Starting Somewhere

I keep thinking in my head, "okay I have got to catch up on my blog today...but there is just SO MUCH to catch up on...I'll do it tomorrow." There is so much to catch up on so I guess I'll just stop trying to play catch up. I do need to journal all of the events over the last month but in an attempt to not feel overwhelmed about one more thing in my life, I'm just going to start somewhere. A somewhere that may be a bit random and all over the place.

First of all, can I just say how much I miss my sister. She drove 12 hours from Texas with her children to see Makayla and to be part of Katelund's baptism. It meant the world to me. I always say that no matter how old I am, I will always need my mommy. Well, it is true for Andrea as well...no matter how old I get, I will always need my big sister to tell me what to do and how to do it, to tell me that everything will be okay and tomorrow will be better, to spoil me and make me laugh, and to tell me that she loves me. Somehow she always just knows exactly what I need to hear. I know for sure that it was by divine design that Andrea came first. I needed her and I always will.

Secondly, have you read "The Help"? (Thanks so much mom for getting it for me!!) It is SO GOOD!! I'm reading it when I nurse (and even when I'm rocking a crying baby at 3 in the morning). I can't wait to see the movie. I think it will be the perfect movie to go and see with a bunch of girl friends.

Thirdly, this whole four kids thing? Totally wiping me out. I love all of them (most of the time) :) and surely I will eventually get the hang of it, but for now...whew! I'm exhausted. The hardest time is from 4-7 pm each day. I can't quite figure out how to get Katelund's 2 hours worth of homework done, practice reading with Cloey, take care of a colicky baby, keep Hailey from killing herself (she is into EVERYTHING and climbs up EVERYTHING!!), and get dinner on the table. It's insane. I know that it will really help if I could get dinner made in the morning. But....any down time I have these days I'm trying to clean a messy house, catch up on laundry or sneak in a power nap. I'm sure I will adjust eventually. But for now, I'm just a little overwhelmed still. I'm pretty sure four children is all I will be having because I think I've hit my max.

Fourthly (is that even a word?), I started running again and man does it feel good. Not only do I enjoy the endorphins from exercising, I also really love the time I have to just be by myself...just me and my ipod. Oh, it feels so good. And will feel even better when fall rolls around. Next week it is actually supposed to drop into the mid 80's and the humidity is supposed to be really low. It will feel like heaven. Today I went to playgroup and just about melted. It is in the 90s and OH SO HUMID!!! Today was definitely a hat day. My hair does not get along very well with humidity.

Lastly, here are some random pictures from my phone...

First Day of School/Katelund's 8th Birthday

Katelund was really excited to go back to school on her birthday. I went and ate lunch with her and brought cupcakes for her class. I couldn't believe how grown up those 3rd graders look compared to the younger grades. It was so fun to see all of the kids so excited about their first day of school. Katelund had a great day and LOVED her new class and her teacher. She also loved having her grandma here on her birthday. We waited until Friday to have a birthday party. She invited eight of her closest girl friends and we had a swimming party with pizza, hula skirts, and rice krispie treats (she chose those instead of cake).

Cloey was SO EXCITED to go back to school. She loves her teacher but was very sad when she found out that two of her good friends from last year are no longer living here. But, I'm not worried. Cloey makes friends pretty quickly. Her biggest complaint after the first week of school was that she didn't have any homework yet. She really wants to do homework like Katelund does. If only she could take half of Katelund's homework each night.

Cloey is loving first g

And I'm Back

Wow. It has been awhile. The last 5 weeks of Makayla's life have been crazy, wild, and wild crazy fun. Within the last three weeks, Katelund and Cloey started school, we celebrated Katelund's 8th birthday, Cory and I celebrated our 11th anniversary, Katelund was baptized, Makayla was blessed, and at one point we had 13 people staying in our home. That's a lot of wild, crazy, and fun, don't you think?

This morning I am sitting in an all too quiet home with a baby on my lap and a much bigger baby who is trying to type on the computer with me and who has the stinkiest diaper ever. Although I am missing all the company and help, I am ready to take on life with four children. With that being said, it is going to take me at least a day or two to get my house back in order and figure out how to squeeze in a shower, so the pictures, stories, and memories I don't ever want to forget will have to be recorded later in the week. I just had to start somewhere right? And now I must get back to the daily grind of changing diapers, feeding babies, doing laundry, and mopping floors.

Dancing in the Rain

One of my all-time favorite quotes is "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." I have this quote framed in my house as a constant reminder to me. I have thought about it a lot and I have really tried to live by it...something that is not always very easy.

The last couple of weeks have brought on some major "rain storms" for some close friends and a family member of mine. It has been so hard to just helplessly sit by and wait for these storms to pass, especially when you don't know exactly when that will be. But then the other day I had a moment of clarity.

It is a very rare occasion here in the south to have a summer rain without having thunder and lightening. Well, the other day it happened. So I did what any mom with three restless children and a brand new sleeping baby would do...I told them to go get their swimming suits on and have fun in the rain. They were ecstatic, in fact, so much so that I just couldn't not join in on the fun. As they ran around laughing, squealing, and dancing, I quickly ran inside to grab my camera in an attempt to capture the moment. The pictures don't even do justice to what I experienced. There in the center of the rain storm was the sun shining in all of its glory. As it streamed through the trees, each individual rain drop became more distinct and clear. It is so hard to even put into words, but it was beautiful. The rain poured down for about 20 minutes and during that whole time, the sun shone brightly, an occurrence that is very rare and one that I feel blessed to have witnessed.

Although I can't really capture what I saw with my camera or with words, I do know what I felt inside. I felt the Spirit testify to me that although the storms of life will fall upon each one of us, right there in the center of each storm is the Son. Sometimes it may be hard to feel or see His presence when the storm clouds seem to have taken over, but He is and always will be there. There are distinct moments in my life when I have been in the thick of the storm with clouds surrounding me in every direction, but in each one of those times, as I have pleaded for intervention and turned heavenward, I have always found the warm embracing love of the Savior.

Although there is nothing that I can specifically do for these individuals who I love so much, I can pray for the sun to shine upon them. I can pray that as He shines upon their rain storm that they will be able to see things distinctly and clearly and know that all these things will be for their good.

After those 20 minutes passed, the rain stopped and there above us was the most beautiful rainbow. Of all things on the earth and in the sky, there is nothing that so powerfully witnesses to me of a divine creator than a rainbow. He is not only the creator of the earth but also the creator of each of us. He is in control and He has a plan...knowing that is what makes it possible to dance..... especially when it's in the rain.