Long time...

It is almost been a month since I last wrote and that is because life has just happened. I have felt since we have come back from Ethiopia that we haven't been able to truly come up for air. You know the feeling that when things are so busy and stressful that you could jump out of your skin... that was me most Sundays rushing to church and then just tearing up the entire service because I was so emotional about life. I found myself a few weeks ago in church just sobbing and wiping my tears over and over again because of joy of where God has brought me in my life and also just over the intensity of every moment with 4 tiny ones. Just in the past two weeks, I have now had Sundays where I am prepared, relaxed, ready, non-emotional and feeling like we have turned a corner where the steep steep part of the learning curve is over. Here are some of the lessons learned:

1. start getting ready whenever we leave the house 1 hour before instead of 15 minutes
2. sit down for 30 minutes at some point in the day
3. must get up before the kids to have time with the Lord or else I never find it again
4. if you don't believe your sinful, just adopt an older child and be ready to face all the yuck inside
5. with 4 children, you fall on your face so much more blatantly; therefore the greatest part of all is you learn to have more grace for yourself and others


Today we went to the zoo and we went to church last night so all morning we just played and didn't rush. I found myself just staring at each of my children and my husband thinking how did I get to be so blessed? It is a troubling question to me at times; one I wrestle with knowing that so many aren't dealt the same deck of cards. Gratitude, genuine gratitude is what I feel a lot lately. I found myself completely overwhelmed sometimes and then this wave of complete gratitude would hit me.

I have so many quotes of the kids lately, I wish I had time to write them all down...

one tonight from Bobby, "Daddy will you please tell us another one of your stories from when you were little because they are so great." Do you think he got another story... righto!

Thomas last night, " when is Andrew going back to Ethiopia?" What I am thinking? How did you miss the memo? Bobby chimes in and says, "probably tomorrow because he has been away from his family for so long.".... and he too misseed the memo. Andrew didn't understand of course what they were saying, but he did say, "andrew not like go back to Ethiopia". I know that quote sounds like he got it, but he repeats a lot of what he hears instead of feels it yet.