Get some kleenex

I wept liked a baby when I watched this:

Here's the info that was posted on youtube with the video:

"Nathan was a 16 year old, with Down Syndrome, who passed away and went home to be with his Lord. The news of his accident and death received nationwide attention. His memorial celebration was held on March 10, at Easthill Church, in Gresham OR. Almost 2000 people attended. This slide show was presented at the celebration."

A long day for mommy, a long day for Charlie ... and still missing Shawn

Shawn is still in North Carolina. He gets home late Thursday night. Charlie and I are both missing him like crazy!

I got sick again yesterday - woke up at 5 am with the flu ... AGAIN! My mom, "Oma", came and got Charlie in the morning, thank goodness. I spent most of the morning in the bathroom, being sick.

By about noon, I realized I was becoming dehydrated again. I called the advice nurse and talked to her for a while. After hearing all my symptoms, she told me to call an ambulance! No way! So, I called the next best thing, my mom. :) My mom and dad came with Charlie, my dad took Charlie to Christine's - who also happens to be sick herself (THANK YOU, CHRISTINE), and my mom drove me out to the hospital. After blowing a vein in a VERY bad way, they got an IV in and I got all pumped up with fluids and other good stuff (Zofran, thank goodness for Zofran!). We were there for several hours (I can't remember...6 or 7, maybe) - then finally got to go home. My mom dropped me off here at home, then went to pick Charlie up at Christine's and take him home with her. When she got Charlie to her house, she had him sit on the potty (by now it was about 9:00 at night) and apparently the day finally caught up with him!

I am so, so tired of getting sick - not sure what is up with that!?

BUT, I am SO thankful for family - Oma, Opa and Christine.

God, why?

Why so much suffering? It seems like one thing after another these past few days. I've heard about a number of tragic, painful, and devastating things that have happened in the lives of people I care deeply for in just that past few days.

And now this:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathanvredevelt

My spirit is so heavy, it feels hard to breathe.

Please, God, just bring comfort to each of them:

The Vredevelts

The Knifong/Swift Family

Caitlin

Kimberly

Nicole

Abby

Nikki

Lauren

Cora's family

L & K

This kid is cracking me up lately

Charlie's sitting on his potty right now, watching Sesame Street. He keeps going, "AAAAGGGGHHH" - making this horrible, ugly, scratchy screaming noise. And then, in a perfectly normal, serious voice, he'll look at me and say, "Is that not very nice, mom?"

New information

Charlie has been teaching me lots of important, new things lately.

"Mom, snakes don't have knees."

"Birds don't have toes."

"Cats come in all kinds of colors, mom."

"Mom, some spiders are nice and some spiders are mean."

"Mom, both frogs AND monkeys can jump."

"Alligators don't have belly buttons." (Charlie calls his little, um, "boy part" his "belly button" - so I'm pretty sure that's what he's talking about - and, if you really think about it, it would be tricky for an alligator to have one of those...)

This is serious stuff, man. I need to take note.

Loving our kid!

A "croc-dile" made by Charlie - one of his favorite things to do lately is to make little animals (usually "croc-diles") out of legos and then feed them, put them to bed, make them mommies & daddies, etc.
Love that precious smile - and the pb&j on his cheeks makes me smile, too!

This is one of my favorite things - Charlie and Shawn just sitting around making up silly songs. Charlie comes up with the lyrics, and then Shawn makes them into music. Charlie and Shawn just free-styling it. I could watch this for hours - it just cracks me up and melts my heart at the same time. :)