Sneaky Sneaky

Whew, it has been a busy couple of weeks for the Garner Family. Two weeks ago Michael rode 100 miles in a bike ride called 'Hotter Than Hell'. Mady and I tagged along (on the trip...not the ride) and had a good time. )If I haven't told you the story about our hotel, here's the short version. We checked into a hotel in Wichita Falls, TX. Nasty! Hair, bugs, stains...just gross. I cried thinking about my little girl staying in a place like that. So, we ended up staying in Lawton in a Hampton Inn...it saved the trip!) She clapped for her daddy as he rode through the finish line. Then, last weekend, Granny and Papa (Vivian and Roger) were here. We had a nice visit. Madalyn really bonded with Granny AND Papa. She loved it when Roger would play his guitar...she would throw her head back and laugh. Granny gave her a bath and they laughed and splashed. Rog and Viv also did some babysitting for us! Thats right...we went on a date...dinner and a show! Of course, the date was in Poteau, Oklahoma...dinner was Arby's drive through and the 'show' was Walmart. We did see a Tahoe that was pretty pimped out so that was exciting. Honestly, it doesn't sound that glamorous, but it was exactly what we needed.

I decided that, after nine months, everything had caught up to me. I was so tired, Michael and I had been squabbling over stupid stuff and I was at the end of my rope. Michael, being the WONDERFUL husband that he is, devised a plan to help fix all the tension that had been building up. Monday nights are now my night off. I am supposed to go somewhere and sit. I can read, drink a chai, drive around, anything...as long as I relax. Tuesdays belong to Michael, Wednesdays are Awanas (huh, I'm sure this will come up in a later blog), Thursdays are date night and Fridays are family night. My mom has graciously volunteered to babysit on Thursdays and Saturdays (so we can clean our house). It all seemed to fall into place. Its like I told God how tired I was and He said, "Okay...heres the solution." It was perfect. I really think spending some time alone, and having alone time with Michael, will be the break I need to calm down. There for a few days Michael was beginning to wonder if I was pregnant again...I think he saw glimpses of 'the dragon' coming back. Michael even volunteered to take night duty with Mady for a couple of nights. It was amazing to get a full night's rest!!! I feel normal again.

So, nothing new had developed with Mady these past couple of weeks...or so we thought. Apparently, in nursery, she has been STANDING UP. Sarah Neal had been watching Mady in nursery and afterwards commented on how Mady had been standing during the church service. Michael and I were shocked! We didn't know she knew how to stand on her own!!! We shouldn't have been surprised. Mady has begun to be very sneaky. She will sneak to a shelf that she knows she shouldn't pull up on. She sneaks out of the living room. She sneaks shoes and pieces of fuzz into her mouth. All the while, she give us this grin over her shoulder like, "Remember how cute I am? Good, let that distract you while I do what I'm not supposed to do." No good. I have already begun to ask God to morph her curiosity for life into a curiosity about Him and His Word. Oh dear...we sure do have our work cut out for us, don't we!?