There are certain aisles at Walmart that I cannot even go down anymore.

(Like the fabric aisle, the kids craft aisle, the scrapbooking aisle and especially the ribbon aisle)

So, you know what kind of trouble I’d be in
if someone actually handed me a catalog.

Especially one filled with the most beautiful ribbons I’d ever laid my craft-weary eyes on

(Shame on you Judy)

Okay, Yeah, I know I begged you for it…

But Still…

This week, I opened up my front door to more then just the Newspaper:

BTW

(Did I mention that the Sunday Paper is like the highlight of week……I’m like a little puppy dog wagging my tail and licking my lips in anticipation of all the coupons.)

Anyway, Back to the Ribbon

Please don’t ask me how much I spent.

You can see the size of the box.

Do the math.

And for those of you like-minded crafters with similar texture obsessions,

Feel free to re-live this moment on me, one glorious strand at a time:

And of course I had to get right to work
making hairbows for my little girl:

Like what you see?

Stay tuned

I just might be able to part with a few yards for the sake of sharing….

Maybe.

So I had a Dream Last Night…….

You know, those infamous Baby dreams….

The ones that come right around your due date, and reveal how much stress and pressure you’re feeling about the upcoming baby….

We’ve all had them right?

With my first child I dreamt that not only was she born at the lovely age of 16, but she was only 5 inches tall, and was desperately trying to convince me that she wasn’t too small to drive a convertible.

Crazy right?

Well, last night I dreamt that I awoke to a baby in my arms.

My husband was nowhere to be found, and neither were my other children (apparently they were still sleeping or something, because I didn’t really give them a second thought)

As I looked around I saw that I was in my grandmother’s bedroom.

(which was strange)

And to make it all the more interesting

I had no recollection of giving birth.

Yeah…did you get that?

I had NO RECOLLECTION of giving birth.

(Total Fantasy right?…maybe not!)

Yet, here was this beautiful baby boy, swaddled up in my arms….

(who of course had dark brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and was perfectly chubby in all the right places)

So what did I do you ask?

I nursed him.

And while I was a bit disturbed about the fact that I couldn’t even remember giving birth to this child, I silently prayed a thank you to God for keeping care of my child for me

…..even when I wasn’t able to even comprehend what had actually happened.

…OR understand where or when this little life came from

…OR even begin to process the situation I was currently in……

And then the thought occurred to me…..

Is this situation really so different then every other day?

That perhaps in all my own Glory (snicker) it’s quite possible that I’m unaware of the millions/trillions/google-gazillion other things that are simultaneously going on around me that might be changing/providing/shaping the life this child is to lead.

That Perhaps….God isn’t taking care of MY baby for ME…..

And that I am taking care of God’s baby for HIM?

That Perhaps I’m really not needed is this whole process of New Life? (shocker)

That maybe…..JUST MAYBE…. God has blessed me with the AMAZING role of being a mother, just so that I might experience the joy that comes from nurturing another.

And not because my services are really REQUIRED

….or because of some divine right that I possess as a Human Being.

So this morning (this early morning)…..

I am reminded that I am not to worry about where this little life came from….how it came to be here…..or where it is going……

God has reminded me

That I am simply here to nurse this child…..

…In all manners and with all the resources that God has blessed me with.

I am to provide food and nourishment when he is hungry.

I am to listen to his cries, his needs, and his sorrows.

I am to respond to his questions with the truth of God’s law.

I am to shape and mold his spirit in the image of God.

I am to hold his hand in the parking lot of life……

And because of the role God has given me…..

I am to feel what it is like to be needed…..above anyone else.

I get to experience the joys of a child’s first smile.

I feel the glee at the first laughter to leave his lips

I am witness to the first steps of a little man on this earth.

I am to spend a lifetime immersed in a relationship that cannot be put into words or explained in a parable.

It is something I must experience.

And after it all…..

I will understand what it is:

To love so strongly, that I would die to protect my child.

Pretty Deep for a Dream Right?

So I pondered all that, the beautiful revelation that God has given me….

And as I sat there nursing my little son, I started to wonder……

Just where is my Husband anyway?

So I called him at work

And what follows is a phone conversation that could only happen in my dreams…..

“Hey……….We have a baby boy”

“Really?” he replied. “What happened?”

“I don’t know!” I said, “But, he’s here and he’s healthy and……”

“Where are the kids?” he asks

“I don’t know?” I said, “Can you get off work?”

“I’ll try”

(I’ll TRY? LOL, you can imagine what my true response would be right?)

And then as if by divine intervention,

(you know to keep me from blowing my stack)

I heard a quiet crying of an infant….

“I gotta go, he’s hungry” I said, and I hung up.

And as I listened to the baby crying, I wondered…..

Why does his cry sound so distressed?

Is something wrong with my baby?

Where is he anyway….I better get out of bed….and over to the crib…..

And then the cry started to sound just like a bird…

Just like an angry bird….

An angry crow in fact….

And as I slowly opened up my eyes, there he was….

A big black angry crow, sitting out in the trees outside my window

Kaaa Kaa-ing his little head off

Way….way….way to early for my liking.

(Seriously, check the time stamp on this post….

I’m never up this early…..dang crow.)

I’m sure you can put the rest of the pieces together

And of course I’m somewhat disappointed that my little baby isn’t really here.

But that feeling is quickly forgotten:

Because not only am I happy that my little baby doesn’t sound like a crow….

But I’m secretly pleased that I haven’t forgotten my little guys birth story….because no matter how painful it is,

I want to remember how my third child entered this world.

So if you’ve read this far……… now I want to know…..

What crazy dreams did you have while you were pregnant?

Besides stocking our house up with BBQ related items for Dad’s big cookoff, I realized that we didn’t really have anything to give Good Ole’ Dad…..

So, today the kids are busy planning out the different chores they will be offering up to Honor Daddy!

Totally procrastinating like us?

You can print a set of these Father’s Day coupons here.

We’ve got some over there for Mother’s Too…..(Maybe you can sneak a few of those in without the kids noticing!)

After the kiddos wrote in all the adorable things they we’re willing to do for Daddy….

We decorated these paper wallets for them to present their coupons in:

There now isn’t that a Father’s Day gift to be proud of!

Have Fun!