Thankful

I tend to see myself as a fairly positive person.  But lately I've been challenged to dig deeper.  Of course we all have our bad days...weeks...sometimes years.  Sometimes I get in such a hurry to do one more thing that my life is rushing by and I've missed all the blessings that God has laid before me.  Psalm 39:6 "We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing."  This challenge came from a book I'm reading called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  It is literally stripping away a lot of junk from my heart and mind and helping me to refocus.

There's so much going on in our life right now.  And I'm positive everyone else is just as busy.  We have our normal day...which I'm not sure what normal is yet with three babes.  Then daddy, chores, dinner, baths, trying to grab a shower, beautiful sleep...not enough, but beautiful nonetheless.  It can all start to run together. She writes, "Being in a hurry.  Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me.  I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing....Through all that haste I thought I was making up time.  It turns out I was throwing it away."

As a mom and wife I feel my life is a fast pace dance that I don't get time to stop and enjoy.  Lists of things to do and only so much time to do it.  Hurry!  Rush!  I can do one more load, put away one more toy, feed one more animal, and we haven't even started real school yet...aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!  But this week...or at least for today, I want to live in the moment.  That's when all time seems to stop and we see the blessing and feel the thanks and smile for all God has given.  He is so good.  As I read my children a book before bed and sit there with them watching their smiles and enjoy the moment, I realize how wonderful that is.  I will never forget these precious moments.  What else matters at this point?  I am enjoying this gift of life that God has given for such a time as this.

She says something that changes my perspective..."The real problem of life is never a lack of time.  The real problem of life-in my life-is a lack of thanksgiving."  As I start to be thankful for each moment He gives, He starts to change my heart little by little.  This life is too quick to let it pass in a rush.  No one ever said I wish I could have worked another hour, did another load of laundry, mowed the lawn one more time.  We wish and want for those moments etched in our minds of love and thanks.  Lord help me slow down and taste life, give thanks, and see God.

Recent "moments"

Me and my girl

 Me and all my babes

My momma holding Arabella

 At Olive Garden with all of the kids...busy daddy

Going to do the chores as a family

Little rascal stealing his sisters seat.  Can you tell he's ornery?

Answered Prayer

Am I really the mother of 3 children?  I feel overwhelmed with gratitude that the Lord has blessed us with these three beautiful lives for the time being.  He is so good.

Arabella Faith (formerly Bella Faith) was born at 5:56 am on Friday, March 29th.  About 1 a.m. I had started feeling contractions about every 6 minutes.  I came downstairs to get some water and to change positions to see if this was really the real thing.  Around 2, they were 5 minutes apart, so I went and got Bo.  We called a family friend to come and stay with the boys through the night.  We got to the hospital about 3, and they were 4 minutes apart.  The Dr. was at home in Troy and so they didn't want to give me an epidural without his approval.  I was not happy with that, but continued to labor and wait.  He came in about 4 am and said it was okay for me to get an epidural, but the anesthesiologist was also at home and they had to call for him.  The nurse kept assuring me that women give birth naturally all the time and I would be fine.  I started to get worried because with the boys I had epidurals and the labor and delivery was wonderful.  Finally about 5 am I got the epidural.  The nurse checked me and said I was 10 centimeters.  Lucky me!  I got to labor the whole way without drugs...I'm still a little disgruntled about it. :)  So my whole body finally relaxed with the epidural.  I fell asleep for a bit because I wasn't feeling ready to push.  Finally I felt the need to push and after about 10 minutes my beautiful baby girl entered the world.  Lots of black hair and olive skin like her mama!

Her brothers loved her immediately and Brody promised to protect her and fight off anyone who tried to get close to her.  So that's taken care of. :)

Our family of 5!  I look a bit tired and my face is still has a lovely swollen look to it. :)

We changed her name the week before her birth.  A close friend of mine told me the name on the phone and I immediately loved it.  I was on my way home to tell Bo but I was sure he wouldn't like it because he's weird about names.  He said, "okay, that's it, she's Arabella."  And from then on that's what we called her.  The meaning of the name is extremely significant.  Arabella means, "answered prayer."  I can almost weep every time I think of the meaning.  She is truly an answer to our prayers.  I prayed for a daughter for a long time.  Answered prayer.  I had people praying for her to be full term.  Answered prayer.  I had one very close friend praying for 37 weeks specifically.  Answered prayer.  I had prayers for an easy delivery.  Answered prayer.  I had prayers for a healthy daughter because she had a two vessel cord.  Answered prayer.  This girl is God's special gift to me and I am so full of joy with His goodness.