I Didn't Go to the Hospital, but... and Trust

Days in the Life...

Monday morning Ava had art class and I watched Sofia while Mom took her to it.

We have some really nice neighbors who let us wash laundry at their house since our washer broke mid-cycle that morning. (Grandparents are wonderful.)

In the afternoon I ran drove my car, but you know what I mean to the library and bank before leaving to take Christian to a birthday party in the evening.

We stopped to get gas and I got the pump handle holder to work! (Christian was cleaning my windshield, that's why I pumped it myself.)

When the driver says you should buy the gift at the store she knows how to get to easily and the passenger says he knows exactly where the store he wants to go to is, you should listen to the driver. 

Sometimes, though, God will allow us to go down a path we shouldn't so we can reap the consequences of our mistakes. In the end, our way is usually longer and more complicated, but God is ready and willing to put us back in the right path as soon as we surrender to Him once more.

While Christian was at the party we still made it there mostly on time, we just took the very long way and we never got lost I just didn't know the names of the roads we were on I went to Starbucks to study. 

In case you were wondering 113, or "eleventy-three," math questions is too many for one study session. At least for me. It left me braindead. And ready to cry. 

Tuesday morning I kept wondering why my alarm was not going off. I finally checked my phone. It was only 3:22 am. Logically you readers would likely guess that I must have just been so excited about my plans for the next morning that I was unable to sleep. No. Not really. I was just extremely paranoid about being late, or over-sleeping, or something. For some reason. I don't know why. 

My alarm went off at 5:30 and within 15 minutes all of us (with the exception of Mom, Dad, and Mia) were in my car headed to the high school track. 

No. 

We were not very awake. 

Aron met us there to teach us his crazy, insane, completely impossible sprint workout. 

We started with a 20 minute warm-up. That looked like jogging 1/4 of a mile, and doing 200 yards of various stretches like butt-kickers, walking lunges, high-knees, calf-raises, etc, and 15, 20, 40, and 50 yard (I think, I'm probably off a little) sprints. That was our warm-up. 

Then the real workout began. The warm-up was about what I'd call a completed workout for me personally. 

We did 6, 100 yard sprints, with 30 seconds rest in-between each sprint. I'm pretty sure Gabe and Ava were doing better than I was. 

After that we were allowed to take a water break. 

I almost blacked out after the sprints. "Almost" meaning I could no longer see or hear anything, felt like I was going to be sick, and had no sense of direction. I was mildly concerned. (And by "mildly," I mean very.)

Note* I'd been challenged that I could not complete this workout. That would be why I was so determined to do it. 

Double note** I'd also been told I could complete the workout, and that I would not black out, and that I would not get hurt, and that I would complete it. (For Ava and Gabe it was optional. Chloe and Christian were under the same requirements.)

Next were crunches, sit-ups, pushups, and other body weight and core exercises. Those things I am much more competent in. Gabe knocks us all out of the park, though. He is one impressive kid! 

To continue on we moved to the agility ladder. Aron demonstrated the first two "simple" run throughs (one foot in each square, then two feet in each square) and had us go for it. (After we got through the ladder we were then to sprint to a certain point before circling back around to go again and each time the steps got more advanced.) 

That's when I got hurt. 

I still don't have a clue what really happened. I was running, then felt a shooting pain on the outside of my left foot, and ended up on the ground. I wasn't crying, but I greatly dislike crying in front of people when I get hurt. 

Aron told me to just sit for a minute and then try again. I did so and the instant I put my foot down the same thing repeated. So he took my shoe off to examine it and said that I was done. No more. 

For that reason, y'all get to see pictures! 

The others continued the agility ladder exercises and may or may not have run full speed straight at me and jumped over my head and then did 6 more, 100 yard sprints. 

Last sprints.

It was a gorgeous morning!

Finally we made it to our 15 minutes of stretching, which I was able to do. Stretching is the other thing I do well. I think I received the biggest share of whatever small, random flexibility gene floats around in our family. 

