Coming back from Family vacation

BJ, me, and the boys spent 9 whole days away the beach. BJ was a trooper and turned his blackberry off and disappeared to the world for a week. This was something our family desperately needed, but of course, in hindsight not for any of the reasons I thought. I thought that we were going to rest and enjoy some time minstering to and loving on each other. I thought we needed to "escape" for a bit and not be responsible for anyone or anything for a week. However, of course God had other plans...We got away just so God could remind us how very complete our ministry makes us. It was fun laying on the beach and napping in the sand, but at the end of the day I had little to contemplate but God's amazing creation. I longed all week to call my BFFs and find out what God was doing in their lives (and maybe check a reaction or 2 to the weekly So You Think You Can Dance episode). I missed cooking and delivering meals to the sick, I missed helping a friend with her kids, I missed encouraging a new mom, and I really missed corporate worship in the home that God has chosen for our family. So instead of waiting until Saturday to come back we tried to sneak in on Friday and grab one last day in the comfort of our own home together. We had been home about an hour when one of BJ's BFFs showed up to mow our lawn. BJ and I laughed about God's providence and how Joe didn't surprise either of us by coming by to serve our family. We are blessed beyond understanding to have friends that love us that much and friends that we know that well. So as we returned to "normal life" (whatever in the world that is) we felt renewed and reminded of God's call on our lives...really on all of our lives....to serve one another. When done with the right heart, it is the greatest joy on the planet...I can't help but think of my Pastor quietly reminding me...."We GET to do this", this being God's work. Why he lets a nasty sinner like me have anything to do with Him, I'm not quite sure, but I DO know that His endless love for me probably has something to do with it.
Now on to some funny's from our week of vacation:
*We learned the term "snogging" thanks to a Harry Potter movie with lots of teen romance at which Devlan declared in the middle of the movie theatre, "I have had ENOUGH!". Drew spent the rest of the week trying to "snog" mommy. He would pucker thoses little lips and smush them to mine while moving his head from side to side. Per our favorite South African snogging does = making out. I'm not telling Drew about this, I'm going to let him keep "snogging" me until the cows come home...before long he'll be like Devlan and offer me his head when I pucker up to him. :(
*Devlan got his 1st ever crick in his neck. For 3 days he held his head cock-eyed and complained constantly. When we tried to get him to take a single motrin (not children's, but the kind you have to swallow) he couldn't bring himself to do it. BJ (the really calm one) got really flustered with him and I quietly laughed from the kitchen.
*Devlan pooped in his pants (a little) on the way home. I don't know what he ate, but when we got to a rest stop he said "Mommy, my pants are wet", and sure enough there was a greenish brown circle on the butt of his britches. We then had the pleasure of explaining diarrhea to the boys. We obviously didn't do a very good job because Devlan said he needed some diarrhea medicine on Sunday. As I was reaching for the Pepto I asked some questions, only to find out that our brilliant son thought diarrhea is simply green poop.