Multitude Monday

641-659.
Kate begging for kisses from me in the toddler nursery
Fussy Bronwyn making herself at home with mom, dad, and the ‘big’ kids in the toddler nursery
Nursery workers coming over laughing because Aeralind was kicking her legs so hard in the swingthat she was swinging herslef
Babies going back to sleep unaided after a very early morning wake up
Baby laundry washed and hung
First melon from the garden
A Little House Board Book from the library!
Peaches, Plums, Pears for $.45 a pound at Aldi
Cherry cobbler with Derek
Coffee Table Repainted
Swimming pool with Derek and the girls
Taking Photos of the entire Steven’s Clan: such joy and personality!
Chick-fil-a with Derek and the girls playing and smiling at other kiddos in the play place
Derek and I discussing a chore chart for us complete with allowance 🙂
A sweet baby shower for Super Brandt
Talking to Lindy in the parking lot
A sweet phone call from Heather J
Catching up with Mandy and Kelsey at the shower
Adorable little girl snuggles

613. Rain! Rain! Rain!
614. Babies standing at the window watching rain
615. Bronwyn scared by thundery
616. Aeralind signing ‘more’ (though it looks like clapping)
617. A short visit from Sara
618. Swimming laps in the early morning alone
619. 2 great groups on the challenge course
620. An old (high school) rainbow colored pen found
621. My short hair in pigtails
622. Flushed baby cheeks
623. Rapidly shrinking debt
624. Hopper girls caring for my babies
625. 4 Hopper girl hugs
626 Baby Playdates at Becca’s
627. Perfectly cooked turkey breast
628. Babies chasing little friends
629. Babies pulled up to stand on me
630. Capable little hands

631. Stout little legs
632. A cleverly cut (and well worn) maternity skirt from last summer remade into wear all the time linen shorts for this summer.
633. Babies ‘helping’ fold diapers
634. Babies crawling all over daddy
635. Babies yelling to be held by daddy
636. Leftover
637. The Hopper’s skirted scarecrow
638. Soft baby cheeks
639. Babies laughing together as sthey play
640. The unexpected opportunity to photograph the Steven’s clan 🙂

Last week was rough.  Derek was working an extra hour a day since his boss was on vacation.  That meant he saw enough of the girls in the morning to change a diaper and help me with their morning nursing, and if he was lucky he was home again in time for bedtime prayers. 

It was exhausting for me.  And it was only a 4 day week.

(Single moms: you are my heros! What grace God must share with you!)

Thursday I needed to get out of the house before I started talking only in Dada, mumma, lala, and graraws.  I also had library books due the next day.  A natural progression.

Off we went to the library where I let my crawlers roam free.  The play with the little mirrored standing toy or crawl around and bang on the empty portion of a shelf.  They don’t disturb the library silence too much most days and it wears them out to be exploring a ‘new’ place.

I’ve often noted the skinny librarian crawling around on knee pads, shelving books in the children’s section.  We have never spoken, but I have always thought that the knee pads were clever.

I’ve also often been slightly annoyed that there was a motorized scooter/wheelchair always parked directly next to the mirrored standing toy.  I was always redirecting my kiddos from playing on it as I browsed for this week’s reading selections.  Who leaves their wheel chair in such an inconvenient place?  Who leaves their wheel chair at all?

I never made the connection until the girls decided they wanted to make a friend.  They befriended the librarian with knee pads.  The one who owns the wheel chair.  The one who must have cerebral palsy.  The one I apparently cannot comprehend but about half of what she says. 

My girls adored her.  Indiscriminately. 

They watched her put books up.  They tried to take books out to mimic her.  They chased her around, crawling just as she crawled.  They banged on the shelves where she was working just to see her smile.  They touched her hand wonderingly to play with her watch.  They adored it when she showed them how to use the steering wheel/controls on the mirrored standing up toy.  They would have followed her as she labored with her walker to relieve herself.

I felt awkward, stumbling, and unable to understand the librarian as she spoke to me for the first time. 

But they knew what she needed: a friend.

It was a miracle of wild grace love unfolding in front of me.

