Friends, Family, Flora and Fauna...

We are back in our desert home after a week-long visit with friends and family in our beloved Mississippi.

The weather was perfect -- the visits just lovely -- and the friendships revisited a blessing for us all!

Cate enjoyed relaxing in Grammie's backyard -- though her self-proclaimed FAVORITE place at Gram's house was her "pink bathroom, cause it is sooo cute."

Grammie threw a birthday party for the triplets so that they could see some of their family. Nana and Papa drove down from Tennessee, and we loved that my cousin Kaye drove my great Aunt Dot up from Jackson to see us and that my Daddy's half-brother came to hug on the kids. Garry was great with sweet Cate...reminding me so much of my daddy that I wanted to cry. And my Aunts came (Gram's sisters) and Wade's cousins....and so many dear ones! We had such a sweet time!!

We took a day and drove down to our favorite place outside of the Disney parks....Mississippi State University! Claire had a tour of the Veterinary School -- and loved every minute of it! (Except perhaps when the director told her she needed science, science and science to get in!)

We went to visit our friend Susan in the Athletic office and she had quite a treat for us! Coach Rockey Felker (an MSU former star quarterback, coach and awesome guy!) came to spend time with the kids!

And then....we were escorted into the office of NEW head football coach, Dan Mullen's office! The kids (little and big alike) were thrilled to meet Coach Mullen and to have our picture taken with him (Benjamin thinks this should be our Christmas card photo...always thinking ahead, that one!)

We also had visits with VP of Alumni, Dr. Jimmy Abraham, one of Wade's college mentors; ate at our college favorite, Little Dooey (and ran into a friend of Mommy's there!); toured the MSU Weight Room and met several football players there; and capped the day with a baseball game at Dudy Noble! It was a great day!! And Wade and I could not have helped our children understand our love for Mississippi State any better than the precious people who loved them there did!!

I love my desert home...but there is nothing quite like Mississippi in the Spring! The Azaleas were past their peak, but they were still beautiful. Cate was sweet enough to pose for me! But the Crimson Clover (we prefer to call it Maroon Clover!) lining the Mississippi highways was so breathtaking that I made Wade pull over and let me take some pictures!

The highlight of our trip was definitely seeing so many loved ones. I took a ton of pictures of visits with Miss Trish, my dear friend and mentor since college days met us at the airport for a brief visit; childhood friend, Robyn and her sweet kids; high school friend Markietha, and the list goes on! It was great!!

We capped the trip with an overnight visit to my best friend since college days (and maid of honor in our wedding) home in Meridian. Carol has a son about the triplets' age, a daughter Cate's age, and a husband who is a doctor! Everyone had someone to "play" with!! We had a blast and the kids were so precious together that they want to move closer to Rhet and Rylee!!

Cate and Rylee dressed up, swinging and sharing the secrets of their lives, no doubt! (Periodically they would just spontaneously start squealing at the tops of their lungs!!)

The Shrader and Hailey crew! Lots of love here!!

The big kids having fun together!!

Hugs were the order of the day for the littlest sweet friends!!

We had a blessed trip -- making memories that will keep us sustained for a long time! What a blessing!!

Blessed Day

Today is the day --- the trio are 12!! We are out celebrating but more photos will follow!!

Happy birthday, you sweet miracles!!

Wheels of joy...

Wade and I rode bikes once upon a time. I spent the majority of my childhood on one, and after we married we even bought semi-matching ones. But after the triplets were born, and the boys were diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, we quit riding, choosing to donate our bikes to our students at the University of Chicago before moving to Minnesota.


When the trio were about three, they received tricycles for Christmas. Claire would sail around the over sized patio we had in our backyard in Minnesota while Benjamin used his as stable seating to watch his brother and sister play outside! Mason wanted to pedal so desperately. We worked for hours. I would hold his feet on the pedals and he would push with all his might. He developed quite a skill for going backwards but just never could get the forward motion to his satisfaction (Mason always sets his standards high!).