The walk to the car was long. I hopped and skipped and when the kids and Aron left to head to his car across the parking lot, I asked Chloe if I could use her shoulder to hop easier. She just gave me a piggy back ride. 

All our post-workout-and-before-that-we-rolled-out-of-bed, glory.

I was so grateful I only injured my left foot. I was still able to drive us home! 

While we were at the track, Mom took Sofia and went to buy Panarea Bread Cinnamon-Cruch Bagels to serve with our breakfast of eggs, sausage, and skillet vegetables. 

Aron stayed for a little bit to play Abalone with some of us and then left so we could get to our school day. Except that I was ready for a nap...

I took a shower I just stood on one foot and then Dad and I went to go vote. 

In the afternoon I watched Mom do Cize 6, while icing and elevating my foot. 

Oh my goodness. It looked so fun, but very complicated. Mom had to do it by herself because she needed the entire living room, with the furniture pushed back, in order to have enough room to move around for the dance. 

Christian and Aron played disco gold disc golf how I type it and how it's really spelled in the afternoon as well. 

I hopped around the kitchen and made dinner, while Mom and Dad went over to see the little house. The foundation was finished earlier that day and they were able to meet a guy there who thinks he should be able to do a majority of the rest of the work we'd like done. 

Wednesday morning I tested my foot, it still hurt badly. 

Calvin was asleep when I arrived at work. Surprise! Schedule is off. That's okay. I'm flexible. *Smile* 

He ended up taking two morning naps. 

By the time I was leaving at 2:30 I'd been up and down the stairs 3 times with him and completed over 100 math questions. (The former was probably not wise, and the latter I was very excited about.) 

While I was gone we got a new washer and dryer, our water heater was fixed (that was a big yay), and we'd had a water filter system installed in the kitchen sink so we don't need the water filter pitchers any more. 

Mom had taken the littles to the Denton Library in the early afternoon and Chloe also went to work. Mom and Dad both got massages in the afternoon. It was a full day! 

All of us who went to the track the previous morning were very very very sore. 

I took Christian to his guys' group that night. We arrived first so he told me to throw his frisbee. He must have forgotten that I'm not an expert frisbee thrower, it landed on the roof. Christian was standing right under it, though, so my aim was good...  

I went to work at Starbucks while he was there. 

Before I hurt my foot I never realized how fast I normally move around. I always run up the stairs, I power walk whenever I go anywhere in public, I walk quickly to my car, actually everywhere usually. Being forced to slow down was a little frustrating, but I took the opportunity to see what I could learn from it, and I am so grateful that I usually have the ability to move freely. 

Thursday was pretty low-key for all of us. We worked on our stuff around the house. I took an afternoon nap and read almost an entire book between late afternoon and then more late evening. The book was "Make it Happen" and I really enjoyed it, easy to read and inspiring. 

Chloe and Ava watched "Pan" that night, the others watched "Prince Caspian," and us adults worked on our taxes. 

Friday I was well hydrated- 

There was no power walk this time when I watched the two year old in the afternoon. He took a long nap, though, which gave me time to do this- 

My "Dream Dump" was inspired by "Make it Happen," although it was not talked about in the book. I just started writing down everything I could think of that I've wanted to do whether it was "learn to draw portraits realistically in color" or "open a coffee shop" or "take a road trip with a friend." 

It was fun and very freeing. 

What will be even more fun will be referring back to it and seeing how many things I can actually make happen! Dreams are great, actions to get you to where you make those dreams reality are far better. 

Gramma and Grandpa picked up On the Border for us and came out to see the little house and eat dinner with us. It was fun to catch up with them and not have to make dinner! 

After they left, the kids watched "The Shakiest Gun the in the West" and Mom, Chloe, and I watched "Music and Lyrics." If you were wondering, "Music and Lyrics" is totally made up.

Saturday morning Chloe and I got up a few minutes earlier than last week and arrived on time for Bible study. 

