My Awesome, Amazing, Super-Fantastic Four Year Old

You never realize how awesome your kids are until you can do nothing about a situation except watch.

This story actually begins on Wednesday...... maybe even before that a few days.

We had not left the house for several days... not for any reason, we just had no where to be. Tuesday, Brian took the day off for a dental appointment and then we all took off for Busch Gardens. We had such a good time out of the house on Tuesday that I declared a "no school" day on Wednesday, and we headed out again. This time we had to go grocery shopping, visit the post office, and we went to the library for some fun on the new computers and to get our certificate for a free Chik-fil-a ice cream and kid's nugget meal (we read and returned 20 books).

When we came home home, we needed to have lunch and then make a couple of pairs of silly shoes for our Awana theme night. Addie went to lie down for a bit while our shoes dried, I sat down to blog, and wouldn't you know, Ian woke up from his nap. I went ahead and made dinner, got myself dressed and ready for church, got Addie (who never napped), and fed the kids.

Awana was pretty intense. In addition to 7 of my usual kids, I also had three new ones, and the air in my room was not working properly. As I was teaching the lesson, I felt myself getting hotter and hotter. I couldn't figure how I could be nervous teaching our lesson (God loves me when......) and thought I must be having hot flashes (Wait! I'm too young for those!).

When we got home, I had a choice. I could either blog and have yesterday's post done, or I could sit with Brian and spend time with him (he had just gotten home from a long day himself). I chose my husband over the blog (I'm sure you understand). But we were both so tired we forgot to put on our evening pot of coffee (Yes, we drink a cup or two of coffee in the evening. No, it does not keep us awake). I would jokingly say we are addicted to coffee if it weren't so true and because of what happened yesterday.

I woke up on Thursday with an intense headache, and I knew it was the kind that would turn into a migraine. I took Tylenol (I nurse Ian in the middle of the night still, so I couldn't take anything stronger), got Brian's lunch together, and tried to do my normal morning things, but the pain in my head was making me nauseous. Brian had a slight headache, too, and we realized that because we had not drunk our evening cup of coffee, we had both gotten a headache.

As he was leaving, Brian told Addie to rub my head to see if that would help make me feel better. He might as well have told her to be in charge for the day and take care of everyone in the house because that is exactly what she did.

I laid down on the couch because it was still too early for breakfast, put on Disney Junior, and Addie began rubbing my head. Then she jumped up and said, "Mommy, I'm going to make you breakfast." A moment later, she was back in the living room with a loaf of bread. "I can't reach the peanut butter. Can you get it for me?"

I held my head the whole time, but I got the peanut butter for her. She sent me back to the living room. I heard some clanging around in the kitchen and dining room, but instead of getting nervous about what I was going to have to clean up, I was proud of my little girl and how she was doing what she could to help her mommy.

A few minutes later, I was presented with a football shaped serving dish (the only kind of dish she could find or reach) with a peanut butter sandwich and a handful of grapes on it. She also made herself breakfast and brought me a piece of bread so I could break it up and give it to Ian. She thought of everything!

The headache eased up enough for me to get my dinner into the crock pot, and then it hit full force, and it affected my stomach. Once, as I was in the bathroom "getting sick," Addie was on the other side of the door calling in to me, "Mommy, it breaks my feelings to hear you (getting sick)."

Around 2:00 in the afternoon Brian called to let me know that he was on his way home and that he was a little more than an hour away. Ian, who had spent more time in his playpen than ever before so I wouldn't have to chase him around the house, went down for his second nap, and was not happy that I had only picked him up to put him back down. He protested so much that I eventually caved and held him till he fell asleep on me.

After getting him to sleep, Addie and I went into my room where she brought some things to play with, and I laid down.

"Mommy, I'm going to be your mommy. I'm going to take care of you the way you take care of me."

The next thing I knew, she had brought me a glass of water and had brought out her "medicine". My Aunt Elsa (Lala) had given Addie three little jars of candy cake toppings to use as medicine with her doctor set. I ate a series of flowers, chocolate sprinkles, and a couple of red hots. My head was rubbed again, and she even got a CD of her Sunday school songs and put it into the DVD/CD player for me to listen to while I rested.

Around 3:15, Bud woke up and began to fuss. My head was s till pounding and lifting it caused a wave of nauseousness. Addie jumped down off my bed and ran to his room. Through the monitor I could hear her reading books to him, talking to him, and trying to make him laugh. Then the dead bolt on the door turned and Brian walked in and took over.

All evening, all I could say was, "Addie, have I told you how awesome you are?"

"Yeah, Mommy, you have."

I can't wait to go back to being Mommy today, making breakfast for both kiddos, playing with them, reading to them, holding Ian, dancing with them (my little man has some spiffy moves!), and doing what we usually do.

But I will say, I was very impressed with my daughter. I've always known how awesome she is, but wow, did she go above and beyond the call of duty.