This week...

My fat boy Dayton! 

The boys spent Friday night here and between my stepson, my husband and Liz they had plenty of attention.  I had to get up with Jacob once in the middle of the night because he had a slight fever & Dayton who isn't used to sleeping here overnight got up at 2:30 am, this after going to bed at 8:30.  He did sleep until 6:30 am though.  He's a much better sleeper than Dakota was at his his age.  Thank God Dakota who is two and quite the little man sleeps much better now, he yawns once, blinks his eyes and passes out.  Not moving until morning.  He used to roll around and moan all night, so much so I used have to hold him next to me in order to get any sleep myself.  

 

Dakota and the back hoe library book.  Every piece of equipment is a back hoe to him.

I did go to K's wake on Wednesday.  Liz went with me.  It was in a huge church thankfully as many kids attended and mostly stood or sat in little groups.  I was so afraid of losing it when I saw pictures of that child arranged on a large poster board.  I remembered the little princess outfit that I dressed her in to put her on the bus for Halloween.  When I did speak with the family it was hard.  The brother who is around 27 broke down in tears when he spoke to me.   I gave him a huge hug, I imagine he sees his sister as a wee one when he sees me also.

There were news crews everywhere all week. I know they have a job to do, but it was very sad and a statement to what we have become.  The police kept the news away from the high school but they were perched right outside the church during K's funeral.  I did not go...but my midday route goes right by the church and the funeral ended as I headed to my pickups.  The timing seem fitting.  Many, many cars went by me.  Such sadness.

I have hard that the girl was out of the hospital in time for the funerals, Liz's friend's brother is headed toward a rehab facility, and the 2 other boy's condition are not being released.  The driver is still in the hospital, but will be in jail when she is released with a 5 million dollar bond. 

My hope is that parents wake up, take action, stop being so afraid of disciplining their children.  I looked back at what I did right when I was the guardian & mother of 5 children full time and 2 more on the weekends.  I worked long nights every single day of the week to be home when the kids came home from school.   My stepson Matt was the type that could have gone either way, when I married Mark he had just moved in with him.  He came from a rough side of a big town..  One of his friends had just been killed in a gang shooting.  Matt was a b.s.'er who thought he could con me.  Little did he know that I took my mothering seriously and I was always checking and rechecking where my children were.  I made Matt so paranoid, he got caught enough times not being where he was supposed to be that he pretty much gave up lying to us.  When their friends started driving made sure they told me who they were with.  Thank God as a few years ago 2 of my kids friends got very drunk, speed down a country road hit a pole and died. 

By the grace of God my kids stayed out of trouble. 

I hope these children did not die in vain.  The dead are buried.  Now it's time to learn the lessons that these things bring.