Mom and Gabe stayed home all day recovering from a cold. They watched HGTV and did some organizing projects. 

Dad and the others worked at the little house quite a bit, cleaning, pulling up carpet, taking the laundry out of the dryer that had been left, etc. 

I left early for church to be a part of the hour of prayer and worship that we are starting before the 6:00 service. I was asked to play piano, which I've wanted to do. It still felt a little out of my comfort zone, but that's a good thing. 

Dad and the others went to Costco and then joined me. 

This week there were a lot of babies at church and I was more than happy to have one at any given time. 

We stayed to eat and visit after the service as usual, then went home to Mom and Gabe. 

Sunday morning Aron was not supposed to come over, but his other plans canceled on him so we told him he was welcome join us for brunch again. 

Many rounds of Abalone took place while food was being prepared. 

Then after we ate, we watched YouTube videos of Hawaiian worship music taking place on "our" beach. I almost cried. I love it there so much. 

Gabe won the game of Apples to Apples that took place after the kitchen was cleaned up. 

Aron left after that and Dad took everyone but Mom, Chloe, and me to run errands. Mom and I worked on sorting through old photos and Chloe went to ride horses at the neighbor's. 

I tried making biscuits to go with dinner. 

This is totally how it works. 

(Chloe ended up having to help me out of the sticky mess I created. Somehow we still managed to get yummy biscuits out of it.)

After dinner we watched "Fixer Upper" which is not a made up show and ate ice cream and cookies. 

I've Been Pondering...

Trust is built through relationship. 

To trust someone you have to open yourself up to them and be vulnerable. That means it's possible you could be hurt through the process. It's also possible that they will in turn draw closer to you because they also trust you and have freedom to be vulnerable as well. 

Trust is scary. 

It takes boldness. 

Risk is involved. 

Relationship is at stake. 

On the other side of trust is freedom, and love, and open, honest communication, and real relationship, and more trust. 

The more you open yourself up to another, the more opportunities they will have to show their faithfulness to you and the more trust both of you will build between you.

When we decide to trust God, we decide we are going to let Him take us to the places He wants us to be (whether comfortable or uncomfortable), and allow us to experience the things He wants us to experience (whether easy or difficult), and through those things He will show us His faithfulness and love. Each time we see that faithfulness, the greater our capacity to trust will be. 

God wants to show Himself faithful in our lives. We have to be willing to trust Him.

That Moment When...

Mia's tests results show that her reading, grammar, and spelling skills are on a 3rd grade level. She is technically in kindergarten.

Mia tastes black coffee and decides it's gross.

You arrive at work to learn that the two year old has begun potty training.


The Herd: Quoted 

"The sun is not up and it has to come up over that bank of clouds which looks sort of like a mountain range so basically it's Colorado." -Me

"Your logic had too many flaws to name." -Christian 

"I know. It's early." -Me 

"Mia, can you take this next door and ask Grandfather to make Lydia a cup of coffee? Say 'pretty please with a cherry on top' and he will do it for you." -Mom 

"Okay." -Mia laughing. 

"They are out of cherries." -Mia returning with the coffee.

"You are quite good at this game, but not good enough for me, although I've never won this before." -Mia playing Abalone with me.

"We could have a chocolate chip fight and then eat the chocolate chips!" -Gabe

"How is your foot?" -Mom
"It seems okay, I'm using it normally." -Me
"You still can't go for a power walk to the park today." -Mom
"I know. I thought about it, but decided that would be pretty stupid. Thanks for telling me, though." -Me 

Walking with as much purpose as I can

Days in the Life...

Monday morning I worked out before Sofia arrived at 6:30. It was relatively easy to care for her and continue with my normal morning things (I'm sure watching Kate helped). 

She kept falling asleep not in her bed. 

In case you were wondering, 

the amount of cashews I can hold in my hand

is less than 1/4 of a cup. 

Sofia woke up fussy right as I needed to start lunch (this is a special feat babies are known for). Mia tried to hold her, but ended up just helping me make lunch instead. 