582. Meeting the librarian
583. Really seeing the librarian
584. Little girls loving on the librarian
585. Friends coming over to make baby food together
586. Holding Ashton after he awoke from his nap
587. Working on the first birthday invitation as Derek enjoyed the crazy fellowship of our small group
588. A working vehicle
589. Making it through the week
590. Free Chick-fil-a and the Friday Lunch Date with daddy and his girls
591. The laughter of making lasagna following a recipe with four other women.
592. Mandy cuddling with Little Eric
593. Five of six ladies from small group enjoying brownies and sharing about our (mostly) new motherhood journies
594. Hugging Heather 2 as I left
595. Laughing as Heather 1 had enjoyed her girls evening so much that she initially walked out of the house without her sleeping infant in his car seat.
596. Derek watching babes to make that evening possible
597. Safe arrival of my neices and nephews
598. Mariana reading a book with me on my lap
599. Boys in the yard with sticks.
600. My husband enjoying the secret world of brothers with his younger brother
601. Matthias running around in a handmade knight costume
608. Malachi running around in a handmade pirate costume
609. Marq making Mt. Pepperoni on the kid made pizzas
610. Time to listen to Sarah’s heart
611. My downstairs looking cleaner when the boys left it, then when the arrived
612. Marq cuddling with Bronwyn

557. Eating my first red grape tomato
558. Purchasing heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market
559. Eating said tomatoes on turkey sandwiches this weekend
560. Okay, I just love tomatoes. Best summertime gift ever.
561. A hair cut (that I actually like!).
562. 6 discount bags of bananas for $6. I think those bags had close to 20lbs.  Smoothies and little girl bliss 🙂
563. Falling asleep to the sound of firecrackers
564. Freedom in this country
565. Those who fought for freedom (and fight still)
566. Those great men who had the vision for this country
567. Little girls ‘swimming’ in the pool
568. The smell of crockpot ribs permeating the house.
569. Two charm packs of Lollipop on the way here to become a handcrafted gift.
570. The SwagBucks earned by searching the web that purchased those charm packs
571. Hugging Lindy after church
572. A heart felt talk with Matt
573. Swimming in the pool with Ruthie
574. A newly painted bathroom
575. A wonderful sister who helped me paint the bathroom
576. My sister snuggling with my babies
577. Jersey Mikes with my sister
578. Watching little girls stand at the coffee table and eat Cheerios
579. Rare Aeralind snuggles
580. Early Morning Derek Snuggles
581. Bronwyn laughing as I munch on her toes

I may have written about my scars prematurely.

An epiphany occurred at the mirror while I dripped puddle on the floor.

Bare, alone, and scared of my reflection, I heard a still small voice:

This body loved enough to give life to two other people.

I stopped a moment and pondered that love.  Those beautiful tiny faces and the work ahead of me as I help to shaped them to be like their Creator.

And then the wind was nearly knocked out of me as I realized:

He is scarred too.

The one who loves me, the one who gave me Life everlasting: He, too, bears scars.

His skin puckers and folds over a line in his abdomen.

He loved me enough to allow his body to be scarred and broken, too.

And that should be enough.

539. Scar created, life given
540. Cheerios flying out of clothing as I start to change diaper
541. Mastitis Round 3: Helping me remember Who is in control
542. Little girls playing together peacefully as I recuperate on the couch.  Banging toys, giggling, ‘climbing’ stairs, and of course eating cheerios 🙂
543. Husband cleaning gutters
544. A morning walk with Derek and the girls
545. Little girls climbing all over me
546. Aeralind roaring back at me and charging before I could charge her after my roar!
547. Snuggles from the babies.
548. An understanding boss when I could not work
549. 9 months.  Oh I love this age!  I wish I could freeze time for just a few months
550. Little seeds I planted blossoming into generous fruit

551. Swimming laps in our community pool.
552. Moonbeam kitty snuggling with me on the desk
553. Hugs from Bronwyn
554. Aunt Ruthie joining us for a swim
555. Little girls standing up!

556. The random cucumber family plant that sprouted in our backyard and we let grow out of curiosity producing this: