Count your Blessings

Yesterday, I walked out of Target with a cart full of kids-ages 3, 2, 1 and 11 months.  (They weren't all mine!)  A little boy, maybe four, was walking into the store with his mom and asked her, "Mom, why does that lady have 4 kids?!"  His mom was embarrassed, but I tried to help by saying, "It's pretty crazy, isn't it!?  And guess what?  There's going to be ANOTHER one pretty soon!"  He stood there, trying to wrap his little head around that, a grin slowly growing on his face.  As I pushed on to the van, I heard him say, "Mom, can I have a brother?"  My heart smiled.
It might be hard to believe, but some people already think I'm crazy with just four kids.  Where I live, it's just not that common to see more than two.  I've assured people many times that, yes, I do understand how babies are made; that no, I am not trying to keep up with any other well known family; and that, yes, they do get along very well.  It is rare to hear the person (although it does happen from time to time) comment on all the blessings in my life.
And they sure are!  I am blessed to watch them grow, learn, play and explore together.  And I am blessed that my friend lets me include her two little blessings with mine almost everyday during the school year.
Yesterday afternoon, I had another experience, one that took me by surprise, even after all the strange looks and questions I normally get when I'm out with my kids.  As we were leaving the doctors' office, my oldest announced to our fellow elevator passenger, "My mommy has another baby in her tummy, too!"  She looked at me with sympathy, and put two fingers to her temple, trying to indicate that she understood why I should be completely crazy.  I paused, not quite knowing what to say.  Finally, I came up with, "They really are the best of friends.  It's such a blessing."  I prayed last night over this, still not sure what a better response may have been.
Really, five isn't that crazy of a number.  I have plenty of friends who have more.  And, more importantly, these kids aren't just a number.  They're God's kids.  He's blessed me to be their Mom.  And, even though I struggle with fully appreciating that blessing some days, it is a joy to be a Mom.
I guess I could end by giving you words to share with your friends (or strangers, for that matter) with what may seem to be many children.  But, as you have just read, I'm not the one who is the best at coming up with words.  What I, and all parents, really need, are your prayers--prayers for strength to be Godly parents, prayers for patience, but most importantly, prayers of thanksgiving for blessings!