Gifts from the Heart

Monday began as any other Monday does. A hustle and bustle of getting ready, dealing with kids, making lists, etc. Monday is shopping day in these parts, and the girls know it. Brooklyn always asks.."where we goin, we goin to Cosco?" Morgan came over that morning while Dixie volunteered in Livy's class. The girls had a grand time stacking the blocks into a tower and knocking them down. I wish I had video of their glee each time they'd fall and then they'd start over again. Brooklyn was completely disturbed and bothered that Morgan didn't have a dress on like she and Maggie did. I had to explain that shorts were a perfectly viable option for Morgan and that life would go on without their tripletness being complete. Anyway....like I said, all was normal, and then I got a phonecall.

It seems one Miss Lana and her 8 month pregnant self were having some technical difficulties. Suffice it to say, her baby was sitting in such a way that she was rendered incapable of movement on her right side. She was in A LOT of pain, and apparently things were ugly "down there." She went to the doctor, with Porters assistance and the doctor just thinks the baby is sitting wierd and it could get better, or it could not. Anyway, after she called, I just couldn't get it out of my head that I needed to get over there and help her out. And so it was that the kids and I went and babysat Lana and Dane for the day.

Here she is, resting it up on her chaise. Doesn't that word alone just imply snootiness? We talked, the kids played, the kids napped. Well, Maggie was the only sacrifice for the day. She apparently doesn't do naps anywhere else but her own bed. While the kids slept, Lana and I ate old Halloween candy and watched House Hunters, all the while mocking the buyers and their choices. We might have discussed the meaning of life, who knows, it's all just such a blur. (giggle)

Tater puff came home from school and was filled with glee at the sight of us visitors. She worked on a puzzle and looked cute. Seriously, what a cute girl.

There were popscicles to be had. Ok for reals, Dane is the funniest kid, and the best picture taker. He cracks me up.

Maggie enjoyed her very first popscicle, and without much mess either.

Yep, chocolate AND a popscicle. Oh the beauty of pregnancy.

Maggie has such a great time at their house because there is so much room to wander around in. Not ot mention the room entirely devoted to play.

Seriously, could someone please get this girl a cellphone commercial. She'd sell a million of those things. This is really how you see her at all times. She's generally not without some sort of phone in her hands, and she has some pretty rowdy conversations to boot.

After naps, play time, etc. I made dinner for one and all (including Jenny who hung around long enough to score some grub). We got the kitchen cleaned up, the kids bathed and then headed home. All in all it was a really great day.

Here is where my title comes in....Poter kept thanking me over and over and saying what a "saint" I was, and I didn't have to do this, etc. Well, of course I didn't HAVE to do this, I WANTED to do this. I NEEDED to do this, for so many reasons. One, she is family and she needed help. Two, I had no excuse not to. I could sit at home, or I could sit there. and THREE, Icouldn't even begin to list or express the MILLIONS of things that Porter and Lana have done for me over the years. This was the very least i could do to in some small part pay them back. They will never know how much I love and appreciate them and look up to them. They are so giving and so loving. I cherish with all my heart the years we got to be back door neighbors. ALL the times they had me over for meals, or the times Lana came in and cleaned my house after my surgery, or they steam cleaned my carpet and cleaned my house before I got home with Maggie. The love and compassion they showed me, the listening ears, the advice, the everything. They really are two of my favorite people in the whole world, and I would walk across a desert, give my last two cents, do anything I ever could to help them, if it would at all let them know how much I love them. So yeah, I gave up a day, but I think I gained a whole lot more. There is no reward greater than giving a gift from the heart. So, THANK YOU for allowing me to serve you in a small way.

Pregnant bellies and "lazy" days,

Allyson