Ford is 7, again!

How many times can one little boy turn 7 or celebrate turning 7?  We have now successfully had three rounds of birthday festivities.  Round 1 was with his class at school.  Round 2 was a family party the day before his actual birthday on May 1.  And round 3 was yesterday because we hadn’t yet had an actual “friend” party if you will.  I am partied out and out of money.

Ford decided in March that he wanted a swimming party.  Well, you can’t exactly do that on May 1 with Mississippi weather.  I told him we must wait.  As the wait went on he decided no to swimming and yes to a baseball party.  I was like whatever you want child.  Puddin suggested or offered to have the party at her house since #1 she has a pool and #2 her yard is much more established than ours is. 

Yesterday was party day.  It was pretty until 2:00 when the bottom fell out of the sky.  Problems…. Lots of problems when your party is scheduled to be OUTSIDE.  But y’all know me, I got plans…back up plans… plans A and B.  Plan A was Puddin’s house.  Plan B was the multipurpose building at their school.  I text the moms at 2:30 to inform then A- the party was still on and B- I would let them know the location by 4:00.  Yep, out of character for me.  I think three kids has chilled me a bit.  If this would have been a few years ago I would have come unglued.

By 3:50 I text to come to the school and we’d play baseball there and then decide the course of action….

When the Wal-Mart bakery spells your name "Fora" you just go with it!

 Simplicity....no Pinterest here ladies.  Nope... not me.  We also had pizza and drinks.  BAM!  Party was complete.

 Coach Patterson helped us set up and even put Annie's shoes on for her!

 Coach Fancy

 What kind of face is that??????

 Sister enjoyed all the food, especially the cheese balls.

 Anna Greer and the Bit.  I'm considering adopting her.

 No pictures please

Bitty insisted on going second!

 Aunt Ashley stealing some lovin...

 After an hour or so we headed to the pool since the weather had cleared.  Randomest party I have ever thrown.

 The cousins!

Happy Birthday again, Ford!

My Job

My job.  It's hard.  It's exhausting.  There are no sick days or personal days.  Rarely do I sit down, eat without holding a child, shower without an audience, or fail to hear "Momma" 7,500 times a day.  

I love my job.  It's rewarding.  It's spontaneous and fun.  I am around people who think I hung the moon.  No two days are the same and everyday presents new challenges, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else!

The reasons for my job:

Not promised tomorrow

You wake up each day and go about your business like things are "supposed to" be.  You don't think about the what if or what could happen.   The thought that it could be your last day doesn't cross your mind.  It doesn't cross mine either.  

Sunday my family got up and went to church as we do every Sunday.  I taught my 11th-12th grade Sunday school class about Samuel, and then grabbed Ford from his class.  He'd been sickly all weekend so we headed north to the doctor to get checked out.  While I was waiting on the doctor my phone began ringing continuously and binging from texts.  The first caller asked if I was alright.  I was thinking how does she know I'm at the doctor with Ford.  She wasn't referring to that at all.  Caller #1 was making sure it wasn't my suv that hit the culvert of my driveway, wiped out my mailbox and flipped over in the ditch.  

That random car has nothing to do with the wreck.  

A text I received showing me the horror that awaited in my driveway when I got home.  

The young man, who was 28, had gone to the gas station before heading to play golf.  He never made it.  What happened to cause him to run off the road?   I don't know.  I do know he leaves behind a wife that he wasn't even married to for a year and a mother who also buried her husband less than a year ago.  

It's eerie pulling out of my driveway and seeing a crushed mailbox, bricks scattered throughout my yard, and things that belonged to the young man in the grass.

We aren't promised tomorrow.  It's a simple phrase I try to remember.  Death doesn't discriminate by gender, age, race, socio economic status, etc.  We will all die.  Only God knows when.

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 7:21

Be safe.  Love your family.  Know the Lord.