Overwhelmed with Joy

Today was a wonderful day.  My heart is full.  Elijah and his girlfriend Kyley were baptized.  God is working in their lives and He is a good, good Father.  I have watched this guy as he has moved from one friend group to another.  I have watched him push boundaries and test limits, but he has such a pure heart.  He loves others.  He's growing and building a relationship with the Lord.  I'm thankful for every person in every season who have leaned in and loved him.  I'm thankful for all of the seeds that have been planted over many years.  I'm thankful that others find value in challenging and growing an obnoxious, red headed boy.  I'm excited to see what God continues to do in him and through him.

Valentine's Day

 There's this girl...

If she only knew.🤦‍♀️

Playdough Art

Shelby, you made an octopus!
Nope.
Oh, you made a jellyfish. I love it!
Nope.
It's a rain cloud.🤷‍♀️

Shelbyisms

1. "Mom, why do I always wake up so early?  I wake up before you and dad." This is true only on Saturday and Sunday. I wish I knew why. I'd fix it.

2. I asked, "How was you lunch today? Did you eat it all?"  Shelby answered, "I ate it all except my yogurt. It turned into cottage cheese before lunch. That's gross."  FYI...It was cottage cheese when I packed it.🤦‍♀️

Wishing the Time Away

Shelby age 5: I wish I could get married. It is literally going to take forever until I can get married.

Random thoughts from all of the tabs in my brain that have been left open

-Our church is doing a 7 day fast and prayer. We talked about what that means and the purpose of doing something like that. We encouraged the kids to think about what they could fast from as they pray and ask God to help them grow. Isabella decided on her own that she would fast from all technology and tv for 7 days. Saturday was a snowish kind of stay home all day and watch tv kind of day. She busied herself all afternoon at the kitchen table doing crafts of all sorts. It has been hard for her, but she's pressing on. She's also counting down for the fast to end.
-My boy lost a friend to a sudden death last week. He's 15. He has questions. He doesn't understand how this could possibly be part of God's plan. Why? All I can say is, we don't know God's plan and as terrible and hard as it is, we have to trust that He is in control. His plan is the very best plan.
-Laura is going to be grounded for the rest of her life if she doesn't stop being so much like her daddy. (Sneaky, smart mouth comments. Passive aggressive jabs at others.) It's funny but not. She often sees the real in people. Unfortunately, that means she doesn't always give others a fair chance to prove who they are.
-17 month old fits when they throw their head back on the floor and scream don't bother me nearly as much with the 5th kid as they did with the first. In fact, I can continue on with life and completely shut it out. It almost doesn't faze me at all.
-"I can't wait until Shelby is old enough for summer camp. Can you imagine a week of vacation from Shelby?" Quoted from another one of my children who will not be named.
-Sometimes teaching is just my job. It's not really great. It doesn't feel like a calling. It's just a job that I have to complete. This is one of those years. While there are little connections with students along the way, this is a tough group. I will love them and do my best for them, but I'm much less frustrated if for now it is just my job.  Tough group of kids.
-I'm grateful for a church that is pushing me and my family to take the next step, to grow, and to be open for God's purpose for us.
-Fasting from coffee is harder than I thought.