Multitude Monday

Our church is doing a series on Total Marriage Fitness.  It’s highly unusual for North Hills to do a series rather than preach/study through an entire book of the bible.  So when these occasional series pop up (after studying through the book of Luke for 3 years!), the importance of the topical message is awe inspiring.  Each Sunday is like going to a Marriage conference only with more time to digest what we’re hearing.  I feel so blessed to be under this teaching.

Holistically, I’ve been thinking about my relationship with Derek.  Having twins has rocked our world and their is so much temptation for the fallout of a bad day to land on him.  For Derek to get a tongue lashing when I’m upset about something else.  Or for us to simply neglect our relationship because of these high needs little ones. 

The final point on yesterday’s message was about training our thoughts.  About stopping those thoughts about our spouse that are not Truth and embracing those thoughts that are Truth.  So today I’ll let you know what I appreciate in my husband so that I can train myself to think these things.

855. I appreciate that he rarely takes things seriously
856. That he’s always wanting peace before I’m done fuming about something.
857. How he forgives completely and immediately: Derek holds no grudges
858. How he makes tea on cold mornings
859. he tolerates cold natured me snuggling with him even when he’s burning up
860. He gets up and goes to work without complaining because he loves to provide for us
861. Oh the hugs!
862. He listens to me talk through stuff
863. He makes his daughters squeal with delight
864. He makes breakfast for his daughters almost daily
865. He’s always the first out of bed to check on a crying baby
866. He puts toothpaste on my tooth brush
867. He went English Country Dancing with me… even though he thought he would hate it (and he loved it)
868. He laughs about the time I got so mad at him for beating me in Stratego that I threw all the pieces at him
869. He looks yummy in a button down
870. He’s slightly obsessed with my legs
871. He prays for me daily
872. Everytime I sign onto Gmail I get a random “I love you” IM.  Seriously, he stalks me.
873. He tells me to be a big girl when I need to hear it
874. He lets me cry when I’m not yet ready to be a big girl
875. He can run really fast
876. He’s the best kisser ever
877. He’s the one God chose for me 🙂

I love fall.

I love the leaves falling,
the temperature dropping,
the warm snuggles under the covers,
and the colors showing so vibrantly.

The steady march of change.

Ironically,
despite my love of fall,
I hate change.

I hate when after sleeping through the night for months,
a baby awakes for a snack.

I hate when after enjoying their company for so long,
a friend moves away.

I hate when the joy of a moment has been savored,
and then the moment passes.

But one thing I’m learning is that
change is what God uses to keep me dependent upon him.
Without change I become comfortable.
And with comfort comes the one thing He despises most:

complacency (noun): self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.

So He changes everything: the seasons, my life, my children, my relationships.

In change, I glimspe the actual danger of sin.

In change, I know my deficiencies.

And thought I hate change, I will worship the Creator of change.

I will give thanks to the One who never wavers: the One who is Unchanging.

842. The signs of change ripening in the form of pumpkins

843. The truth that I fail.
844. The bigger Truth that Jesus is the propitiation of my sins: He is the one God looks upon when evaluating my righteousness.  So my failures (while terrible) don’t count against me (though they do grieve me).
845. Hanging onto that truth at a 4:30 wake up… even after multiple failures
846. Watching Bronwyn play in a Cozy Coupe at Daylin’s birthday

847. Daylin pulling out my present, asking me what each item was, and, after laying them on the ground, declaring “I like it!”
848. Aeralind wallowing in the sandbox: snotty nose and all

849. The girls gobbling down hot dogs for the first time at Day’s party
850. Talking to Lisa at Day’s party about the difficulties of raising kids with potential issues with dairy
851. Runny noses disappearing 2 days after taking them off whole milk
852. The girls chewing on and climbing all over pumpkins at the pumpking patch

853. Sweet hugs and cuddles
854. The hope that tomorrow brings

Tap
Tap
Tap

It’s all I can hear at the moment. 

There’s a wood pecker on my roof, doing what he was made to do.

I, in my pink socks and Chaoco’s, race out with my camera to see if I can capture his beauty.

I catch a glimmer of it as it flies away, but the evidence of his recent work is laid before my eyes.

Isn’t that just like God? You can hear Him working, you can see the evidence of His labor over time, and if you’re lucky you can catch a small glimpse of Glory out of the corner of your eye.

And so I sit down here, doing my own version of
Tap
Tap
Tap
on the keyboard.

Counting out those glimpses of Glory and saying Thank You.

Doing what I was meant to do.

