So Much More...: February 2015

Often times when I am out in public with my brood, people make comments such as, "You've got your hands full. How do you do it? Do you have help?" I usually make the normal small talk for about 30 seconds and then move on to the next onlooker. However, I've really been meditating on it recently. I certainly NEED help. Believe me, folks, as much as kind people like to encourage me, the truth is I can't do it alone! Ashamedly, I must admit that I.....the mother....have threatened to run away from home. I have watched three crying babies on the floor and just joined them. I get weary. I get overwhelmed. Often.

Yet, to the question, "Do you have help?" I answer a confident "YES."

"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually.

Remember the wondrous works He has done."

(I Chronicles 16:11-12)

"....as your days, so shall your strength be."

(Deuteronomy 33:25)

You see, every evening when my five babies are asleep (and they must be ASLEEP), I retreat to my quiet bedroom and commune with my God. It is there, I find HELP. It is there, I ask for God's strength to face another day. It is there I pray for those who have it more difficult than I do. It is there I remember the wondrous works that He has done in my life.

And it doesn't end there. God has also instituted the church to HELP. You see, I need the church, too. It is there I hear instructions on how to live. It is there I remember I am not alone. It is there I am encouraged to keep going. We just got rid of sickness that has plagued our home for the past five weeks. (Folks, I have been puked on more this past month than I can even count.) During that time, there have been numerous occasions that I have been unable to be at church. It has served to remind me just how much I need it! I NEED IT!!! And so, I confidently praise God for His abundant help in my life! It is enough!

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Baby Updates

Taerik continues to be our determined little red-head. He had been trying so hard to crawl for the past 3-4 weeks, but somehow only managed to scoot himself backwards. However, just yesterday, he figured it out! We are so proud of him! I am certain he has taken over as the biggest baby now, as he eats and eats and eats. I often have to make him another half bottle after his siblings have finished. (Or sometimes, he just helps himself to theirs.)

Drake is most definitely the laid back one of the group. He is perfectly content to watch his brother and sister move around, without any desire to join them. And yet, while he claps from the sidelines, we have a feeling there is somewhat of a mischievous side to him. Time will tell. He remains our melt-your-heart little cuddle bug.

Keira has become an absolute pro at crawling. She moves fast and with ease. She has also mastered the art of pulling herself up onto things and especially loves scooting over to the piano to play along with whomever is practicing. Keira knows what she wants. She remains my only child ever to scream in the church nursery for no other reason than, "I want my mommy....NOW."

The babies have graduated to their big-kid car seats and our family has graduated to 10 gallons of milk per week! Worth.....every.....penny!

(Griffen and Rhys are wearing Rob's old basketball numbers.)

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Lastly, my sister recently made a lyric video of a song I wrote a while back. It was written before the triplets were born and during a time of great discouragement. Our family had said good-bye to 13 babies through miscarriage and adoption failure. I had come to a place of deep loneliness, as I came to believe that no one in the world could possibly understand what I was going through. During that time, it was as if God Himself came beside me and whispered in my ear, "I know what it's like to lose a child." This song was born out of that experience. I trust it can be of great encouragement to any who are hurting today. Look at the "end" of my story!!!

I Know - by Heidi Fuller

Crazy Hat Night

You know your boys play too much Minecraft when one of them opens the cupboard one morning and declares, "Look. My cereal bowl keeps spawning! Every morning I use it and put it in the sink, but the next day it's there all over again." It's no wonder they wanted THESE hats for AWANA's crazy hat night.

Wichita Thunder Hockey Game

Our first night out with just the older kids included dinner at Applebee's and a hockey game with a large group from our Sunday School class. We had second row seats and even caught a hockey puck that came up over the guard. That could have been dangerous!

Kansas Day Field Trip

I brought the kiddo's to church last Friday for a very interesting and educational time. A lady from the Kansas Oil Museum taught us all about our state, with plenty of hands on activities for all ages.