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!

Encouraging Words

Dear person who took time out of your day to encourage me,
Maybe you thought I was someone you knew as you drove past.  Maybe you're just that kind of person.  Whatever the reason, thank you.
Your words have stuck with me all day, even after my walk.  As I've fed three kids and held the fourth.  As I've pushed the vacuum while wearing a baby.  As I hurried to shower after tucking them all in for a nap.  And now, as I'm using my quiet time to reflect on my day.
What you probably didn't know as you sped past me, pushing a double stroller and wearing two more kids, is that I've really been struggling in my commitment to lose weight the past few weeks.  I had been doing pretty well, waking up around 5:30 to exercise quickly before my kiddos were awake and needed my attention.  But then, we had two weeks of sickness, and my tired body needed the extra sleep.  My motivation had slipped, even after all have recovered.
And so this morning, as I heard two screaming babies and watched two toddlers overflowing with energy, I knew God was tugging me out the door.  It was a glorious spring morning, perfect for a walk, a great way to slide back in to my exercise habit.
And then you drove by.
After explaining to my two-year-old that the person who just honked the car's horn and shouted was trying to say hi, I already began to think of what your words meant.  My post-four-baby body is not what it once was.  My eating habits have been poor examples for my children as of late.  Your words will stick with me as I continue to work to glorify God with the body he has given me.
Maybe someday your wife will need the same encouragement.  I pray that you will be able to help her the way you helped me.  But maybe just a little more gently and sensitively.

Sincerely,
Fat Momma.

Why I got married

I've realized lately that why I originally got married is not why God wanted me to get married.  When we decided to get married, I knew the man I would marry was a Christian, loving man, desirous of sharing his faith with those around him.  We wanted companionship, to share our love for each other and to start a family.  And those are all good reasons to get married.
But, I've noticed lately, God wanted to teach me many, many lessons through my marriage.  (Amazingly enough, he had been trying to teach me these lessons for most of my life.)  Here are a few of the lessons that have bombarded me lately.
1)  God wanted to teach me how to work.  You may think that I am accusing my husband of being lazy, but the opposite is actually the truth.  My husband works hard every day, preparing lessons, correcting papers, cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry.  And so God has demonstrated through my husband a fantastic work ethic.
2) God wanted to teach me how to pray.  Having children has really given me infinite reasons to pray, but my husband once again has shown me the importance that prayer should have in my life.  Every night he finds the most uncomfortable position possible so as not to fall asleep as he prays over the day past.  And, when he shares his prayers with me, I am reminded to look beyond me, my family and our little circle to pray for the world around us.
3) God wanted to teach me to depend on Him.  As a woman and a mom, I rearrange my priorities.  I often describe myself as a mom, a wife and a Christian, in that order. I am often tempted to put my husband or my kids before God.  But God continually reminds me that I am first his child and he is first in my life.  Through the many speed bumps of life--finances, family problems, sickness--God continually reminds me that it is he, through my husband and the people around us, who provides all that I need.
There are many, many more lessons I've learned through the seven short years of our marriage, but these are the ones I've really noticed lately.  I am so thankful for the blessing of my husband and family.  But, as we prepare our hearts for Jesus' birth, I'm even more thankful for the blessing of forgiveness that Jesus came to give to each of us.

All things are possible

This morning I saw a bumper sticker that said, "God promised to make all things possible, not easy."  It really got me thinking.
I've been struggling lately, wondering what God wants me to do.  I've started a direct sales business and it hasn't been going as easily as I thought it would.  I've been wondering if this is God's hint to me that perhaps this isn't where my talents lie.
At home with my kiddos, I've been frustrated quite often, too.  Potty training is hard work and my potty trainee doesn't really appreciate all the laundry I've been doing to keep him in clean, dry pants (now that winter is setting in).  My bigger ones are struggling to understand the difference between what they want to do and what needs to be done as part of a family, and their sense of urgency rarely matches up with mine.
Our van is in the shop again, too.  We're having a hard time deciding if we should keep pouring money into it or just give up and have two car payments for awhile.
But this morning I asked my son to recite his memory work for me.  "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you," he spouted off.  BAM!  God whacked me in the head with his Word once again...and through one of my children, once again.  I stopped right then and asked for forgiveness.  I haven't been praying about all these things as he directs me to; I've been storing them in my heart, letting them eat away at me.  Then, they sneak out as tears or anger at my family.
And when I backed my van out of its parking spot later this morning, God was there helping me see that he is with me making all things possible.  Here on Earth there are a few things that I need to do instead of waiting for God to plop them in my lap.  But that just makes me even more excited for heaven when all things will be possible and easy.  Until then, I've got some really awesome people helping make all things possible here.  THANK YOU!