Sweet Claire pedaled the stew out of that tricycle. Bless her heart, Wade and I did not want to frustrate the boys further and she did not know any better....so she was seven before she got her first REAL bike. She was so proud of it. I was so proud of her. And the boys wanted to ride. Benjamin -- always my content soul -- was happy to zoom around chasing her in his chair. But Mason just wanted to ride, too. And my heart broke for him.


Wade and I met a representative from a company called Freedom Concepts while at a Cerebral Palsy meeting in the Fall, and we both KNEW this was something we had to try.

Yesterday was the big day. The bike arrived.



Bless Mason's heart, FedEx had called to schedule the delivery -- giving us a four hour time block and then not arriving until the fourth hour! I thought he was going to spontaneously combust!



I am not sure I captured the pure joy on his face when he first felt the pedals and made this wonderful bike move! But I tried...


Cate wasn't about to be outdone...she raced pedal for pedal with her big brother!!

This was one of my favorite shots of all -- a parade of Shraders! How delightful to see all my monkeys having fun together on their wheels!

My happy boy -- complete with his new helmet!

This smile is a blessing on wheels. An absolute blessing!

Easter Flowers...

Cate loves Strawberry Shortcake -- the cartoon character (although she does delight in the dessert version as well...). We even call her Strawberry Short-CATE, which just makes her giggle. So, you'll understand why a song from one of the Strawberry Shortcake DVDs is stuck in my head! You can breathe a sigh of relief that I'm not SINGING this...but use your imagination and hum along...."Friendship grows like a flower....friendship grows like a flower..." It is a lovely song with the sweetest idea of friendship growing with a little loving care.


Yesterday, after a powerful service at church celebrating Easter (my favorite holiday!), we headed across the Valley of the Sun, to visit with our Phoenix family, long-time friends of my husband and his mother...and I've been humming the song ever since!

So today, because Spring makes me nostalgic in general, and because I want to honor this friendship in particular, you get to hear the story!


More than 30 years ago, the Shrader family of three moved to Chicago and next door to the Tabone family of four. The moms -- Marsha Shrader and Becky Tabone (now Merrill) quickly formed a friendship with toddlers in tow. The Tabones added a baby boy and the oldest two (my hubby and Janette) started school together, and the friendship grew (like a flower....OK, you don't have to hum along.).


Too soon, the Shraders felt the need to move South, and the Tabones West. Good-byes were said, and the promise to stay in touch. These moms did. There was another baby, divorces, the death of a beloved child and years passing. But these women maintained the friendship that had been cultivated all those years before.


Marsha flew to Phoenix for Becky's daughter's wedding. Becky was at the hospital in Chicago immediately after our triplets were born. And even Wade and Janette stayed close (OK, Janette gets total credit for this!), with visits to see us in Minnesota on more than one occasion.


So both moms were delighted when Wade accepted a job in Phoenix -- albeit on the OTHER side of the Valley from where the "next door neighbors" now live! We do not spend nearly enough time together -- but we try! They were here to meet baby Cate. We were together for Becky's oldest grandchild's high school graduation. We've even taken a Disney cruise together (oooh, we had to coerced to do that!).

And yesterday, we celebrated Easter together. I had to giggle at the friendships that have grown from these two women who lived next door to each other 30-something years ago and have kept their resolve to "stay in touch"!




Some of Becky's grands (her son, Justin, lives in Colorado and couldn't join us for Easter) and all of Marsha's (easier to do since Wade is an only-child!). The kids aren't totally oblivious to the amazing connections...but it takes a backseat to the fun they having playing video games, petting horses and puppies, and just hanging out together!

Janette and Wade walked to school together every day for kindergarten and first grade, but I've totally claimed the friendship. She is dear to me and I'm just thankful for her!! (This friend with amazing strength will depart for her tour in Iraq in October -- keep her in your prayers!)

And the newest friendship to bloom -- Our Cate and Becky's grandson, Garritt! They walked around holding hands yesterday and making us all smile. And because almost-five-year-old Garritt lives in Utah with his family, he made a point of coming up to me before we left to say, "If you give me your address I can write your baby Cate a letter!"

Do you think they will stay in touch for 30 years plus?

Isn't friendship that grows such a blessing? (Sing with me now....)

But Sunday is coming...

