Easter, or the novelty of Easter rather, was very low-key in our home today. The weather has been overcast and humid, and everyone here has been feeling a bit sluggish... I'm quite certain that sitting in the emergency room at the hospital until 1 a.m. this morning might have had something to do with our somberness, too.
Last night, after baths, the twins were jumping on our bed and wrestling around..nothing uncommon for these two monkies. The next thing I know, Walker is flying off the bed! He landed on his back, but the back of his little head made solid contact with the floor... Screaming and inconsolable crying immediately insued. Grace, "the Aggressive One," had literally shoved him off of the bed backwards, unknowing that it might hurt him... She knew instantly that she had made a mistake after his wailing began. Poor babies! Walker was hurt - one of his pupils was twice the size of the other one and he was gagging. I immediately became concerned that he might have a concussion. Grace dug herself under the pillows and covers, trying to hide her humility. The next thing I know, both are crying and clinging to me. And there I sat, trying to contact Jon on the phone, (he was at a Priesthood meeting at church,) a bit overwhelmed and concerned for my little ones.
It's moments like those that are a wake up call for me. I catch myself gazing and admiring my children often...they are a feast for my eyes and for my soul. My children are literally the loves of my life, my bouy when I'm destitute, my reason for wanting to be a better person than I feel capable of being. It seems like we live in our own little world most of the time...our safe, secure, fun, own little world. We rarely have any physical injuries in our home, aside from the occasional bumped head or scraped knee. I have always prided myself in that I stay calm in a crisis situation...at least on the outside, but I think my heart broke just a little bit at that moment. As a mother, I want to protect my loved ones from harm..It was upsetting to be so helpless...
I sometimes take for granted how blessed my family is. Just like any human family, we have our own set of trials, we have bills to pay, a home to maintain, responsibilities, scheduling conflicts, and the pressures that come along with having small children in the house - it seems like Jon and I never have actual down-time. Alone time. That's something I've forgotten how to even enjoy when I find a glimpse of it from time to time. There was a time, not so long ago, in our lives before the twins came to be, when our home was empty...so empty that the silence was deafening. Austin's sweet spirit kept me alive...gave me the courage to keep following my path. I love our children beyond all imagination. I wouldn't trade the world for them...
Jon rushed home and we loaded the babies up, jammies and all, and made a b-line for the Children's Hospital down the road. (Austin is away for the weekend.) After sitting in the ER for an hour, we saw the doctor on-call. She confirmed our concerns that he might have a tiny concussion. Jon was smart, as usual, and brought our laptop with some of their favorite movies on it to watch. We stayed at the hospital, keeping him under observation, praying for no further signs of trauma, until he was released at 1 a.m. Talk about a long night... Needless to say, neither of the toddlers were thrilled to be there...in the least...at all...at any point in the evening.
Nights like those are my wake up calls...reminders that life is fragile. That no matter how cautious and overprotective we are of our babies, fate still has her hand in our lives. Jon and I both have hearts full of gratitude and thankfulness today.
Anywho... On to Easter. I was a total slacker today and only took a few candid shots of the kids gathering their eggs. They weren't even dressed in their Sunday Best. They had a busy day - played in their sand box, visited 2 local parks, fed the ducks at the park our old stale bread, ran amuck and climbed all over their "Aunt Melli," took tiny naps, played rugby in the front yard, had a wagon ride around the neighborhood, went on a bike ride with their daddy, and alas, hunted their Easter eggs.
Here they are, running toward the front door, on their way out to collect thier eggies.
I thought this next photo was so sweet and tender - there was an egg hidden in the bushes that they were both reaching for at the same time. Walker graciously allowed Gracen to pick it up after he had jiggled it free from it's resting place. In return, Gracen handed the egg to Walker and said, "Here, Walker can have it..." So sweet.
Grace has proven to be an egg-cellent egg hunter and gatherer. She can spot one from across the yard...
And here is my little man, pupils intact and almost back to normal. :)
I have the feeling that next year will not be so relaxed and easy for me. By that time, the kids will have a very good understanding of who Jesus is, of what the Easter Bunny is... I might even have to cook an actual sit-down meal next time!
Then there's Gracen, the Lovely.. She is so tender and sweet...
And here are my two little monkies, being silly, as usual :) We will definately be going back next year - maybe by that time, my children won't mind holding a pose for more than 3 seconds.