Ava had art class that morning, which Nana took her to. When she returned I was happy to let her she was happy to take charge of Sofia for a little while. 

Meanwhile, Mom was in Virginia enjoying our newest cousin. 

Dad took Gabe to visit a gymnastics class late that afternoon. He has some incredible natural talent!  According to Gabe he is definitely going to go back next week. 

(Gabe has green on his sleeves.)

He could almost do the splits!

I babysat at small group that night. 

Tuesday morning I was going to get up at 5:00 so I could exercise and take a shower before Kate and Sofia arrived for the day. Call me crazy I was actually really excited about the challenge of caring for both of them, preparing meals, and cleaning and preparing the house for group that night. So when I rolled over to look at my phone and saw a text saying Kate would not be coming, I cried. 

Then I tried to sleep another hour since with just Sofia I would have more time, but I couldn't sleep (despite the fact that I was 10 days behind on good nights of sleep) and finally got up at 5:30. 

Had Kate actually come it would have been a breeze, at least where Sofia was concerned. She got on a great schedule that had her awake and happy for an hour, sleeping for two hours, then awake for a bottle, and repeat. 

The result of that model baby schedule was that I got to accomplish a majority of my tasks for the day, both normal and abnormal (abnormal being things I had to do because Mom was gone), by about lunch time.

Dad left for a big meeting around 11:00 and the littles came to me wondering what they should do. I had them do Cize, take showers, eat lunch, do kitchen clean up, and then finish their Star Wars movie in time to go to quiet time. In between, they played with Sofia.

After lunch I prepared the house for group and then finally gave in and decided to try to take a nap. I had been dragging all morning and since most everything was done and Sofia was still asleep, it was worth a shot. I ended up at least being able to lay down with my eyes closed listening to praise music for 27 minutes. Then she woke up.

After Sofia left it was too late to take a real nap. So I did the rest of the baking for the week. 

Dad returned late afternoon and final food preparations for group began. 

By the time everyone arrived I had used up my five, "second winds" and was really tired. 

Group was wonderful. Everyone helped to clean up from the meal before gathering in the living room (usually we clean up when it's over) which blessed me immensely. 

Contrary to some people's belief, I did not actually fall asleep during the sharing time, I just had my eyes closed for a long time. 

Dad shared some points from Saturday's sermon that had stood out to him and then opened it up for others to share thoughts, praises, and prayer requests. 

Once it was over, multiple people kindly sent me to bed. 

Wednesday was full, but felt almost like a Saturday to me. There were lots of things to just do around the house for the most part.

Mom was to fly home that night, but almost got stuck in Virginia due to bad weather. She ended up getting through, though it was late by the time she and Dad arrived home. While waiting, the rest of us watched different movies and ate ice cream (with Dad's permission of course).


Thursday I slept in as much as was possible with Sofia fussing downstairs and then ended up taking her from Mom for a while after breakfast. Mom told us all about her time with her friend and then about helping Aunt Amy with Rowan and Eli.

I went next door to check on Nana and Grandfather late morning and they ended up inviting me to sit down and offered me coffee. I stayed there for quite a while and enjoyed catching up with them and gleaning from their wealth of wisdom.

Dad, Chloe, Christian, and I left about 4:30 to go to Debate. I left from the church with a friend to go study together at Starbucks. Studying with another person is so motivating. (Coffee helps too.)

On the way home we stopped at Aldi for a few groceries to finish out my month of menu planning, shopping, and cooking.


Friday afternoon I began a new nanny job, this one is for a two year old boy. I was excited that a power walk to the park with him in the stroller gave me a workout and kept him so happy.

Mom did a huge grocery haul that afternoon and didn't get home until after 6:00. The car was loaded down and it took all hands on deck to get it all put away. Our well oiled machine was very efficient.

After a late dinner, Dad and all us girls watched "Ever After" and the boys both decided they would rather read. Mom was ready for alone time.


