Last Friday I just didn’t feel well. I was achy all over and I felt like if I wasn’t really careful…I’d develop a very bad cold. So I decided to take the “day off” and focus on resting, taking vitamins and eating nutrition-packed -foods and drinking lots of water and herbal tea. I know my body well enough to know that if I push it on a day like that, I can just count on getting REALLY sick.

Thankfully Matt had the morning off and was able to hang out with the boys until 2ish. And I rested. It was wonderful.

Can I just tell you some of the sweetest parts of Mama having to “clock out” for a day?

First, at lunch…Matt and the boys decided to put together a big fruit salad to go with the pizza pockets (that were thankfully in the freezer ready for an easy meal). They had all kinds of fun mixing together just about every kind of fruit we had in the house. They added some cream…then Justus (the chef) sprinkled on some raisins and coconut flakes. It was SERIOUSLY delicious (and just what I needed)!

Later that afternoon Justus came in to my room and said, “Don’t worry mom. Before I ate my plate of fruit salad I took a couple of pictures for you in case you want to share our recipe on your website.”

Is that the SWEETEST!? Does my family know me or what?
And isn’t their salad beautiful?!
I think Justus needs to write a guest post and share his recipe.

Second – and I do think this is my favorite of all the ways my family pitched in this weekend – Malachi needed a birthday gift as he was going to a party Saturday for his friend Emma.

He was determined that he was going to get Emma a baby doll. He just HAD to get her a baby doll. There was no other option. I loved the idea and couldn’t wait to take him to the store to pick one out (because I haven’t picked out a baby doll at the store since…???).

However, since I was feeling so crummy Friday and knew Saturday would be pretty full…I resorted to calling Matt at work and asking him to see what he could find at Walmart on his way home that night.

You understand what I had to ask my husband to do, right? My husband, the father of four strapping sons needed to go to the store and pick out a baby doll. I wasn’t even really able to give him any direction or advice since it had been since ??? that I’d even been down the pink aisles at Walmart. We tend to stick to the brown and black and sword type aisles when we go.

But, Matt agreed and I have to say that if it’s even possible…I now love him even more. The guy spent 30 – yes thirty – minutes in the dolly aisle trying to figure out which baby doll would be the best one for Emma.

Malachi (and ALL the boys – even the 12 year old) were SO excited to see Emma’s baby doll the next morning. Emma’s pretty special to all of us, can you tell?

And third…well…let’s just say I’ve seen all kinds of other little surprises throughout the past couple of days that have shown me what all my boys did while I took the day off. I found a pair of Matt’s socks in my sock drawer, showing me that the boys folded clothes and attempted to put them away for me. I found my salt shaker in the TV room, showing me that the boys made themselves popcorn for a movie night Friday so I could rest. I’m pretty sure I’ll find more “surprises” in the next few days.

Ah, I love my guys.

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