A little bit of heaven...

Well, we have made it a little over three months with 6 kids in the house, and we are all fairing pretty well! Life is very full and busy, and I won't pretend that every day has been one of pure joy. There have been many "hard" days (it's all relative, I know), with so many needs, messes everywhere all through the day by an 18 month old, Robb's long hours away at work (sooo thankful for work), keeping up our attendance and progress with schooling at home, all the interrupted nights of sleep with a newborn, maintaining church commitments, practicing violin with three kids, and still trying to look for those teachable moments with the kids.

But amidst all the loudness and true chaos, I have seen little glimpses of what God intended a family to be...learning together, looking out for one another, pitching in when Mom is occupied...I have seen the kids grow so close and learn to really enjoy each other. I have seen my sweet husband, getting home at 10:00 at night, after working all day, and then going to the kitchen to do dishes that were left from supper (something I never wanted my husband to have to do). I have been a part of "midnight dates" with my sweetie and the baby, just to get some time together. And I have seen the family of God, helping us out when we needed it, and encouraging us along our journey.

God has been at work teaching me things these last few months! I have definitely learned about priorities...Robb and I are almost daily asking each other, "What is the most important thing?" I have learned that a clean house is not! I have had to forgo some things, just to meet the very basic needs of my family, and some of my friendships have suffered (sorry, guys!). But I have learned to rely not on my strength (sometimes it's just not there), but on His strength! It has been amazing! This has been quite a lesson for this independent spirit!

I know one day I'll look back and thank God that I had 6 children; come to think of it, that day is already here! Here are a few pictures from our crazy, wonderful months...

Salt Lake Get-away

A couple of weekends ago, Robb and I took the kids out of town to Salt Lake City for a quick get-away. The kids had never been to a big city and were enthralled with all the activity there. It was definitely "Country Mouse goes to the City"! It was quite comical, and Robb and I shared a few good laughs!! Tucker had never stayed in a hotel that he could remember, and was very worried about how and where we would sleep.
We found the city to be very family-friendly (no surprise there) and we were thrilled that even the "small" booths is McDonald's could seat our whole family! We visited the Planetarium, the Children's Museum (Discovery Gateway), and the zoo. It was delightful to just be together for a few days without responsibilities and to learn so much about God's Creation together. There really was so much to take in and discover! I came home refreshed and revived! Preston had a blast in the water area!

Playing in the farm area

Robb and the boys making a movie together

Pretend time!

Drew and Robb lagged behind, discussing many things relating to science (Robb was thrilled to finally have a buddy that liked to go slow, for those who have ever been to a museum with him!).

So much to see!
What the moon is like...

Sweet baby Claire...

Drew, doing a weather report about the hurricanes...

Lauren's favorite part of the day...she was on the screens around the museum!

The day at the zoo began rainy and cold, but soon after we got there, the sun begin to smile on us.







Riding the train...

Things that brought a smile...

In this crazy world where we are hearing "gloom and doom", I have still had things to smile about...

• churches being built
• dads and boys experiencing life together
• kind deeds and love shown from friends
• how contagious a newborn's smile is
• congregations singing praises together
• brothers wrestling
• our girl giggling at everything her dad says
• fall colors showing up around us
• piano students playing songs after a week of practice
• "Indian" summer days
• families working together
• stacks of clean laundry

What brings a smile to your face?

Baby Claire

While the rest of the country is wrapped up in politics, women working, football, and weather, we are wrapping our minds around having a new little person in the house. Sleeping, eating, and changing diapers consume our days. But we've been around this block enough to know that it goes all too fast. So we are rather enjoying it. We'll catch up with the rest of the world soon enough!

2 weeks old