I have a lot to be thankful for.

Well, we have officially caught our first cold around here. I have seen more hours during the night than I wish to count so I am the last to "catch" this one. Thankfully, it has been pretty mild. Especially in light of the fact that I have quite a few loved ones around me who are battling major health issues and in some cases fighting for their lives.



It is SO refreshing to spend time outdoors in this lovely fall weather that we are experiencing. My kiddos love to be outside and could spend hours in their pretend world of "camping." I love to watch them play. There is something so relaxing and soothing about just watching. As long as someone isn't screaming at another one. :) They really do love each other, but of course there are always some battles to be had around here. I honestly feel that with supervision it is best for them to work it out amongst themselves. And, they USUALLY can. :)

This season of my life has been quite different from the past. Honestly, it is quite different due to the fact that I am feeling more "boxed in" by a schedule than ever before. I have started a new season in life that requires the responsibility of officially teaching my kids. I'll be honest. I don't like schedules. Never have really. I am not even sure that I enjoy routine. I like variety and would definitely define my personality as more free- spirited than my weekly schedule allows. There are days that I honestly cry out to God and ask Him what He is trying to teach me. I feel as if His consistent response is something so simple: LOVE. Do what is best for my kids...not what is best for me or feels BEST to me.

There is so much about LOVE that I have not mastered. I have indeed experienced it from my Savior, but have yet to truly figure how to share it FREELY with others. How to put myself aside. I have had difficult experiences with people. Loved ones who are battling health issues and many times that I feel called to my knees. AS the years pass in my journey of motherhood, I see more and more how God is using this journey to teach me more about unconditional love. My prayer life has changed. I used to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't ever let ___________ happen to my kids." (You fill in the blank of every possible painful thing that could happen to a child.) As I have seen people that I love struggle through pain, I also see remarkable growth. My prayers have become: "Lord, teach my children to love YOU and love others. Even if it requires ____________. The Lord is showing me and teaching me that HE loves my children more than I ever could...and HE will give them everything they need (good or bad) to draw them closer to His side. I cannot take them outside of His will.

So, now in the "good" times of life I am thankful to say that our Lord is and will ALWAYS be GOOD. BETTER THAN LIFE. He will always be faithful. There isn't anything else in the world that I could be more thankful for. Even if I am battling a cold and hours of interrupted sleep in the night. Through it all He is teaching me and taking me to limits I thought were humanly impossible. And, experiencing His grace is the better than any medicine this world has to offer.

Lovin' my baby girl.

Check out those legs! This girl is built like no other girl around our house. I think she is built like my side of the family and the other girls SEEM to be long and lean. :)

Swinging like a big girl:

They really do all love each other :) This is how they line up the chairs for dinner.

Just another way Dakota has made everyone get the case of the giggles around here and proof of what happens when you leave clean and folded laundry around for too long...she
has earned the nickname family clown from her older brother :)