From a distance

This weeks photo challenge from I Heart Faces is "From a Distance". Immediately I thought about a picture that I took two years ago. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and had a hysterectomy to remove it. Also removed, was the hope of having my own children. Not long after we got our first two foster kiddos (who we will be adopting next month!) we took them to see my dad for a few days. They loved Granddaddy and he loved having little boys to play around with. One of Granddaddy's horses had just had a baby and he was feeding the little one with a giant bottle. On this particular afternoon, Granddaddy took the boys to the barn to help feed the horse. It was a sweet sight to see him walking with the grandkids he never thought he'd have.

Now we're getting somewhere.

I feel like we have just reached an enormous milestone. An invisible one, but enormous none-the-less. Muscles just told me the truth. Knowing that he was going to get in trouble.... big trouble, he still was honest. I know honesty is difficult for a lot of people, and kids can be the worst about it, but my Muscles... he would lie about ANYTHING to stay out of trouble. It caught me off guard. I was ready for him to start a fight, but he just said, "I did it." and looked down at the floor. So little... but so much.

Crazy little blessings

My children drive me crazy... there... I said it. Some days, the crazy is nearly unbearable. Some days it it cleverly hidden in the midst of giggles and mud paintings.

One day, I look out the window and see Cuddlebug, Protector, and Princess' little naked butts swinging high on the swings for all the neighbors to see... a thousand thoughts hit me at once. But somewhere between the "What if someone sees them and thinks I'm a bad mom?" and the "I wish I felt that kind of freedom" I smile. What crazy little blessings I have.

We have a family game/rule to protect the eyes and hearts of our little ones, especially the boys. Whenever anyone sees someone dressed in a way that would not please their Maker, someone says (read "yells") "shoelaces!!" at which point everyone looks down at their shoelaces (Daddy too) until Mommy says that it's okay to look up. It has worked really well for us thus far. We were at a restaurant a few weeks ago and Protector was looking at a TV that was mounted on the wall over my head. Suddenly he stood up on his chair and yelled, "Mommy, that is inappropriate! SHOELACES EVERYONE!!" Pretty much everyone was confused at the shoelaces part, but pretty impressed that my 4 year old could us the word "inappropriate" appropriately :) What crazy little blessings I have.

My Great Aunt passed away this week. Yesterday, we took all five of our angels to the visitation. Most of that side of our family had not seen our three newest kiddos, so they all ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over them for awhile. I took the little ones, one at a time, to the casket and explained what was going on. Some of my kiddos are pretty small and could only grasp a little, so I tried to only give them what they could understand. My little Cuddlebug was adorable. He asked me if he could wake her up. I told him that she wouldn't wake up any more in this body, and he thought for a short moment. Then he asked, "Will she wake up if I do this?" and started dancing his little heart out. What crazy little blessings I have.

We go to Walmart more than any family should. Baby Girl has had a hard time sitting still now that she's getting big. A few days ago, I was at my wits end... and we had just started shopping. Baby Girl wanted to play, but I wanted her to sit still. Finally, Cuddlebug asked me, "Mama, can she walk with me?" I thought I'd give it a try. For the next hour, they walked through the store, hand-in-hand. What crazy little blessings I have.

Muscles pushes my buttons a lot. In fact, sometimes I just assume he's going to make me mad and go ahead and get mad before anything happens. Yeah, I'm thoughtful like that. One day, he kept bugging me for work to do to earn some money. I was getting more and more agitated as the day went on : "Not right now sweetie, I'm busy." "Seriously... not today" "Stop it! I said no!" Finally he said, "Mom, I just want to make some money so I can give it to Aunt Deb so she can get her van fixed!!" Oh.... oops.... sorry.... In the midst of making me crazy, he was trying to be a crazy little blessing.

Thank you, Lord, for all my crazy little blessings. When I'm at my wits end, remind me of the days that I prayed and longed for the craziness that is my life today. You are so good to me.

Thank you, Lord.

Always reminded of things I should be thankful for. So many blessings, so little time.

#80 - Adoption workers finally coming into our lives.

#81 - Reminders that life is short.

#82 - Swagbucks.com

#83 - Africa

#84 - The upsurge of adoptions in our world these days :)

#85 - Visits from sweet grandmothers :)

#86 - My children are kind and understanding

#87 - Prince Charming's new schedule :) Daytime!!!

#88 - Blueberry muffin batter :)

#89 - Coupons

#90 - Friends who love coupons too

#91 - Charts/graphs... things that help me organize

Join me and others, as we give thanks.

Friday Nanny

We are blessed to take part in a program at Sullivan University. We are an "extern home" for students who are learning to be a Nanny. Each quarter, we have a student who comes to our home every Friday and takes care of our kiddos. Can I tell you what a blessing that is? The first few weeks are a little rough. As an extern mom, I have to make sure they know how to bathe the children, do their laundry, fold and put their clothes away... little things like that. It's really not very hard for them to pick up, but it's my job to make sure they do it "my way"... just like if they were a paid Nanny for a family. After the first couple of weeks, I can rest a bit and let her do her thing. What a blessing! I've been sick for three days and have wanted nothing more than to sit down and do as little as possible. Today I can, thanks to our Nanny.

From the mouthes of babes.

Things sound so much different when your children say it. My kiddos have pushed and pushed and pushed me, on several occasions, where the nicest thing I could come up with to say was, "Shut up!!!!" I'm not proud of it, but there ya go... it happens. After I gave the little girl's their baths tonight, I put them in their beds, which they were none too happy about. As Baby Girl cried and fussed at being put in her crib, Princess became very upset.

Personally, I think that she was more upset that Baby Girl was out-screaming her than anything... but that's just me.

Anyhow, I digress... I heard, from my precious little Princess, "Shut up!" to Baby Girl. I sat for a minute thinking I must have misheard. Princess is generally a very sweet girl. Only a moment later, she said it again. Somehow, those two little words sound so much more toxic coming from a little one's mouth.

Be careful little lips what you say.

I'll try to be more careful... honest.

After all... isn't it from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45)? I need to start doing a heart check, I believe.

She has a name

Read on Muddy Mamas about one way some Jesus-followers are reaching out to minister to women in the sex industry. So many women are trapped by this evil. Though I've heard of this for years, this is the first time I've heard the story of the women being offered up with "no name." Some folks have designed these t-shirts to help raise awareness and money for the ministry.

Please support them. Muddy Mamas is also giving away a free t'shirt, so stop by over there to join in the contest.