806. A woodpecker to keep me company during naps
807. Derek making and feeding the girls (and sometimes me!) breakfast more days this week than I have
808. A husband who willingly helps out
809. Watching little girls sleep
810. Helping Mandy move
811. Watching Reagan chew on a box
812. Bronwyn obeying a “Don’t touch” command, even though it took all her strength and she sat down and whined about it
813. Ruthie carrying the girls in to bible study
814. An afternoon with Becca
815. Talking about a situation that I’ve been stewing over with Becca
816. Clarity and good advice
817. Peace
818. Laughter about the girls chewing on rocks and sticks
819. Having the courage to ask a bible study mom (who I really admire) to go with the zoo with me…
820. …even though I couldn’t remember her name
821. Getting to know that mom: Karen
822. Having Gospel oriented conversation with Karen
823. No pretenses:  Being free to say–I’m broken and I don’t have it all together
824. Aeralind digging in the mulch at the zoo
825. Bronwyn climbing all the way to the top of the slide at the zoo when I was busy changing her sister’s diaper
826. Aeralind learning to stand up all on her own and the pride she has in doing it
827. Bronwyn quickly learning the same skill so she can get praise too.
828. Watching my children thrive on praise and knowing uncertainly the truth of Eph. 4:29
829. Aeralind chasing around an acorn at the park and squealing as it moved away from her
830. Brownyn trying to share mulch with the other moms at the park {even if they ignored her ): }
831. A three day weekend for hubby!
832. Playing at a park with Derek and the girls
833. All of us eating sub sandwiches for lunch
834. Being down to one nursing a day!
835. The girls seeming to do okay on whole milk (though Bronwyn has a runny nose that concerns me…)
836. Discovering that fleece makes much better diaper wipes than flannel
838. Finishing Daylin’s birthday dress, purse, headband, and twin baby dolls with only a few scraps left.
839. Aeralind sprouting 5 3/4 teeth to catch up with her sister in 6 weeks with little complaint!
840. Daily simple grace
841. 13 months with these beautiful quirky babies that God entrusted us with.

Counting these thousand gifts has been such a joy.  There are moments of frustration or bitterness or anger or self-pity and then I look around me briefly and it’s like a Valentine just appears right next to me.  A moment, a giggle, a sweet hug, an unexpected phone call, or a heart shaped leaf are crafted and placed right in my path to draw me closer to my Lover.  Such sweet graces to ponder.

789. A heart shaped leaf
790. Taking photos of the girls in the park downtown
791. Just walking with Derek downtown
792. The cool crisp weather
793. Another park date with Heather and Eric
794. Aeralind learning to climb down two stairs at the park
795. Bronwyn watching bubbles
796. My ‘Good Morning, Girls!”
797. Chanwey for asking me to join
798. Emailing Julia back and forth
799. Sewing Birthday Gifts for Daylin
800. Painting the top of my coffee table in a design
801. Putting a blanket back on the bed after a long hot dry summer
802. Enjoying cheese again on a semi-regular basis
803. Watching Aeralind day by day master standing up on her own
804. Watching Bronwyn today as she struggled to obey when I told her no, but how she succeeded (with a little whining for emphasis)
805. A husband who more than helps out with the girls

764. Talking to Barb and William
765. Exhausting little girls playing at the park and watching youth soccer
766. Sewing up sweet Jump Rope Dresses
767. Becca watching Bronwyn while I took Aeralind to the Dr’s
768. Treatment for the yeasty diaper rash
769. Little girls playing in Becca’s playhouse
770. Pushing Daylin in the swing
771. Arguing with Daylin about the Pegasus on her shirt
772. Brady begging for my attention
773. Tired little flushed girls snuggling on our laps
774. Becca helping me take Aeralind back to the doctor for polka dotted skin
775. Aeralind taken off the antibiotic and ears pronounced clear
776. Spontaneously dropping down to 2 nursing a day on that crazy day (and the day after) woohooo!
777. Breastfeeding these girls for a year (and slightly beyond)
778. Getting excited about being on the board of my local Mom of Multiples club (even though I’m out of my comfort zone in some ways)
779. Having only slightly baby related heart conversation with Marcie in the parking lot until way past my bedtime
780. Little girls squealing at Bouncing Babies
781. Bronwyn sharing her toys and smiling at the grown ups
782. Aeralind bravely exploring the whole noisy toddler filled room.
783. Going to the park with the SG girls and there babies
784. The girls climbing up the stairs on the toddler slide and squealing delightedly for my attention
785. Little Eric’s giggles
786. Bronwyn talking incessantly for the last 3 days. It’s hysterical!
787. Cool weather
788. Cool weather, open window, snuggles with Derek at night.