life!
October 20: Ah, the poor kid is going to get more than her fair share of "broccoli birthdays," because we're all going to be so sick of cake by the time hers rolls around!
Miss Marie is turning 3. What a joy she is! We really got spoiled with her. After 5 children who had to be convinced that it really was time to go to bed, we were blessed with a child who would look at us sweetly, say (with her eyes) "oh, is it really time to go to bed? OK, if you insist..." and lay down without so much as a peep. My husband and I couldn't believe it. We didn't think God made these models anymore!
Believe it or not, I can trust this little girl to watch the baby... and she does a FANTASTIC job. Not a lego... not a marble... not a cheerio can go into Grace's mouth without Marie seeing it and saying, "No! No! You take dat outta your mouwth!" If Grace has climbed up on something, Marie will let me know. If she's reaching for the dog food or trying to swish in the toilet, my faithful babysitter is there.
What amazes me... and I know it's all God's grace... is that each child has gotten used to losing the "baby" status easily and gracefully, and has taken his or her role as an older sibling quite seriously. Marie still loves to snuggle, and I try to give her that whenever I can, but she's more than willing to scoot over for the baby, and to help me look after her.
Another first with Marie -- she's the only child we've had who has a special blanket. Her Dee-tee, she calls it (it was her attempt at saying "sleepy" when she first learned to talk). Dee-tee goes everywhere, and she worries that he will be lonely if she leaves him too long.
I love you with all my Mommy heart and soul, sweetie!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
He makes it fun
The assignment in Intermediate Language Lessons was to tell the story of two squirrels, and to include whatever adventures they might find. It sounded pretty corny to me, actually, but Sean has been having fun writing lately, so I asked him to write a story. This is what he came up with:
Once there were two squirrels. One of them wanted to go on an adventure. So they decided to go.
Out of their elm tree they went, bringing acorns and other nuts in their little squirrel packs.
Soon they came to the meadow. They ran across it, trying to avoid the cats who walked there.
Now it hadn't rained much lately, so the squirrels became thirsty. So when they saw a small drinking puddle across the road, they ran to it.
Unfortunately, a car was coming. The squirrels dashed faster across the street, but the car rolled over the second squirrel's leg! The first, who had brought a first-aid kit, put a bandage on his friend's leg, and they continued.
Soon, they came to a stream. The squirrels did not know what to do. How would they get across?
Suddenly they saw a boat. They got in and rowed. But in front of them -- a waterfall! Down the squirrels tumbled.
Splash! Into the water they fell. They swam to the boat and went up the stream, up the stream that took them back to the meadow.
They ran across the meadow, and back to their elm tree. They had made it!
Once there were two squirrels. One of them wanted to go on an adventure. So they decided to go.
Out of their elm tree they went, bringing acorns and other nuts in their little squirrel packs.
Soon they came to the meadow. They ran across it, trying to avoid the cats who walked there.
Now it hadn't rained much lately, so the squirrels became thirsty. So when they saw a small drinking puddle across the road, they ran to it.
Unfortunately, a car was coming. The squirrels dashed faster across the street, but the car rolled over the second squirrel's leg! The first, who had brought a first-aid kit, put a bandage on his friend's leg, and they continued.
Soon, they came to a stream. The squirrels did not know what to do. How would they get across?
Suddenly they saw a boat. They got in and rowed. But in front of them -- a waterfall! Down the squirrels tumbled.
Splash! Into the water they fell. They swam to the boat and went up the stream, up the stream that took them back to the meadow.
They ran across the meadow, and back to their elm tree. They had made it!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Sean's 10 today!
Ten years ago today, I was a terrified new mom...
I had just given birth (emergency c-section) to this teeny little guy... all 2 lbs 14 oz of him.
(all you "abortion rights" folks out there, take note -- THIS is what a child at 30 weeks looks like!)
With a head barely the size of my husband's beeper, and feeding tubes and IVs stuck in him, he looked so small and helpless.
We made the hour long trek every day to the hospital, to sit in the NICU with all the other parents of preemies. We got used to the sights and sounds of the NICU, and learned how to read the monitors, how NOT to freak out every time an alarm went off, and how to take care of this little guy.
50 days later, he was finally able to leave the NICU -- all 3 1/2 lbs of him. He was still on a heart monitor, and we had to give him caffeine every morning to ensure that he would be OK, but basically he was a very healthy (albeit small) little boy.
And now, ten years later, here he is..
We are so blessed.
Happy birthday, sweetheart! We love you!
I had just given birth (emergency c-section) to this teeny little guy... all 2 lbs 14 oz of him.
(all you "abortion rights" folks out there, take note -- THIS is what a child at 30 weeks looks like!)
With a head barely the size of my husband's beeper, and feeding tubes and IVs stuck in him, he looked so small and helpless.
We made the hour long trek every day to the hospital, to sit in the NICU with all the other parents of preemies. We got used to the sights and sounds of the NICU, and learned how to read the monitors, how NOT to freak out every time an alarm went off, and how to take care of this little guy.
50 days later, he was finally able to leave the NICU -- all 3 1/2 lbs of him. He was still on a heart monitor, and we had to give him caffeine every morning to ensure that he would be OK, but basically he was a very healthy (albeit small) little boy.
And now, ten years later, here he is..
We are so blessed.
Happy birthday, sweetheart! We love you!
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