To say that Devin's energy level gives us a run for our money is a huge understatement. He is into everything and anything and I'm always worried he is going to get hurt...or worse. Today he did something that would have caused a major challenge for our family, but the Lord showed His goodness and taught us a lesson in the meantime.
To make a very long story short, Devin lost our last and only set of keys to the van. This is a huge deal because it would cost a ton of money to get a new set made from scratch. Everything involved in doing that was way beyond our budget right now and it would be a financial mess. Might sound trivial to some people...after all they are just keys. But Cody and I have already lost the other two sets and this one remaining set we guard with our lives. So of course Baby Badness stole them and hid them somewhere.
When I discovered what he had done, I panicked. And then panic turned to fear and I started crying- a lot. I tried to get him to show me where they were, but he thought it was a game. Reasoning with a barely two year old who doesn't talk a whole lot is like chasing a drunk cat. This went on for over and hour and I tore this house apart looking. What I feared most was facing Cody, who already thinks I'm spacey about keeping track of my things. He would be furious and think it was my fault; I was sure of it. (Now looking back, I doubt he would have reacted that way when he saw how upset I was.)
Lauren and Hailey were home, but Hailey had been in bed all day with a high fever. I tried to get Lauren to help me look, but she wasn't much more help than Devin. Ethan came home from school and instead of my cheerful greeting, I was in tears and told him what had happened. Lauren realized how serious is was when I said "If I can't find the van keys, you can't go to school anymore to see Sam!" (The story of the infamous Sam needs an entry of it's own.) Lauren started to cry and she began to really help me look. But still, the keys were nowhere. Not in a toy box, a laundry basket, a trashcan, a toilet...none of Devin's typical hiding places.
Finally I decided we needed to pray. I gathered Ethan and Hailey by me and I said a very fervent prayer. Yes, I prayed over lost keys with all my heart. I prayed that either we would find them on our own or that Devin would lead us to where they were. Lauren and I were both crying pretty hard and Ethan was just worried because I was so upset.
Almost immediately upon ending the prayer, I had a feeling to get up and go back into our bedroom. Both Garrett and Hailey were sleeping in there and I hated to disturb them, so I told Lauren to wait out in the hall while I checked one more time. I went in and looked one more time on the closet floor and surrounding area and was about to leave the room when I had a feeling to look inside the playpen where Garrett was sleeping. I had already looked in there, but since he was sleeping I didn't look closely. Then I saw something shiny catch my eye.
There they were.
The keys, I'm guessing, had been dropped over the side and slid down between the pad and the playpen wall. Not visible unless you looked closely, which I had not done before. I came back out into the hall and quietly shut the door behind me. I had a huge smile on my face and jingled them and Lauren started screaming with joy. "Now you can take me to school tomorrow!!"
Again we gathered on the couch to say a prayer of gratitude to Heavenly Father. Lauren insisted on saying it and her prayers touch me like no other. Such sweetness, such sincerity. Yes, even over something as trivial as lost keys. When she finished, Ethan asked if he could say a prayer too because he was so happy. Gosh, my heart melted into a big puddle.
I have been terrible about saying my personal prayers lately, but this was a great reminder that my Father in Heaven is aware of me and my every need. He knows me and whatever is important to me, is important to Him as well. I'm grateful that my children were able to be part of this and see first hand how Heavenly Father answers prayers, even about simple things. I am very thankful for this experience today and I hope to not soon forget it.
Lauren and Devin had their annual check-ups last week. It's nice that their birthdays (like Ethan and Hailey's) fall three weeks apart, so we can double up on appointments like this. Both of them received the flu vaccine, and poor Devin got two more shots in his legs. Lauren is still tiny and petite for her age, which I'm sure she will love when she is an adult. Devin is more in the middle, and the doctor discovered that his ear tubes have fallen out! It's completely normal for them to fall out when they outgrow them, but I was hoping I would have found them because that's the kind of thing I like to save. Gross, I know. Both kids were given a perfect bill of health which always makes me grateful. Here are their stats:
And with the half birthday comes the first solid food. Garrett's appetite is very ready for more than just milk, but he still greatly prefers milk to anything else. And he greatly prefers mommy's skin in his mouth to anything else. I must say that it fills me with pride when my babies want me and only me. I love that I am the only one who can make them happy and give them what they need. He had mushed up fresh banana as his first meal, but in reality that meal consisted of only a few spoonfuls of the stuff. He seemed to like it okay, but wasn't sure what to do with it once it hit his tongue. Mighty strange texture compared to what normally goes in there. But we'll keep trying. He's got a lifetime ahead of him to eat real food, so for now we are in no rush to get him there...yet.