It is Good Friday. On this day, more than a thousand years ago, Jesus chose to allow himself -- his perfect, sinless self -- to be crucified on a cross for my sins. (And yours, by the way.)

Even in the usually-cloudless Phoenix sky, we have cloud-cover today. I'm sure the local weather men (who have an extremely easy job out here for most of the year!) have a plausible explanation. I, however, think the sun just can't shine as bright on a day when the world tried to block the SON's light forever.

Thank goodness that Sunday is coming!

Twelve years ago, Good Friday was made even more emotional by the fact that I was hospitalized on bed rest, pregnant with triplets and NOT at a safe delivery date. We awoke Good Friday to increased contractions and bleeding. We were not sure my body would allow me to stay pregnant long enough for these sweet babies to be born with any chance for survival.

My wonderful earthly physician was well in-tune with my heavenly one, however. And on Easter Sunday, he phoned me from his church to ensure I was still pregnant....and to ask, "Carol, I just need to know this morning, are you filled with the spirit of the resurrection Sunday?!"

And I was. I was full of hope. Because as cloudy and dismal as Good Friday often feels...as a Christian, I know the ending of the story. I KNOW that Sunday is coming!! And twelve years ago, I had turned to my heavenly physician to fill me with a peace that no amount of medical care could give me concerning my beautiful three...and the Prince of Peace never fails!! Jesus won the victory over death that Easter morning so long ago. He defeated it once and for all for those of us who choose to believe and follow him. And that morning, I KNEW that even if the worst happened to my precious babies, death would not have the victory.

So can I remind you today that Sunday is coming? And ask, are YOU filled with the spirit of the Resurrection Sunday?!!

Computer problems make me cry...

Poof. All my email contacts have disappeared. Gone. So if you have shared your sweet addie with me EVER....will you please be so kind as to email me again! Same address....we just switched computers and lost all my contacts. Did I mention these sort of mishaps make cry?

Dangers of being a Disney family...

Yesterday was Palm Sunday -- the celebration of the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and the children sang "Hosanna", praising him while laying palm fronds down on the ground for his donkey to walk upon -- a "green" red carpet!

Cate came out of her Sunday School class carrying a beautifully colored palm frond. As always, I asked her what she learned. She was extremely talkative:

Cate: "Leaves."

Me: "Really, what about leaves?"

Cate: "How the kids put them on the road for the donkeys to walk on."

Me: "Really. Why did they do that?"

Cate: "It was a parade for Jesus. I asked if Mickey was there, but our girl said NO."


Hmm....oh, there are blessings in celebrating the arrival of our King! And one day, this sweet girl will understand that it is a celebration even without Mickey Mouse. Imagine.

Never too big to make me smile

Yesterday, I told sweet little Cate that she was getting big. I sighed and said I didn't want her to grow too fast. She sighed and reminded me that she HAS to....because she has to ride Splash Mountain.

Since you can't really argue with those priorities...I told her that was great, but I didn't want her to get too big for me to hold. She smiled, pointed her sweet finger in my chest, and said, "Don't worry, Mommy, then I'll hold you!"

Oh. I love this three-year-old!

Have I mentioned I love Spring?

I fear all my posts are beginning to sound alike. I love Spring. The contrast of these beautiful pink flowers and the butterflies just make me want to put all work away and sit outside admiring the blooms all around! Ah. Sigh.

Yesterday, my family and I were doing just that. We were taking an afternoon swim while relishing the sunshine and beautiful temperatures. After we had played around for a little while, I went to Benjamin to do some stretches and exercises that we have always done in the pool. Dr. Dad stopped me and told me not to bother -- the normal stretches I do with Benjamin might be painful for him until he has the hip surgery that he needs. He added that the stretches would not change the fact that he needs surgery.

I must have gotten that look on my face. That look that means I want to cry but am holding it in because I don't want to upset the kids. The same look that doesn't fool anyone. At all.

Benjamin swam over to me, grabbed my hand and looked at me with his amazing eyelashes (the longest I have ever seen!) wet and framing the sweetest eyes and said, "Mommy, don't worry. I'll hold your hand and help you through my surgery. Even when they are putting me to sleep, I'll still hold your hand."

I know. I am blessed.