Saturday morning Chloe and I both had alarms set and both managed to not wake up until we were supposed to be in the car leaving for Bible study. Christian went with us, but we were in the car before he was. We only arrived 10 minutes late.

Meanwhile, Mom did a massive food preparation blitz and got things in the freezer to make the rest of the cooking for the month easier. Dad worked in the yard. The littles played.

When we returned everyone got whatever they wanted for lunch and then began cycling through the showers.

We left early for church as there was an elders-share-the-vision-of-the-church meeting at 4:30.

In between that and the service there was time to visit with those already there.

Baby dedications took place during the service as well.

Afterwards we stayed to fellowship and eat some, and then went to Rosa's for a going away party. I (probably) did not fall asleep at the table at Rosa's.


Sunday morning everyone got moving very slowly after such a late night. We didn't eat breakfast brunch lunch late-lunch until 1:00. Gabe was so eager for us to get food preparation going that he started coming to Dad to find out what he could do to help get us to eating sooner.

Some of us rested in the afternoon, others spent a lot of time outside.

About 4:30 Aron and a friend of his arrived to prepare Grandfather's birthday dinner. After the initial flurry of getting things started in the kitchen subsided, the kids whisked Aron's friend away to look at sports cards and play games.

Nana and Grandfather made the long trek over a little early to join the visiting that took place before dinner.

Grandfather enjoyed his Croatian meal, chocolate cake (courtesy of Nana), ice cream, cards, and gifts. We appreciated hearing his 72nd birthday thoughts.

My birthday composition, A Very Important Person in Your Life

The evening finished with the viewing of "McFarland USA." 

That Moment When...

You get green onion juice in your eye.

You cut 4 onions and finish with tears streaming down your cheeks.


The Herd: Quoted 

"What ya wanna do?" -Mia
"Take a nap." -Me

"She wants us to do something..." -Ava while I struggle to think of what I need them to work on.

"Yes, but nobody knows what it is." -Gabe with a funny voice and expression.

"Do you have a movie you want to watch, Lydia?" -Dad
"I don't have a preference." -Me
"Stop being so agreeable!" -Christian 

"Nobody can imitate Mia." -Chloe

"She is unimitatable." -Me

"She is copyrighted." -Chloe 

"Yeah. Is 'unimitatable' even a word?" -Me

"Probably not." -Chloe 

"I want to go run, but my body needs at least 20 hours of sleep." -Mia 

"I'm walking with as much purpose as I can!" -Mia 

No Coffee and a Drowned Cat

Days in the Life...

Monday was very standard. Honestly, nothing exciting happened, other than that we all agreed Cize 5 is not our favorite. 

This is my kind of winter!

Tuesday, Kate came nice and early. After breakfast, she helped me with some baking and then asked, using her little words and pointing, to dance. 

She took great naps, which allowed me to enjoy my coffee, Bible time, and get some school and blogging done. 

Several people were under the impression that I am addicted to caffeine. I decided to not have any coffee for a week and survived just fine. This week, I only had one cup, that being the decaf one above. The main reason for that, though, is our french press broke, and now we need to order a new one before I can drink coffee again. I've been mostly fine this week as well. (I also had one other decaf one at Starbucks.) 

She decided to tear up her bread and drop it on the floor. 

Happy to dance. 

Mom and the littles went to the orthodontist and then to bubble land with friends. 

Mom loved holding baby Audrey. 

That night, I made dinner. Nana, Grandfather, and a guest of their's came over for the evening.

Wednesday morning at 7:00, Sofia (the baby I went to care for Tuesday nights for a while in December) arrived. Mom offered to care for her for the next month while her mommy finishes up some things at work. The littles are beyond excited to have a baby in the house. 

I left to care for Calvin at 8:00 as usual. 

Very soon after I arrived he fell asleep on me. 

During his first nap I studied.

The idea was to keep him awake until his mom got back around 2:00, but at 12:30 I looked down at him in my lap and... 

