Still Alive....

Yup, I'm still as Graeme would say, "in the land of the living". We have been so.so.so.busy.!

We visited Graeme's fam the first weekend of July. VBS was the next week and this week was "recovery" week. Wow, I didn't realize how much VBS can take out of the Mom! :) Sophia had a fantastic time at her first VBS! Every year it seems to be nicer and nicer. The carnival was awesome. It was kind of scarry though, because I remember playing some of the games at church kid carnivals when I was a kid...and now my daughter is playing them!

Noah continues to crawl and is trying his hand at standing alone...I think he's a maniac. He does not want to sit still. Not on my lap, not anywhere! It makes me sad because he's supposed to be my baby and he keeps doing big kid things like crawling, standing, etc. I get a "my baby this week" e-mail which talks about developmental milestones pertaining to Noah's age. Last week it said, "your baby may even get on all fours in the pre-crawling position", ha ha ha! He wants to move and be with the big kids and I'm not ready for it. Sophia and Elijah are growing up fast enough, but Noah, he's lightning speed!

We also learned that Graeme's car, which was my first car, is on her last leg. Yes, dear little Natasha the Nissan is about to leave our family. She was a good little car, but, alas, the price tag on repairing her brakes and rotors and who knows what else is too steep. Which means...the car hunt is on. Didn't we just do this earlier this year?

Oh, and somewhere in there I managed to get my attic organization done...woo-hoo, and took clothes and toys to the second hand store and to goodwill, and to friends....can we say "schlep"! So, after all of that, the house is emptier and my brain feels better. It is so liberating to get rid of useless items!

The Lord has also been teaching me some things during this crazy summer. I am learning a lot about contentment for each day and each moment. It's easy to wish you could be doing something else (like organizing or doing some "lasting" task instead of "mommying"), or somewhere else (on a Greyhound to AZ, lol!), or someone else but the fact of the matter is that wherever God has put me today is where He wants me to be a joyful Christian Mommy. Getting a break from the kiddos will not solve my problems, getting out the house won't, ice cream won't, even talking to my hub or other Christian friends will not. I need the Lord's direction for my days and fellowship with Him continually. In prayer and the reading of His Word is where I will find solace and strength for each moment...even when it is dinnertime and there is toothpaste smeared on the bathroom rug, bickering children, and a fussy baby. We were at Haven Baptist on Thursday night (it was so much fun!) and Bro. Gable made the point that in Jesus' warnings about the last days he shows special concern for Pregnant Mommies and Mommies of young children. The Lord knows what I am going through each moment of each day and he is concerned...even when I find my retainer in the toilet. :)

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Romans 12:12