Sweet Baby Days and Such

Bloggy silence. So much going on in the past two weeks that my head is spinning a bit. It's been snow days and viruses and house-hunting and birthdays (full post on that when I can get my pictures organized - EG is 14! Had a Les Mis birthday!) and visitors and schooling and viruses - oh, yes, it's making the rounds, very slowly it seems, and is NOT a 24-hour experience, unfortunately.

So. Spinning head. Baby days. Loving the baby days even with the swirlyness of it all. Tender mercy of God is that she's still a great sleeper, night and day. I find myself so tired and then so thankful, because how exhausted would I be if she were poor sleeper at night or a not-great napper?!

Here's a mini photo update of Miss ME -

Stretching awake after her morning bottle in my bed...

Oh, my! Did she sleep in her clothes? 'Fraid so! 

 Kicking around on a delicious blanket hand-made and gifted to us by my dear friend in Iowa

 My virus experience had me doing life and homeschooling from my bed from a couple of days. ME sleeps anywhere! BH found himself a cozy box and was reading Katy the Caboose in it. 

 The day of EG's birthday fun. My parents came to town. They snapped photos now and then. It's nice to have some from different perspectives!

 Grainy, yes. But....I love seeing my guy take care of his babies. Nothing better. Well, except for the way he loves and cares for me. Grace of God.

ME soaking up a bit of vitamin D with her PaPa (my dad) in our back yard - while BB and the kids dealt with the massive mess of limbs from the ice storm. Now the kids have taken some of the limbs that were pulled aside but not hacked up yet, and have made a teepee in the back yard. It's fabulous. More on that later...

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The temptation to complain is so very, very present much of the time. And I do complain - inwardly and sometimes outwardly - when the chaos gets suffocating or the exhaustion screams loud or responsibilities seem overwhelming.

When I'm being sensitive to the Lord, I feel a check in my spirit when I'm starting to complain. A lot of times, He reminds me to give thanks. Sometimes I just need to remember His great, sacrificial love for me, or His ever-presence. Or maybe the thanks needed is Oh, God! Thank You for these dreams come true: this husband, these children, this huge, crazy family! Thank You for every single day You give me with each of them, and for each day we've had so far.

And, let me not forget good common sense (also a gift from God, right?): seek rest when needed; find creative ways to escape or cut the chaos; and when it comes to responsibilities - take them to the Lord, remembering that He will accomplish His purposes and the world won't end if I don't attend to all those things that are hollering at me to be managed and checked off a list.