Spring break is over...

...and what a week it was.  My sister came from NY with her hubby, so we did the customary, 'take family to Sea World' and on that day, the first real day of Spring break, there were over 29,000 people...sheer insanity! 

To top off the week of vacation for me, time I thought I might regroup, prepare for the last stretch of this school year, I got hit bigtime with flu-like symptoms and though I forged through at Sea World on Monday, it cost me the rest of the week...but everyday I would get up, spend time with Jesus, and start moving...I learned to keep moving forward, rejoice, focus on grace, His kindness, look for His gifts to me and the boys and just slow down.  I wrote about it one day, Wednesday, over here, turning my post that day into a story and in the midst of writing, realized I'd been given many gifts that day...

So, the boys told me several times this week it was the best vacation they've had in a long time...not too sure why since we didn't do much, but they did spend time with their aunt Kay and uncle Tim who took them to a movie, then to buy Legos and action figures! 

On Tuesday, although the entire family was going out, I opted to keep them home with me (which they were initially very angry with me about, but, needless to say, repented later on that day when they realized their day wouldn't have turned out the way it did if they'd have gone.)
To their delight, I took them first to the library to pick up books I'd ordered, then to the feed store to get chicken food and on our way into the store I asked them if they wanted to see if there were any chicks, and then they got excited...
There were two little chicks left and we agreed they could buy one because it was only $2.  When we took the chick to the counter, the man said if they wanted to have them both, he'd give them to the boys for free!  They looked at me, I smiled, they ran back and got the other one and then bought $1.60 worth of food just for them. 
Well, these darling little things have had to have their wings clipped already because they can jump on the top of the box...they love the sound of the boys' voices and when they hear them from the other room, they begin to chirp like crazy...
They named them A.J. for Awesome Juice and the other one Hawk Nelson...my concern is that we have two roosters...and that will not do.  Time will tell.

They had a friend come spend a couple days and I put them all to work in my garden of Eden pulling weeds to pay me for a giant Lego book Isaac wanted...it was a great motivator for them as well as for me.

So, tomorrow we begin anew and I am looking forward to walking in love, grace and patience with them.   That may sound funny to read, but the stirring that God has been doing in my heart has been nothing short of a miracle.  My eyes are opened and I see things differently.  

...and I know they are different, too.  They're responding to the love, patience and grace that fills them.  How thankful I am that His mercies are new every day.