Buzz Lightyear, some magic marker and some very sad news

Whew! Sometimes when I finally get my kids in bed at night I feel like a hallelujah chorus is in order. The hubby has band practice on Tuesday nights and somehow they are always the most challenging. Ethan threw his Buzz Lightyear (i.e. his passion for living) at the wall tonight and thus received a spanking and Buzz was shelved until morning. Between his dramatic crying and longing stares at the top shelf, I attempted to scrub a big smiley face off of Hallie's stomach for the second night in a row. Her friend was over yesterday afternoon and they came up with some "creative" ways to use her markers. Yes, she even drew long eyelashes, teeth and her belly button is the nose. Endearing, huh? I can't help but wonder how many baths it's going to take to remove this piece of art. Let's hope it wears off before her next doctor's visit. I am so proud of her, though, for how great she is doing in softball. Her coach told her tonight that she has a "vacuum on her hand" because she catches every ball. Ethan, however, thought that was an insult so he yelled back "My sister is not a vacuum!!" and gave him a dirty look. Thankfully, he didn't hear or see this display. On top of that, Ethan was walking around tilting his head back and saying "Hey, I'm a Pez Suspenster" to the other parents. He wouldn't move until they took some "candy" from his neck. Oh Boy.

On a more serious note, my brother-in-law's mom passed away last night from neuro-endocrine cancer which is rare, but very aggressive. She was only diagnosed 8 months ago and it has really been a roller coaster for the family. Sadly, my brother-in-law lost his younger brother to suicide a few years ago and now this. I feel so badly for him and especially his dad. Jackie was one of the kindest people I have ever met. She always met me with a big hug and called me "hon" and "darlin' ". She was an amazing photographer and she really taught me a lot about freelancing. She had a very difficult life and was enjoying her only grandchild (David Scott) so much. She loved him dearly and it just devastates me that he won't even remember her. She was a strong lady and I do take comfort in the knowledge that she is with her Savior and her son. I have fond memories, especially of last mother's day when we had a dinner party at our house. That was only 2 months before she got sick and we all had such a wonderful time together. I am so glad that I have that.

Please pray for my brother-in-law (Scott) and his dad (Mike). Scott is a precious human being and has supported my sister through some very tough times. He, my sister and my nephew are all Mike has left. No parents, no siblings and some horrible memories of finding his youngest son dead by a shotgun blast. I am praying that the Lord will make it possible for him to move closer to my sister and her family soon. He and Scott will really be needing each other.