So I turned on some music and stayed in my seat to rest with him. He slept for over an hour, and if I had not gotten some texts during that time, I would have fallen asleep too. 

Baby Sofia left our house around 3:30, after having a very good day with Mom and the others. 

I got home and showered, made dinner, and turned around again to leave at 5:30 with Christian. 

We actually left at 5:40, but it wasn't because I wasn't ready on time. On the way, we got gas, then we hit traffic, but we still arrived at our destination on time. I have no idea how. 

While Christian was at his guys' Bible study, I went to Starbucks to work on my own stuff. 

Chloe stayed home with the littles and they watched Star Wars (probably), while Christian and I were gone, and Mom and Dad took our car to be serviced in Dallas and went to dinner. 

Thursday morning, Dad and I both woke up having gone to bed with headaches, sleeping horribly, and then still having our headaches when we got up. Neither of us said anything about it until that night, though. I wonder if it was related to the weather..? 

I was dragging all day, and ended up even taking a little nap in the morning after taking painkiller, which only took the edge off. 

I finally finished another drawing. This one I ended up working on for almost two months. 

Dad took Chloe and Christian to debate that night. I took the littles to the library and then they ate dinner and watched Star Wars. 

Friday morning, Dad, Mom, Christian, and Ava all left at 6:30 to take Mom to the airport. She is spending the next 5 days in Virginia helping Aunt Amy, and visiting a friend. 

After they dropped her off, Dad, Christian, and Ava got breakfast and then went to the orthodontist. 

Meanwhile, I received Sofia for the day. I got the carrier figured out and she slept in it for a while. Ava and Gabe were up early too. 

Tummy time. 

She fell asleep when I wasn't looking. 

Milk drunk. 

Sofia had fussy moments, but was good for me for the most part. Ava was happy to take charge of her some in the afternoon so I could finally shower, as my workout took place before Sofia arrived at 6:45. 

The littles got to play most of the day, and Chloe and Christian did school. Dad tried to get his workout in several times but kept getting interrupted. I studied during nap times. 

Dad left for a meeting, and then went to go get our car at 2:30.

Sofia left at 3:30, and I went to get ready for the evening. 

At 5:15, Aron came to pick me up so we could go to a Holy Spirit Party. It's something you cannot prepare for, and can not predict, but you leave encouraged, exhorted, and comforted. 

His friend cooked us, and the 5 other guests, dinner and then we merged into whatever the Lord lead us to do. It was truly amazing. 

The kids were happy to watch more Star Wars while Dad and I were gone that night. 

Saturday morning, we were unable to have our girls' Bible study. 

The littles played happily all day with their legos, and Dad worked hard. The rest of us did whatever we needed to do. I know Christian went to help Aunt Cendei and made brownies to take to church. I had cleaning and writing to do. 

A poem came out of my afternoon. That all of You

Our gorgeous mom enjoying time with her friend. 

Dad was pretty worn out by the time we all went to Costco and got to church. The service and time of visiting afterwards was exactly what each of us needed. 

The couple who lead worship that night were visiting America from South Africa, and were getting married the next morning. I found that incredibly special. Instead of going out to party, they came to us to spend the night before their wedding in worship. 

Sunday morning, we all helped Dad with a few chores, and then made brunch. Aron joined us for the day. 

Before we ate, Mia, Gabe, and Aron showed off their impressive pull-up skills. 

After clean up, "the committee" (Aka, Chloe, Dad, Aron, and me) departed to another room in order to form a plan for the reminder of the day that would allow Dad to have a quiet house to rest in. 

We decided to try to check off every idea mentioned, and do it all. It was a "risky UGS move." 

First order of business was to get everyone loaded in the car, to head to the Haslet park. We checked the weather, and although it was cloudy, there was little to no chance of rain, and it was suppose to be at least 70 degrees. 

On the way we told jokes and sang "The Eye of the Tiger" and "When Can I See You Again." 

Ready to leave the house. 

