Just plain hard

                             I’m not ashamed to admit that this season of life is just plain hard. 

We hit the18 month mark. 

                     1 and a half years of all this!

 We are right in the middle of the walking without knowing where to go; 

wanting without talking; 

and independence without common sense...times three.  

        

Plus, a 3.5 year old who definitely has really great moments, but still has the power to control the entire mood of the house if she decides she's frustrated, angry or just plain grumpy. 

So much fun...but so much grump too.

 We are in the thick of dealing with three independent minds, with agendas, ideas and curiosities.

YES, TODDLER leashes...I'm not ashamed.

And John's traveling...

And the house is always a mess.... 

And there are friends I want to keep in touch with but can't, ......

            and books left unfinished.....

 and piles and piles of unwashed clothes.... 

And I just want to use the bathroom by myself! 

Whew. 

Well, two things keep me going. 
1.  knowing that they are growing up. (When I look back and remember last summer, I know for certain we are headed in the right direction. )

A picture from last summer...

2.  KNOWing (without a single doubt) that God gave me this situation and these children and HE didn't abandon me. He never does. 

 There are moments when I get a special glimpse of the future and I'm reminded what a blessing my family is.

A few nights ago I was dragging in every sense of the word...

Washing bottles, changing diapers, feeding hungry kids endless amounts of food, mediating sibling arguments... my every movement was weighed down and life was drudgery. 

Suddenly I looked behind me and the three boys all had smiles of their faces. They were naked except their white diapers; their pudgy little baby legs were running around the kitchen island, beckoning me to play with them.

So, I decided to put down the dishes I was scrubbing and answered their request, chasing, pinching and tickling their soft baby chub. 

 Evie even got excited that boring, tired mom was suddenly full of life again.

 And then suddenly there was a house FULL of laughter, running and giggling.

Someone once told me that if you force yourself to act a certain way, the emotion soon follows, and sure enough,  I was loving every single second of the craziness. I was full of real joy and energy. 

Ha! And that was my glimpse once again, that everything is going to be ok.

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The summer is certainly flying by. It’s been a hot one here, hotter than any summer I remember since living here the last 10 years. 

Speaking of 10 years, I can’t believe that I’ve been an Oregonian now for a decade! The only thing I dislike about Oregon is that my Chicago family is so far away. Besides that, everything else is pretty much awesome. 

Speaking of family, my mom flew out again for 10 days while Amanda was gone to Young Life camp. John was gone too, so it was quite a long week. During that week we had diarrhea explosions, extreme heat and my mom was sick during her entire stay. My mom doesn’t have a very strong immune system, and our house is certainly no place to recuperate or work on your health. However, like usual, she powered through and I couldn't have done it without her. We actually had some fun too :) 

We've been getting out somewhat and enjoying the sunshine as much as we can. 

The boys had their first lunch at McDonalds...

Storytime on the farm

Fountains with one of my favorite friends and her three adorable kids

Evie is pretty much obsessed with these friends

Last weekend we took Evie downtown to the "Hello Kitty Friendship Festival." Yes, it's as amazing and cute as it sounds, but also kinda strange. 

 I expected to see the place packed with little girls, but there was a mixture of different types of people. 

Overall, we won an award for being awesome parents :) 

I'm learning that sometimes moments are what you make them. Even in the difficult moments you can choose to turn it around and smile and laugh and make the best of it.

Because one day I won't have three irresistible baby boys and one stinkin cute little girl to chase around the kitchen. ;)