Multitude Monday

#3344-3353

• Becca’s prayers
• Chanwey’s amazement at my girls’ independence/climbing abilities
• Seeing Shiloh give a ladder climb a try
• Just enjoying newborn photography
• Coming to terms that I still can’t photograph regularly yet
• Girls cleaning the exersaucer
• 20 minutes- just 20 stressful minutes before all the stressful meltdowns are over and everyone is taking a nap
• Hearing a concerned B ask a crying A “What happened?”
• Aeralind’s determined independence
• Princess shoes
• Daddy-daughter dancing

I’m in another warp speed season of life.  Let’s recount the basics for you:

Derek has a new job (wahoo!)
Memorial day weekend brought a visit from my parents (double wahoo!)
Tuesday Loving the Little Years book study at the pool (conviction… conviction… repentance… change)
Getting to hang out with Becca once a week at the pool (ahhhhh… revival of mentorship)
Eating out with Chanwey (what grace… what blessing to have a friendship which never would have occurred had it not been for both of us pregnant with twin girls at the same time!)
Sunburn…. lots of sunburn (for me… NOT my mostly native American skinned daughters!)
Sedryn moving (a lot… not crawling… but I’m going to have to set up the camera and do a time lapse photo series just so you can see it.  He gets around!)

This season is just so full of blessing and grace that I can hardly contain it all.

But aren’t all seasons like that?  It’s just some grace is harder to see from our perspective.

3301-3334

• Pool dates with Becca
• Introvert MNO
• Getting to know some of the MOPS moms
• Taking the girls for free ice cream
• Their super excited faces
• Photographing Skye
• Susanne’s quiet investment of wisdom in me- pointing out my sin
• Seven independent toddler/preschoolers at the pool: gotta love those puddle jumpers!
• hard truth
• Being able to adapt to serve others
• My fear of man coming once more to surface
• Aeralind calling her “My Karen”
• Cheerios inside the onesie season returning
• Strong boy scooting on all fours
• Those curly headed smiles
• Rearranging the kitchen so the girls can set the table and put away dishes
• Speaking to Julia to verbally process sin
• Hard things in front of me
• How Aerie wears her goggles around the house
• Putting the art supplies (the less dangerous ones) on the girls’ level
• Sedryn laughing hysterically at me scaring the wits out of him
• a contingent job offer 2 days before Derek’s job ended
• Sharing our anxious spots at SG
• How excited the girls are to help
• Girls picking dandelion bouquets from the yard
• Thunder showers
• Sunflowers taller than the girls
• The quiet hum of the sewing machine
• Silly stories and silly things the girls say
• Adapting to the boy’s early rising schedule
• Quick editing for Skye’s session
• Monkey and Monster Jammies that I practically have to peel off the girls
• Good visit with my parents
• Girls saying “Grams” and “Grandpa”
• Dad’s cooking
• Seafood stuffing (and some for the freezer!)
• Early bedtime
• Balloons
• Sedryn gobbling down pancakes
• Hard days.  Hard lessons.
• First trip to an ambulance being over a silly splinter

Last week I wrote:

These blessings (children), they’re not here to make us happy. No, they’re here to grow us into stronger joy.  And joy, it’s wrought through suffering, through growing pains, through labor.

The much celebrated baby of the friend that I wrote about… that sweet baby is already gone to be with Jesus.  Her momma’s arms left empty.  Again.

These blessings, they’re not here to make us happy.  No, they’re here (even momentarily) to grow us into stronger joy.  And joy, it’s wrought through suffering, through growing pains, through labor.

There have been tears this week.  Hugs of a different nature altogether.

Hard Eucharisteo (thanksgiving).

Oh, but how filled with God’s providence.

Our church body studied Philippians 4:4-7 this week.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We wrestled with it in Shepherding group on Wednesday.  We were filled with it’s truth and promise on Sunday.  And the Lord was at hand through it all.

I could tell you story after story of the encouragement in Jesus Christ that I’ve had throughout this week.  To see Philippians 4:4-7 lived out in a real, raw way.  But these aren’t my stories to tell (except where they overlap mine).

Derek is being laid off in a little over two weeks.  The Lord has already provided a generous severance package, wonderful timing on refinancing our house, and just a sense of peace (at least in my heart) about the whole circumstance.

Watching our friends walk this hard eucharisteo before us is so encouraging.  And knowing that God will redeem this time unemployed to do utterly amazing works in the lives of people around us in the same way that God is using our friends in ours…

Well, friends, that is grace. Humbling and beautiful grace.

Here’s a few more graces (#3278-3300)

• Karen’s hug
• Eating strawberries out of the bucket together
• Sedryn playing hard core with a straw
• How Aerie insists on calling Tigger “Tiger”
• How Sedryn flirts with me and then puts his head down shyly
• Karen patting Sedryn’s bottom
• Mastitis again.  Slowing my pace. Letting me savor.
• Gluten free cake experiment coming out okay
• Homemade yogurt
• Holding little hads
• Mother’s Day Vases
• Fight Club
• Connie’s humble gratefulness
• Becky’s genuine apology
• Silly girls squealing
• Bronwyn rubbing daddy’s rough cheeks
• Potty training finally going well
• Buying my first studio lights
• Looking forward to 3 newborns
• A & B singing and reciting Pete the Cat
• Comforting our sweet friend (and being inspired by them)
• How the girls adore Mrs. Karen
• Celebrating Ben’s birthday with him.