While The Zoo Keeper Is Away

I'm not sure if Mike will appreciate me referring to him as a zoo keeper, but something tells me that he would readily admit that's what he feels like some of the time!  He and Cecily are in Covington, GA with a group of youth and counselors from our church at youth camp this week.  This is Cecily's first youth camp experience and I'm praying God will speak to her in amazing ways this week!

JennaBeth has missed her snuggle time with Big "Sista" while she has been gone!  They have a special snuggle time almost every night with this same black and white blanket.  Cecily will say to her, "JennaBeth, it is time to snuggle.  Go get our blankie."  And JennaBeth will go get this same blanket every time!  Many nights, JennaBeth falls to sleep snuggling with her sister.  Well, Big "Sista" (what JennaBeth calls her) packed the snuggle blanket and took it to youth camp with her, which means JennaBeth has been looking for it!!

Bentley has been a really big help while daddy has been away.  He was "reading" (more like narrating through the pictures) to JennaBeth last night.  It was so sweet.  He calls her Jenna a lot and while he was reading, she wasn't being real still.  When she would get to wiggling, he would say, "Now Jenna!  Pay attention to the story!"

The other afternoon I was watching FoxNews channel and there was a story about a man who had died in a plane crash and the anchor woman mentioned he had three young children.  Bentley was apparently paying as much attention to the T.V. as he was his cars and he looked up at me and said, "If daddy dies and you, and me, and big tister and baby tister are still around, I'm gonna do all the things he does and take real good care of you!  Like take out the garbage and all the stuff daddy does."  Do you know my heart about melted right out of my chest?!?!

I am really thankful for Mike and all he does for our family!  He takes very good care of us!  And I do miss him when he isn't at home!  He helps tame the little monkeys in our zoo; and yes if you came to our house some days, you would think you were at the zoo!!!  I say all the time, "The cartoonist who does Family Circus needs to use a picture of our family for his stories!!!"  Having a teenager, a four year old and a 1 and a half year old certainly presents its challenges, but I guess I really wouldn't want it any other way.

However,  a momma can only hear "nack, nack" so many times a day before she wants to stick her fingers in her ears and go running out of the house....

And maybe the Senior Zoo Keeper won't mind a little monkey jumping on the bed just one time while he's away......


How's it going at your zoo?

Blessings,