It's 3 AM

and I can't sleep.  It started out with Luke falling out of bed (this isn't unusual) and me running in there to cuddle with him.  And then suddenly all the kids were awake and we were talking.  It was a few special moments with them that I'm sure we all treasured.

When I went back to my own bed, my poor husband was awake and asked what had happened.  I filled him in briefly and then Paul lamented, "It's raining."

Yep, he couldn't sleep because it was raining again.  I heard last night that we were to get around an inch of rain - if the system didn't break up before it got to our area.  Obviously the system didn't break up.

Now I can't sleep because lately I've had a problem with my brain still thinking, thinking, thinking when it should be shut down and recharging.  But it's a great opportunity to have a midnight snack (yummy new cereal) and check out the pathetic great television programs offered at this time.  We've got a Star Trek: Next Generation (I think - it's with Patrick Stewart; my husband would know - maybe I'll ask him when he wakes up) episode, a few exercise product infomercials, last night's news and weather (ha!), and a few stations that aren't broadcasting.  (We don't have cable and we're proud of it.)

Naturally, since my mind keeps going, I turn on the computer - what better time to check out the blogs?  And maybe I'll write a post since it's been awhile (again) and there are a few things I wanted to note.

First and most importantly, PLEASE PRAY for my dear Grandma who will be having a hysterectomy on Thursday to remove any other uterine cancer that they might not have removed during the biopsy she had a few weeks ago.  Also, please pray for my mom who will be taking her to the hospital for the procedure.  As the oldest child, and I think one to whom caretaking comes naturally, she'll be waiting and worrying as will the rest of the family but she'll be right there.  And I'm sure it will be a hard wait.  Please pray for Grandpa and the other kids, too.

Also, PLEASE PRAY for our neighbor, Vince.  He's in his 80s and had been a daily Mass attendee up until a few months ago.  Now his health is quickly going downhill and he's wheelchair bound and the ambulance has visited his home a number of times in the last month.  Last night the ambulance came and took him away and each time I wonder if this dear man will be coming home.  And I wonder, if he will be discharged from the hospital, if he'll be able to come home to die, which is really what he wants.  The kids are following this series of events with just as much concern (after all, when we hear the siren, the call goes out to pray) and I know that praying is the best thing that we can do.  It feels weird just to sit and watch all this go on and feel like I can't do anything for him, but I'm reminded that prayer is definitely something I can do.

Another prayer request: we have a neighbor whose vehicle was repossessed a few months ago.  We saw the police come and watch the towing of it and our neighbor was very upset.  In the last month and a half, this neighbor will occasionally be heard cursing and throwing things in his home and sometimes he comes outside to curse to himself, to someone who visits, or to someone on the phone.  (If that happens when the kids are out, I just quickly say, "OK - time to go inside."  The kids can hear in my tone that it's important to obey right away and they know it's because the man is yelling again - thankfully they aren't familiar with the words he uses and really probably never listened enough to be able to tell what he was saying.  And then we go inside and pray for him.)  It's been awhile since it's happened, so I hope that things are better for him, but I just get the feeling that this guy is burdened in a bad way - perhaps spiritually as well as on a worldly level.

The basement is still wet.  We're still doing our manual sump-pump routine during the day.  During the night, we try not to think about it and just deal with it in the morning.  Most of the stuff that we had in the basement we've moved to dry locations; we are hopeful that there will be no permanent damage.  Yesterday I got really frustrated with the extra clutter around the house due to having to move some basement items upstairs, but I am working on my attitude about the whole thing.  It's certainly not as easy to deal with as it was when it first happened (aka enough already, I'm sick of this, will it ever stop, I hate this house, yaddah yaddah, yaddah), but I am working on my outlook.  It could be MUCH worse, so we are thankful.  We've got someone coming to give us an estimate for permanently fixing the basement later on in the week.  Hopefully the right option will be obvious and not too expensive.  Again, it could be much worse, and we haven't had to pour money into this house - it's just one of those things that happens I think.

Other things on my mind: needing a full half-day by myself to study up on some homeschool curriculum, needing another half day to finish up some in-progress projects inside and outside the house, and needing a final half day to just be by myself doing whatever.  These things will all come, I know.

For Allison - THANK YOU!!!  I LOVE my new purse and I have to admit that I use it all the time!  I've even been known to transfer things from the diaper bag into the purse while I sit out in the car outside the grocery store so that I can take in my pretty purse and not my bulky diaper bag!  It's so funny how it makes me feel prettier!!!  (And my kids loved you!  One of them lamented that she didn't give you a hug before you left!  SO cute!!)

For everyone I don't know in real life - you are awesome!  I can't believe people actually enjoy or choose to spend their time reading about the goofy/mundane/annoying/weird/boring/funny ramblings of my life! Your support through prayer and comments often make my day.

For everyone I am blessed to know in real life - you are so amazing and wonderful!  God has indeed blessed me with wonderful friends and family and you are all such great evidence of His love for little me!  How amazing is it that He blesses us through the written word, carried by invisible signals, to individual computers around the world!

And now, off to bed again.  Tomorrow Today's morning hours are coming quickly and I'll need a few more Zzzz's!

God bless!!