Day 87- LIZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys,

     So today's post is about someone very near and dear to our family. She essentially came in as the "knight in shining armor" to our family not once, but TWICE. When we first got the boys, it was very last minute, and so my Mom(who had to teach outside of the house the next day) was incredibly overwhelmed, and frankly, kind of desperate. So, she called her good friend at the time, Liz Cleghorn, who LOVES kids, at 10:30 the night before to see if she would take care of us, and amazingly, she said yes. From there, Liz became the "go-to girl" when it came to the boys, and a lot like my older sister. I remember riding home on the bus after a long day and just being like, "YES! Today is Tuesday, so Liz will be there!". She babysat for us at least twice a week, every week, for OVER a year, and she just loved the boys, and loved me. The weekend that Caroline went off to college, she(of course) was staying with us, and I've gotta say, THANK GOODNESS she was there, because I probably would have fallen apart if she wasn't. For me, Liz is one of those people who I can come to with anything and everything, and she will *try* to help. I cannot even tell you how many times I would have a crappy day, and we would just go walk up to get the boys from school and just talk, and it never failed to make me feel better. Liz's genuine and caring heart to help others is truly inspiring, and it never ceases to amaze me to think of how many times she has been there for us.

     When Graham was in the hospital, I was at home with three boys who had no idea what to do or think or really what was even going on, because at that point, I don't think I knew what was going on...but again, my Mom called in the reinforcements...a.k.a Liz. Liz was actually babysitting for her brother and sister in law about 30 minutes away, but when she heard what had happened, she packed up her niece, and drove over to our house without any hesitation at all. Again, THANK GOODNESS, because as much as I tend to be "the rock" of the family, I was NOT that morning, and I am so glad someone else was there to help me. Liz proceeded to stay with us for the next 5 days that Graham was in the hospital, taking kids from one thing to another, RUNNING A 7 YEAR OLDS BIRTHDAY, comforting 4 sad and confused kids, and just maintaining sanity and some sort of a routine for the boys. She was a mother figure to the boys, and a sister for me, and most importantly, a shoulder to cry on. I so badly wanted to be with my family back at the hospital, but in my heart, I KNEW I couldn't handle it, I knew I was still dealing with things from seeing him that first night, so that left me at home with the boys, who had very little idea of what was going on, not really knowing what to do, so Liz was such a comfort for me. Liz was there on nights when I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes I saw him, and Liz was essentially my right hand girl for the most important five days of my life this far. Liz is so much more to us than just a babysitter, she is truly an extended member of our family, Liz has seen us at our best, and at our worst, and everywhere in between, and I am so thankful for that.

    When we moved, we lost a lot of that support. We didn't have the luxury of having a babysitter just a phone call away that the boys had essentially grown up with. It's been hard for the boys, and it's been hard for me, because we took the amazing blessing in our life that was Liz for granted a lot, we got used to having her around. It was about the same time that Caroline moved off to college, that Liz started becoming more constant, so for me, I lost my older sister, but there was STILL someone I could talk to on really bad days, not that Caroline would ever be replaced, but it was so nice for me to have that as I transitioned to being the only girl in the midst of 4 boys. I truly loved the days that Liz was there, whether it was taking us to Starbucks(SHE is the one responsible for teaching a three year old Shane to drink Starbucks), or just running around in the church or outside, it was so nice for me to have that someone to talk to, especially during middle school. So moving here, it was hard, we missed Liz. But at least for me, I have realized how incredibly God ordained everything was surrounding Liz, from the first afternoon that was just mass chaos, to the week that she spent at our house...that was ALSO mass chaos, it is so clear to me that God had a plan for us through it all. I want to say Thank You to Liz, thank you for being the mother figure to the boys, the sister figure to me, the chauffeur to various sports activities, and the one I could talk with after a crappy day!! Thank you for loving me, for loving the boys, and for having a caring and compassionate heart for everyone around you. Thank you for all the time and money and gas and stress and tears and fun and WORK you have put into our family, because none of that was required of you, but God used you as a wonderful, WONDERFUL gift to our family, and a gift that we will never forget. We love you Liz, I love you Liz, and I am SO glad that you got to come see us today :)

<3 Always,
Rose