Twin Update

The twins have done very, very well lately.

I hardly dare to say it!!

It seems every time I write how wonderful they are
we go backwards by 50 steps.
It is true, though.

They have been working hard to be happy.
Sounds weird, doesn't it, but it is a fact.
You are as happy as you make up your mind to be.

Thursday Buster prayed over breakfast the most beautiful prayer. It brought tears to my eyes.

He sincerely prayed for  help to be cheerful and "not naughty".  He asked God for strength to do what was right and the day was awesome.  A couple of times when I asked him to do something he didn't feel like doing the tears came, but I quickly reminded him of his prayer and desire. I showed him how he was to do his part to cooperate with God. He was triumphant as he went to bed. "Today I was happy. I obeyed and I not naughty."

What a blessing.

Friday morning... he woke up crabby. I reminded him of his successes the day before. I showed him how he had asked God for help and God had given it to him. He could choose to be obedient with a pleasant attitude, OR he could choose to keep sliding down the slippery slope he was on.

He refused to pray.
He refused to obey.

We asked him to sit on his bed until he chose to do differently. We told him he could not ruin our morning and destroy the happiness of our home and that we were going ahead with our Christmas plans.

We opened presents without him and he continued to spiral. Steve and I had to intervene a couple of times and finally he got a grip as the discipline increased with each new level of behavior.

The girls were doing all the music for a Christmas Eve service, but I was sick and unable to move from the couch. I decided to keep Buster with me to his great sorrow. Steve and I were talking softly about it in the livingroom and he was in the kitchen but he heard our every word and started boohooing!!!

"Poor child.
You made some wrong choices this morning and tomorrow is Sabbath.
We have a hard enough time getting ready on Sabbath morning
- without going out the evening before.
I don't think you can handle going out and then waking up cheerful and ready to get dressed for church if you cannot even get up happy on a day we are opening presents."

Missy made a big  ta-do about the fact that she was going and he was not.
(She has overcome a lot, but she has a long ways to go. She is number one in her world and as competitive as they get.)

She was feeling pretty SPECIAL! She thought she was one of the big girls. She expected to go up front and lead the music.... She didn't say a word when she was dragged back to her seat - but later in the car she let them know she had been offended!  Funny girl.

Buster sat on my lap and apologized profusely for his acting out in the morning. I reminded him how he had refused to ask God for help, but his HELP had been waiting for him. He needed to ask for it, just like he had asked the day before.

I set the laptop on the table to the Hope Channel and he watched a Christmas program while I drifted in and out of sleep. He went to bed on time and woke up with a purpose and was ready for church before any of the rest of us!

So there!

LOL!