Zero Day

First of all, thank you to everyone who was praying for us today ~ your prayers really made a difference. I didn't sleep very well last night and I felt really overwhelmed with sadness at this being our last day to see these grandchildren ~ and who could even say when the next time would be that we could touch them, see them, laugh or play with them? So each time I woke up with sad and dreadful thoughts, I prayed the Lord would help me be strong. When I checked on the blogs and my e-mail this morning and had messages from several friends and family that they were praying for us, I was really encouraged.

We headed on over to Diana's at our usual time. We really didn't have specific plans for the day. Being that this was our last day, we just wanted to "hang around", enjoy the children, and do the normal things that grandparents get to do with their grandchildren all the time ...

We had forgotten to hide the eggs we had colored from Easter, so Diana went to hide the eggs while we were playing in the living room.Diana hid the eggs in Emma's room
and some in Chris and Matthew's room ...

Chris was pretty good about hunting down those eggs!

One of my most favorite things to do with children is almost any kind of artwork ... I love how creative children are ... how unafraid to try their hand at new things ... how much they enjoy learning how to make pretty things. In my special tote bag, I brought markers and crayons, sticker books, pads of paper, foam stickers and coloring books. We spent so much time doing all of these activities together. All three children enjoyed this hugely! Wee Matthew wanted to do everything Chris and Emma were doing ~ he was very enthusiastic about all of it. I had forgotten that I had bought a bag of foam crosses, about 2 x 3 inches in size, with foam stickers like flowers and leaves and the alphabet to decorate them with. So we got those out, talked a little bit about Jesus and the cross, and then each of the kids decorated a red, green, blue and yellow cross. Emma made one cross to give to her mom. She made another for Jesse. And then she decorated one for Christopher and one for Matthew. She wrote each name on the cross and handed them out.Emma working on her crosses...

We did this sticker art work for a solid hour!

Emma is at that magical age between 5 and 6 where she loves to help clean up, she enjoys working in the kitchen, she "mothers" her two brothers, and willingly shares most everything she owns. She has a very sparkly personality, and her laugh is like the most wonderful music. Her eyes twinkle when she smiles, and when she looks at you, she looks deep inside your eyes. She is very honest, has tons of questions about everything, and listens amazingly well. She is really good at expressing her emotions and thoughts. I will tell you that there is no one on this earth that I love the way I love her. I didn't say that I loved her best ... but there is something about that first grandchild, something deeply special ~ that's just the way it is!

Ems and Chris really enjoy riding their bikes ...

Diana got the kiddos' bikes out of storage later in the morning, and everyone went outside to ride. Yesterday was cool and breezy. Today was HOT and still. We played in front of their house and a lot of neighbor children joined us. There is an interesting assortment of young children in the area, all seeking some loving attention ~ so the front yard became quickly crowded. We did pretty okay with it, meeting Phoenix, Carl, Haylee and I've forgotten the other names! Soon, it was just too hot to stay outside and it was time for lunch!

Our beautiful Emma BEFORE her haircut ...

We played school for awhile in the afternoon, and then since Emma had been asking if she could get a haircut, Diana and I and Emma went over to the beauty shop in the PX and Emma got her hair cut ... always a hard decision when such beautiful hair has to be cut ... how short? what style? Emma has a lot of hair and it still has that baby-fine quality to it ~ it gets knots in it really easily and it takes a long time to comb out the knots without hurting her head! Emma was tired of trying to keep it combed and was ready to have it cut. I think her haircut turned out really pretty ~ the length is just above her shoulders, layered just a little bit, with pretty little bangs.

Emma watched carefully in the mirror as her hair
was falling to the ground ...

Diana was watching carefully too ...
Afterall, the family beautician (Emily) can be trusted
to do just what she is asked to do, but who knows
about this beauty parlor?

Since Grandpa was holding down the fort with Christopher and Matthew, we didn't stay away from home too very long. We came back and continued playing until dinner time when we opted to go back to the PX and eat. After dinner, Grandpa Jones and I took the kids back to the "red playground" where we hung out almost until bed time. The evening temperature was much more comfortable and allowed us to stay outside and enjoy playing.

Matthew enjoying dinner tonight over at the PX

Emma playing at the Red playground by her house ...

See how cute her haircut turned out?

Too quickly, the sun was going down so we had to go home, get into PJ's and find our books to read. And guess what? Zero Day had not been mentioned once until this last hour! We had a very enjoyable hour reading and talking, looking at pictures, laughing, hugging ... all that good stuff that grandparents get to do with their grandchildren all the time if they live nearby (!) and then Diana let us help her tuck the kids in one last time.

I noticed that Christopher, for all of his energy and sometimes naughtiness, really really enjoys a good story being read to him. He completely engages with you. He is a very smart little four-year-old. He has a wonderful and ready sense of humor, and even though he is a wiggle worm, he can really settle down and be a good listener. I love his little face, his wild hair, his chubby hands, the way he tilts his head when he is talking serious ... he's a bundle of so much boy ... but quite a tender heart.

And I think Matthew got very attached to us this week too! He is a quiet little soul, similar to how Jesse was at this age ... but he is talking more and more each day now. He loves seeing his name written down and says each letter as it is written. The "w" at the end is his favorite. And such blue eyes as I have never seen, clear and bright and beautiful.

At bedtime, Emma and I had about 20 minutes alone. We had a real good talk about Zero Day and what that meant. We did cry a little bit, but then we talked about what to do when we are sad. We talked about how much God loves us and how much Jesus cares about our sad hearts. And then we prayed together, hugged some more, had last kisses and best of all ... one of Emma's very sweetest smiles. That's what I am going to remember when I am sad, and I am going to trust the Lord to take care of these three beautiful children.