Light at the End of the Tunnel

We are finally feeling better! I am SO ready to get back to our regular lives! Being cooped up alone with 5 sick little ones for 2 weeks is just about enough to break me! I am SO thankful for the life that I have. I am SO thankful that although my husband is gone often, I KNOW that he loves us and will return as soon as he can. I am also so thankful for my house full of children and the joy they bring me every single day. Yes, even the hardest of them! I don't take a minute of that for granted, or at least I try not to. That doesn't change the fact that I get overwhelmed some days. Thankfully, I don't stay feeling defeated for long, I have learned to recognize when I am going there and have learned to reach up and hang onto my Savior with everything I am. The last few days I have been fighting to remember what it is that is important. It is not a clean house, a mowed lawn, or even being on time for church. I sometimes get so caught up with the outside stuff, that I forget the most important job I have ever been given. I forget to take the little moments to enjoy my blessings and to teach them who God is and how much they are loved.

God is teaching me new things, hard things, over the last couple of months. I feel free, but terrified at the same time. I love that He has given me a new freedom, but I can't help but be terrified at where we may go next. It is a good terrified though...mostly. I know that no matter how rocky the road to get there, freedom will be at the end. I also know that no matter how turbulent, I have the most steady, firm foundation on which to stand!

Finally, I got to leave a few of the cute things that my kiddos are up to. It is amazing how much entertainment these 5 special little people bring me each and every day!

Michael is getting over this virus. The first night he was sick, he was in bed and coughed so much that it caused him to throw up. I won't paint the picture for you, but it was an ugly few minutes and a LOT of clean up by the time it was all over with. He looked at me with the biggest of eyes and I was about to melt with sympathy for him(I HATE to throw up). Then he smiled and said, "Wouldn't that be the best super power?! I could just throw up on all the bad guys!" I guess that is a boy for you! I'm glad he was not too traumatized by the whole thing.

Sam loves to pray before we eat. No matter who gets the turn, Sam prays as well. Lately, he has been praying that all the people who don't know Jesus would ask Him into their heart and find peace(his words, not mine). He then prays specifically for Josh. I asked him the other day why he was praying especially for Josh and he said it was because Josh is 4 now and that is how old he was when he asked Jesus into his heart. Our little evangelist! I cannot wait to see what God has planned for him!

Josh has loved "new bunny" almost to death. I thought he might be okay now without him, but the few nights he went without him, he woke up several times. So, I went back to ebay and happened upon 2 that were much cheaper than all the other "antique" Thumpers. I thought they were probably knock offs and not the original disney store version, but as fast as he goes through them, I figured it really didn't matter as long as he couldn't tell. So, I ordered them both to keep one in reserve just to be safe. I've been keeping one hidden in the top of my closet. The other night, new new bunny was left in the basement at bedtime. I was exhausted and did not want to run down to get it, so I got the other one out of my closet with the plan to replace the left one when I went to bed. I forgot and today Josh found "the other new bunny"(are you getting confused yet?). So, he had both bunnies in one place and was SO excited. He came rushing up the stairs and told me that new bunny had a baby. We are now keeping track of 2 bunnies, because one was certainly not hard enough!

Sarah is my little mini me. She makes sure that everyone else is doing what they are supposed to be doing. She also loves to share every experience with Abby, who does not always share the same enthusiasm. The other day, Sarah wanted Abby to come upstairs to dance with her, but was being ignored. I hear Sarah yell down the steps, "ABBY!.....ABBY!...ABBYGAIL!!!!" After she was still ignored, she came stomping over to me and sighed and said, "Abby not listen to my words!"

One more, I can't leave Abby out! Marvin has been gone for 2 weeks. His boat ported in San Diego and he called us. I answered with an excited, "Hi, Babe!" and went upstairs so we could talk. Abby followed  right on my tail and with a big scowl said, "Hey, I wanna talk to Babe!" I thought I heard her wrong, so I bent down and asked what she had said. She smiled and said, "I wanna talk to Babe!" I handed her the phone and she immediately said in the sweetest voice, "Hello, Abba!"

I promise I'll get some new pictures up very soon, so much is changing, I need to get it documented before they grow up anymore! For tonight, it is bedtime and my alarm goes off WAY too early to be up this late!