fifteen and sixteen

15. "Rainman" 


Yup, like from the movie of the same name.


The one with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.


We lovingly call Josh this all the time because of
his memory and ability to quote movie lines, TV show 
lines, song lyrics, scripture references, the list
goes on and on.


If you either want to be annoyed OR impressed sit
with him through a movie, like say Lord of the Rings.


He can quote the ENTIRE thing line for line right
along with the actors.


Impressive?


Annoying?


A little of both probably.


He can also quote Rainman, in case you're wondering.
(Of course the edited version on cable!)

16.  Grace & Josh AND Josh & Grace


16a.  If you've read my blog OR know me personally
you know that bringing babies into this world took
a lot of work.  Not just one time, but every
single time around.  It was hard and disheartening
work.


I literally HATED being pregnant and basically
the whole experience.  After one stillborn and 
a few miscarriages, it sort of took all the joy
out of the experience and mostly I just WORRIED until
I was holding a living, breathing baby after 9 
months.  


Between kids there were many months of ups and downs,
waiting and breath holding to see if things had 
worked.


Josh and Grace are 3 years and 3 months apart.
In our culture (the Mormon one) that's a big 
spread.  But hey!  that's how it worked for us!


One day, during the many months of "trying",
medicating, and whatnot that occured 
between Josh and Grace--
Little 2 year old Josh crawled into my bed one 
morning (with his Nie Nie) and snuggled up to me.


True Story:


He said to me, "Mom, Jesus is sending me a little
sister with red hair and green eyes and her name
is Grace." 


I immediately got up and went out and bought a 
pregnancy test.


It was positive.  After a year of NO, our 
answer was finally YES again.


Say what you will about this life, a previous life
and a next life...but here was a 2 year old boy
with a connection to something somewhere that knew in
his soul what was taking place.   It wasn't a 
knowledge that he had learned or could even
express in any kind of depth, yet HE KNEW.


A baby was coming.  His sister, Grace.


I believe he knew her someone once before this
mortal life and his 2 year old spirit felt 
her presence coming close once again.


For the record, Grace came out with a HEAD FULL
of auburn hair and green eyes.  (They stayed
green until about her 2nd birthday at which point
they turned the brown that all my children's
eyes have.)


16b.  The day Grace came home from the hospital,
Josh broke out in Chicken Pox.  Fortunately, Grace
never broke out as a 2 day (or any day) old baby.
(Mothers antibodies!)