I've been busy and tired and non blogging for a few days. And it's been an eventful and somewhat life changing week for us.  Our good little pal, Gabe, passed away on Monday after his short battle with a rare lung cancer. He's the little boy I blogged about a few months ago and asked for people to send Christmas cards.  He ended up getting over 5000!!  He was given just a few weeks to live at the beginning of December but with a round of chemo he amazingly survived quite healthily for another four and a half months!  Over the past four months we've gotten to know him quite well and he's taught our family a lot.  That's why I wanted to blog about it.  He has made an impact in our lives for the better.  Today was the funeral and it was a great celebration.  His family shared lots of corny jokes (he loved them) and there were lots of smiles. Gabe was happy and smiling and cracking jokes up until the last few hours of his life. Every time we went and visited gabe and his family- my kiddos would come home with a toy or treat or surprise of some sort that he'd shared with them. He was such a great little guy.  I am so grateful for the knowledge of forever families and so blessed to have the understanding that I do.

Sometimes (okay- A LOT of the time) I complain about motherhood and my children and how crazy they make me.  And while they do make me crazy and I don't always enjoy motherhood- I am so grateful for my kiddos and for the chance I have to raise a family.  I love the little rugrats to bits.

I can't complain about their messes or tantrum throwing or nastiness or how they keep me up at night when I think about the fact that my friend Wendy would give anything to be dealing with a tantrum or cleaning up gabe's messes. Or that she'd be more than happy to be up all night with her little boy tonight.

Thanks, gabe! for that lesson learned- amongst zillions of others. We'll miss you.