These two kept me laughing all year with their randomness! The sister was a bit worried about the brother and metnioned it to me regarding his toothbrush. She said he hadn’t even unpacked it from his “ditty bag,” so she was worried he just might not be staying! And then I got the picture text that showed his toothbrush in the toothbrush holder…it made my day. See, it’s the little things that speak volumes.
Then, Keith and I were grocery shopping when he gave me the “cheer up you can get through this” speech. Then he said how about we put them a care package together! Oh my goodness! He created a monster in me. I found myself mailing them fun random stuff let’s just say…often. I would even alternate mail places so people wouldn’t think I had a “compelsion!” It settled down when the Fed Ex people actually stole his wallet from one of my care packages. (that information is for another post probably creataively titled how NOT to mail a care package!) I did know it was time to settle down the sending of care. The kids told me to stop because the people in the front office know them by name and apartment number! This from the mom who when they went to church camp in Alaska I got the address before they even left and sent scads of letters so they would have mail!
I love that when it was time to celebrate Cole’s birthday, my one kid of 4 who doesn’t have a summer birthday, that she pretty much did everything for him that I would have done but without me even telling her to. I got face timed for the opening of presents and blowing out of the candle! We say all the time…how DID our parents do this!? When we ever tried to call Keith in college you had to hope someone answered that pay phone in the downstairs hall; then hope when they said they were going to get him they actually did, or at the very least, if they didn’t…someone came along soon enough and hung up the dangling phone!
I do know we got through it! Horray for summer! I do know I loved the communication and the planned visits between semester breaks. Over Easter break I was probably at my weakest. They got in late and we were surrounding the kitchen island when Tiffany mentioned that she left one of her textbooks she needed at home. Yep…she said “home.” I tried so hard to conjur up those brave eyes!!! But Cole with his piercing quickness in one glance at me as I was trying to be brave saw and called out: Are you about to cry mom!?! We all do it! I even spent their childhood telling them at holidays and vacations excitedly that we get to go home! Only for them to say…but we are home. They are on their way HOME this week!
You might think this next paragraph is a Hillary Clinton commercial flashback about getting that phone call at 3:00am. It was the early early morning hours of mother’s day. Like in the middle of the night. My cell was ringing at 4am. It was Cole asking had I spoken with Tiffany yet. In my fog, I was thinking the kid who never calls is calling to scoop his sibs and like be the first to tell me happy mother’s day. But instead he said he didn’t know where she was and wondered when I last had spoken to her or did I know where she was. Fog lifted. My brain began sensing his concern. I did receive a happy mother’s day words with friends word from her at 1 in the morning: Alien. I replied to her with great thanks that I will take that compliment that I am completely different than any other! But that app didn’t tell me where she was…they have been havaing crazy study days and finals that their sleep patterns are all messed up. He was asleep when she left for her Saturday evening final…was in and out of sleep so didn’t really have contact. She actually was at her friend’s but both of them had fallen asleep to a movie. She called me at 5 am asking had I called the police yet!:) I replied, No but close. I had hung up with Cole and started creeping every social media outlet I have: facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest. Keith, Hardy Boy that I love, was alrady silently creeping her bank account chiming in what she last spent. Now, that is always fun! But in it all I whispered a prayer asking Him who knew where she was to help us find her:) She said when she called finally that she had just randomly awakened and saw her phone blitzed with my texts and missed calls. I had blitzed all the people close to her and was moving on to personal messaging those of fb who had recently posted anything to her wall when she phoned! What an answer to prayer! So I began with the sister being worried about the brother and end with the brother worried about the sister.
popcorn and m&ms 
Lol! I can’t believe you, Beth! Mine would disown me for the care packages! They are home for summer! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! 😉
I’ve settled down! Just send cash! Tiffs last final is today. So sometime this week when they are rested enough to make the nine hour drive! I was ” catching up” on my blogging.