An Unforgettable Stay at Home Birthday

This year I figured Noah's 17th birthday would be more low key and without fanfare.However, on May 30th while our family celebrated Noah turning 17, a community of school and church friends, neighbors and teachers cheered for him, too!

Natalie created a scavenger hunt with clues stuffed into a fun, Dollar Tree find -- mini Lego boxes. His efforts were rewarded with a new game for his Nintendo Switch.

Next, I presented him with the incredible stack of 74 birthday cards.

74!

Cards arrived from as far as my cruise ship friends living in the U.K. to our long-time, cross-the-street, neighbor, Elaine.

Noah was speechless. I was overwhelmed by the outpour of loving cards -- many of them Star Wars themed (no two alike!), lots of sweet, handwritten notes and handmade cards depicting Noah's love of videogames, music and memes.

He received cards and gifts from...
...family members and friends near and far
...some of my high school friends I haven't seen in decades
...my overseas work friends from 25 years ago
...longtime college friends of mine
...my dental hygenist
...several of Steve's friends from work
...his orthodontist
...his retired, living out of state, 1st grade teacher
...two of his occupational therapists (heavy on the therapist. :-) )
...nearly all of his Webster Groves High School teachers and specialists
...church friends
...school friends
...Best Buddies

It took Noah more than an hour to open all of his cards. Later, his school friend, Luke, stopped by to say hello and give Noah a LEGO Star Wars painting he made himself. He and his parents have been such a light and saving grace for us in making Noah's transition from Miriam to WGHS a smooth one.

But, the love didn't stop there.

I received a message from his church youth leader, Katy, asking if she and another leader could stop by for a visit...maybe sit outside on the lawn and catch up. I was thrilled with her offer because in recent weeks, Noah had really started to feel isolated and lonely. That afternoon, four church leaders and several youths stopped by with ice cold popsicles and warm greetings. They stayed for an hour.

IT   WAS    AWESOME.  Truly.

But, there was even more...

Later in the afternoon, I received a text message from his Best Buddy, Ryan, asking if he and a few friends could do a drive-by parade.  Ryan led the two car party and as they honked and waved, he called Noah over to him to give him a mini-figure LEGO Star Wars set.

The entire day felt magical and a welcome change from the Twilight Zone, stay-at-home conditions we had been living under for months.

I can't look at the photos without tearing up as I relive the feelings felt that day. I'm disappointed I didn't capture any photos from the church group that showed up, but I guess I was having too good of a time chatting with everyone -- I forgot.

Thank you.

 It wouldn't be his birthday without a duel or two. Here he is with his buddy, Luke.

 Noah's biology teacher reached out to me to ask about Noah's favorite junk foods. He dropped off a bag of sweet and savory treats that ...as you can see from the photo, Noah was only mildly excited about.

 Noah's longtime, Star Wars loving friend, Lilia sent him birthday greetings and lightsabers fashioned from colored bands.

 A life-sized lightsaber card...when waved around it sounded like the real thing, too!

Scavenger hunt fun

Honk! Honk! It's a birthday parade.

 A double decker, chocolate chip cookie sundae cake

Growing a Good Night's Sleep

When I started school, kindergarten was only half day. Yet, in those three hours we also had recess, snacks and a resting time. It's remarkable to me how my teacher was able to teach us to read with such limited time. Dick and Jane books were a staple. It's funny what you remember and what fades away. I clearly recall the coveted "Best Rester" award. My teacher cut circles of colored construction paper and turned them into smiley faces with star sticker eyes and the words BEST RESTER neatly printed along the bottom. Each day after rest time, she would give out the award to the student who had been the quietest. I don't know how many times I won that award, but I clearly remember keeping a stack of Best Resters, more than an inch thick, in my top dresser drawer...probably til 3rd grade. I was the kid who not only rested...I often fell deeply asleep.

Unfortunately, sleep doesn't come as easy to me now.

Throughout March and April, I kept myself and the kids busy with a schedule (walk, schoolwork, bake, repeat). I rose early and went to bed late. I kept the T.V. off because the news was a Covid loop of doom which only served to heighten Noah's superpower worry abilities. This routine seemed to keep everyone in check and sleeping at night. In May, I ditched my KitchenAid and for the most part, my kitchen, in favor of digging in the dirt. My flower beds have woken up and with more time at home, Steve and I reworked the backyard and put in a pollinator garden using lots of transplants from my mom's flower garden -- coreopsis, dusty miller, angelina, lavender, verbena, coneflowers and more! Steve grew mammoth sunflowers from seed. Currently, they stand about 18" and are each encased in wire to prevent the bunnies from treating our yard as their own personal buffet. We've never been successful with bringing sunflowers to head, but perhaps this will be our year. All the rain has served to strengthen my transplants and for the first time in 10 years (actually I didn't even know it was possible) my creeping jenny has produced delicate, yellow blooms. Over several weekends we've composted, mulched and planted our little hearts out...more than 60 bags full. Steve's food garden is taking shape -- tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onion, beans, zucchini and even a watermelon. Last weekend, he built a contraption to create compost tea to naturally fertilize our plants and keep pests at bay. Gardening has become the remedy for my sleepless nights.

And for those times when I need a reminder about worrying...I think of this:

Matthew 6:34  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Sedum,stonecrop, salvia and lamb's ear

Hydrangea Steve grew from a tiny cutting. It now stands about 3 feet tall

Steve's veggie garden

Truvy did not like being separated from me...even if she could still see me from the porch. I ended up attaching her leash to my belt loop.

Volunteer growing beneath my Solomon's Seal

Pollinator garden coming along