Treasures

Tonight, I was nearly knocked over by Little Miss.  She came up behind me as I was putting away dishes in a low cupboard, wrapped her arms around my back and squeezed.  I was tempted to scold her, but by the grace of God, I thanked her for the hug.
Through my mind flashed a day, not that long ago, that I walked into my parents' kitchen, walked up behind my mom as she washed the dishes, and gave her a hug--on a regular basis.  She never scolded, complaining that I was slowing her down or nearly strangling her.  She'd reach behind her and give me a pat right back.
The next image that flashed through my mind is a day, not too long from now, that Little Miss will storm out of the kitchen and slam the door at me.  I will definitely miss these hugs at that time.
I stopped right then and asked God's forgiveness.  And I asked for his help.  Help to remember all these little day brighteners in the years ahead.  As I prayed, I thought of a motherly example from the Bible.  As Mary experienced parenthood, she took time to treasure the things that happened and ponder them.
Now, my children are not remotely like Mary's child.  But they are gifts from God that need to be treasured every day.  From little hugs to "I love you"s, these are the treasures I'm storing in my heart.

Memories

Tonight's blog is being typed with one finger, so please excuse the brevity. Today we suffered a most likely fatal blow to our computer. And, I regret to admit, I haven't backed up my computer in too long to make a difference. More than the annoyance of typing with one finger is the knowledge that Baby J's pictures may never be retrieved.
Matt has pointed out that we have yet to exhaust all our options. But, I wanted to share a lesson learned. BACK UP YOUR FILES!
We said a prayer for our computer tonight. I don't usually pray for inanimate objects, but I do know God hears and answers all our prayers. I pray none of you suffer a similar blow.

Unexpected Milestones

With four kids, I’ve gotten used to reaching milestones—rolling over for the first time, learning to ride a bike, cutting teeth.  But this week, I’ve gotten to experience two very different and quite unexpected milestones.  And they both happened yesterday.

We have Bible camp this week, and a good friend of ours is visiting with her daughter.  So, we invited them over for dinner.  As we were cleaning the house, I called out, “Nater, come help me.”  And, sadly enough, my oldest decided to exert his independence.  “Mamma, don’t call me Nater anymore.”  What he was really saying was, “Mamma, I’m a big boy now and I don’t need your baby nickname for me.”  Ouch.  But, I obliged his almost-six-year-old wishes and called him by his full given name for the rest of the evening.

And so, a few hours later, I went to pick up our friends to bring them to our house for dinner.  I came home to Mr. M crying his heart out.  All he wanted was to snuggle Mamma.  Which was difficult, since it was time for Baby J to eat.  After a solid 15 minutes of snuggling, I had him calmed down enough to play baby swap; he sat on Daddy’s lap while I fed Baby J.  And 15 minutes later, he quite willingly went to bed—only to wake up 2 hours later, and then another 2 hours later. 

Talking with my husband, I learned Mr. M had fallen, hard, on his shoulder while goofing his siblings that evening.  And since he was still favoring that arm this morning, we took him to the pediatrician, who (after ruling out Nurse-Maid’s Elbow) sent us to get x-rays.  And, by this afternoon, we learned what I had already suspected—Mr. M has a broken collar bone.

Tomorrow brings yet another trip (although this isn’t a milestone)—we’ve got an appointment with a pediatric orthopedist.  We’ll find out then what his treatment will be.

Through this all, I’ve seen God’s hand.  My husband and I have been saying many, many prayers; we got to spend the day with Mr. M and Baby J (a treat for the little two, and the big two who got to be with their favorite babysitter); and we got to indulge Mr. M in snuggle time (which hasn’t happened as much since Baby J came).  I am so thankful for all the well-qualified and caring health professionals we’ve dealt with today.  I pray God continues to bless them and us through them.  But, I'm also praying for a speedy return to the normal milestones...