just a little blog visit

This kid, (Ok man) will be TWENTY in about 20 days. 

Ethan, posing like a cheese ball and Charlie, doing what Charlie does....

beautiful all the way through

my nephew Duncan....growing up way too fast.

Yes, Levi is in his underwear.  I didn't realize this when I uploaded this pic...

Hannibal...is intimidating!

Molly shows us a chicken butt....chicken butt = cute, chicken feet = not so much

So, I'm just sitting in the classroom/storage room, getting Molly finished up on her school for the week and thought I'd pay a visit to my blog. I actually blogged the other day but blogger was doing some weirrrrrrd things with the pics I had posted so I deleted it.

This week.

ahh, this week.....challenging on so many levels. Some stuff I can talk about, like when Molly dropped a brand new, freshly cooked, freshly seasoned with homemade taco seasoning, 3 lb bowl of ground turkey on. the. floor. That was Wednesday....a day that will go down in infamy in my mothering mind....such a weird, do over kinda day....

some stuff I can't talk about, like the work changes on the horizon and the different, huge, overwhelming situations for David, which always trickles down to us...

Lemme just say, my chest feels like it is going to cave in....

And then I breathe, remind myself Who I belong to and lay it all down at HIS feet, cuz HE CAN handle this, will give us grace to do the same and will use it to fine tune and shape us into vessels fit for His use.

this doesn't even include how much hearing news stories can just put a pit in my stomach these days...I don't even watch TV (if I do, it's Netflix or some weird channel that comes in on our TV because TV is GARBAGE. pure and simple.)  Men trying to convert co-workers to Islam and then getting fired, going back and BEHEADING fellow employees?? REALLLLLLY????

sick.
disgusting.

sitting here with my wiggly seven year old and trying not to fear what the future holds for her and thanking GOD that at least one of my kids won't ever have to deal with the pure crap that humans do to each other...gross.

Lord, please keep my children safe.

I can't help but think how blessed I am that I am here with them. It's far from picture perfect, idyllic or paradise-like but it is beautiful. I've been able to be home with them for 20 years this October.

blows me away. The sacrifices that David has made to enable this boggles my mind. the ways in which the Lord has taken care of things like extra money or situations that allow us to be together are just out of this world.

So to you, fellow mommas, home with kids or working a job, I charge you to choose some JOY today...to realize that this phase of life really does pass by in a blink. The days ARE long but the years are short....I get it...I remember those days of sitting, staring almost blankly, overwhelmed, in a McDonald's play land, and having older moms or grandmas casually telling me to savor these years because they'd pass by quickly....and I'd think "yeah, right...I'll be wiping boogers and bums for ever"

and now I do that to young moms. sheesh.

It's not easy. hang in there. the pictures above are proof that this mothering thing is worth it. every little gory, glorious second of this mothering journey is a gift.

when my journey as a mom of babies and small kids ended in 2011, abruptly, I came face to face with a life change. I had figured I'd be doing baby things for a few more years, buying myself some time to really address myself, because, "Hey, I'm a momma to a baby....this is my first priority right now"...

I am no longer a mom to tiny kids. that is so weird to me. In ways, I miss it, but when I get around kids that are small or three? whew...I'm reminded how much work they are and how they can seem to suck the life right out of ya (in a good way..)

these are my wild, deep thoughts for this Friday. Hope your weekend holds amazing outdoor adventures because winter will be here before we know it...Christmas = less than three months away now.

hope this finds you well and enjoying our beautiful Indian summer....chow.