A Sigh of Relief

We survived the Christmas concert. I must say I was tense the whole time and was only able to relax once the little ones exited stage left.

The past few weeks of practice have been interesting as you never know quite what to expect out of a 4 year old. Especially one who is tired. I realize that everyone expects some child to do something "cute" in such performances. And it is cute. If its someone else's child.

During the brief appearance in the morning service, Andrew chewed on his sweater, sprinkled an imaginary substance on the little girl next to him, and made less-than-intelligent faces at the spotlight (of course, considering past experiences, this was mild). When they were done, the parents were asked to stand so their child could find them; I let Doug stand for us.

I don't know if it was the long nap, the many "talks" we had, or just God's goodness, but he did wonderfully in the big concert. His clothes stayed on, he kept his hands more or less to himself, and even sang along with some of the songs.

Next year Stephen will be old enough to join the children's choir. Watch out - the Herdmans may have nothing on the Hamills!

In other news....

I lost a perfectly good Saturday (and necessary, considering the time of year) due to a bout with mastitis. Thankfully Doug was home and played dual roles while I alternated between the couch and bed, with several blankets in tow. I did manage to scramble outside when Graham called to say he was about a minute away from our house. We could hear them long before we saw them.


He was returning from a stint in Crawford, TX with "W." I don't really know what the boys thought. Stephen was screaming about his socks the whole time.

I'm feeling a lot better though I've been advised to take it easy for a few days. Easier said than done considering the mountains of laundry, the lack of food, and the boys who have currently escaped out the front door.