I think something was wrong with our phones... It drizzled on us the entire 35 minutes we lasted at the park. (I think Aron would have toughed it out and played disc golf a lot longer than we did, but the rest of us were cold, and he had only brought one sweat shirt, that one being for me.) 

The cute, wet, bedraggled, cold mess. 

Aron pointed out that he looked the same. 

We got on the highway and made a pit stop (118 seconds, the kids counted) at Aron's apartment to pick up a game for later. 

Then we arrived at Target. 

The boys went one direction, the girls another, and Aron and I went to the Starbucks inside to check off "sit in a coffee shop." 

Ice cream and hot chocolate were purchased for later in the evening, along with whatever the kids found to spend their gift cards on. 

At home some of us showered (others said the rain was enough), and then the littles watched tv and read with Dad before having some quiet time.

Meanwhile Aron, Chloe, and Christian (the ones who said showers were unnecessary) set up "Firefly," which is a ginormous board game with endless ways to win depending on which "story card" is selected in the beginning. 

It was only slightly complex. 

We started the game at 4:00 and took a break at 7:00 to eat dinner. 

As I was walking to the kitchen, someone with the initials Christian accidentally tried to run trot quickly around me and knocked the glass I was holding out of my hand. It shattered, going everywhere and I could do nothing but laugh. 

Aron, Christian, and I worked together to sweep, vacuum, and wipe up all the tiny pieces. 

Over dinner, we decided to cut short our game in favor of also squeezing in a movie before 10:00. Because of how we adjusted, Aron won, but I was definitely a very close third. 

Dad and the littles watched some Star Wars until the littles' bedtime. The rest of us got hot chocolate, ice cream, and settled down to watch "The Adjustment Bureau." I actually followed it way better than I expected to! It was really good. 

I've Been Pondering...

I find this picture incredibly precious. 

I know, I'm slightly biased, as this is my aunt and uncle

 introducing my little cousin to his new brother, 

but it goes beyond simply the capturing of a sweet moment.

• Sweet Rowan has been handed a large bundle. He is unsure what to think, and it's clearly too large for him to handle on his own. The responsibility of supporting his baby brother is beyond his two year old abilities. 

  
  

  But whose hands are really holding baby Eli? And whose arms are around Rowan? 

  
  

  Their father's. 

  
  

  Uncle JC knows that the burden he is placing in his son's lap is far too heavy for him to accept. So it is his hands that he uses to hold up both Rowan and Eli. 

  
  

  Often times God will give us burdens we are unable to carry alone. But our good good Father does not leave us to struggle in confusion, defeated by the weight of something beyond us. He lifts us up in His arms and He places His hands under that burden and He carries both. 

  
  

  God never ever gives us something that He can not carry us through. Maybe it will seem like we are alone sometimes and His arms are not there supporting us, but they are. 

  
  

  Trusting, even when we don't see the big picture, is not easy, but it is simple.

That Moment When...

You almost fall on the stairs while carrying a baby. Heart attack moment. 

You wear shorts all day in February. 

You give up and decide it's Spring. 

You want the smallest brownie at church and so start getting one of the middle ones and then realize you are using your used fork to serve it. 

You realize you were actually holding your fork in your other hand.

The Herd: Quoted 

"Did I say something funny yesterday?" -Me

"We are stuck in traffic in Denton. We are not pulled over somewhere making out." -Mom via text Wednesday night.

"I didn't know baby Sofia would be so fussy. I don't like it." -Mia 

 

"This does not make me want to have another baby. I remember this very well." -Mom 

"I had no idea we would be out so long." -Dad, making a classic UGS comment.

"I think I'm growing a beard." -Gabe 

 

"Just close your eyes." -Gabe 

"Yeah, because that's why we have eyelids." -Mia 

 

"Are you going to eat?" -Dad 

"I could live without something, but then I'd be super hungry tomorrow..." -Gabe 

"I didn't have a crush on him, guys, I just liked him. I've never had a crush. Well..." -Mia 

"I feel like a drowned rat." -Gabe leaving the park.