All Back in the Nest One Last Time

TJ came down  to spend the weekend with us today. He's leaving January 23 for Australia. He plans on  living there for at least a year.

Massey and he have gotten really close these past few years but thanks to all the technology and social networking they will be able to stay in touch.

He also had to come say goodbye to his boy, Charlie. TJ bought Charlie but for most of his life has lived with us. It took a while but he settled in here and it would break my heart  to give him up.

Zach was here today as well and it was nice to have all three kids and all three pups back home. We all sat together and talked. TJ gave Massey lots of advice on  college and Zach added his. Tim was off too so it was the whole family and a wonderful afternoon.

Last week at  my sister's house we were talking about all our kids and my sister brought out a little box with index cards where she had kept notes our Diddy had written to her and on some cards were notes she had made of things the kids had said over the years

I think one of my favorites is when Massey was just five or six. Santa had brought her  Doctor's kit and she had me on the sofa taking my vitals. I asked in a feigned tone, "Doctor, will I live?" She removed her little plastic stethoscope  from my chest and pronounced solemnly "Yes, you will live with your family." I laughed and she got furious with me. She probably over billed me for that check  up.

Then there was the time when I was driving my minivan with Zach  and Massey in it. Zach was about eight. We passed a private school and the kids were just getting out. Zach looked at  them  then back at me and asked "Do they get to wear the same costumes every  day?"

This one reminded my sister of the time when she was driving Zach somewhere, while around the same age. She said he pointed out the window to  the sky and calmly said " Hunh. Aunt Cin, look at that bird...I think that's  a Pterodactyl."

The ball  was rolling now.

One time when Cin took her boys with her on a trip when she was a flight attendant , they were in Puerto Rico . Her boys were in  grade school (as us ole farts still call it.) She commented "Look at that huge Rubber Tree." Her son Griff, shaking his head simply said "Mom...that's a REAL tree."

Then there was the time on vacation in  Florida. The boys, my two and Cin's two were tossing around a foot ball and one of the palm trees had some bird in it that kept making this noise. My  nephews, a couple of years older than TJ (they were all tweens) were wondering what it could be when TJ piped in "It's a duck, DUH!!"

Another favorite is when Zach was about six. It was Easter Sunday and we were heading to my sister's house for dinner. We passed a church with three huge crucifixes.  Sadly I didn't do a good job of taking the kids to church when  they were little but preferred to  home school them in religion by  cleaning house every Sunday morning before I left for work with "Jesus Christ Superstar" blaring throughout the house from my stereo CD player. (Side note...I know every word to the entire opera)

  Zach was in his car seat and asked about the crosses. I told him Jesus was hung on the middle cross and two robbers hung on each side.  I threw in a quick lesson  and added, They nailed him to the cross with nails through his hands and feet. He didn't miss a beat..."I thought they hung you  with a rope."

I continued my mobile Sunday School lesson and said "You know what was  the last thing Jesus said to all the people who did that to  him? He said I forgive you."

Zach  thought about that for about ten seconds and commented "I would have said, I will GET you."

I was  glad they were all in the back seat and couldn't see my face trying not to laugh. I told Zach. "Well that's why His name is Jesus and your name is Zach  Cotton and we'll  all be in church next  Sunday."

Raising kids is truly hard but leaves you  with so many good memories. They always overshadow the bad memories.

I had all three here this weekend and it was great.  I'm not the best Mom in  the world but they have all survived and so have Tim and I.

I have so many stories about my kids I could literally fill a book.  Maybe I will one day! But for now it simply fills my heart to have them all under one roof again.

I've had good times and I've had bad times. My kids will always be my good  times, even though some of them have been bad!

Kudos to TJ for going on this great adventure. It was nice to have them all back under our roof and them all getting along. I have great kids.  They have goofed up from time to time but what kid hasn't? I wouldn't want a kid that didn't goof up when they were young.

 If they don't that only means they are waiting til they are forty  to goof up and will be bringing grand-kids back home with them for you  to raise while they try to get a clue.

I took my lumps when I did and love them for hitting me early with them.

I have a good feeling about my kid's futures.  They are all three gonna make me proud.  Heck... They already have!

Til next  time...Contented COTTON