A Big Mess

A painted Sadie


Elisa, covered from head to toe with red and blue fingerpaint



Our posters! Come to the Harvest Festival!

Somehow this fall I have found myself on the committee to organize our church's Harvest Carnival. There are four women on the committee -- four women and seven children ages 2 and under. This morning we were supposed to meet at my friend Becca's home to paint signs. Her water went out, so met at our house instead. We spread butcher paper on the sunroom floor and started off by allowing James and Elisa (the two oldest) to finger paint. Whoa! What a mess! After we got the kids cleaned up, we started in on our projects - but how to keep the four one-year-olds, two two-year-olds, and a three-month-old happy in the process? Hayden kept trying to go up and down the tile stairs by herself, Ellie howled from the family room and tried to stuff food in her twin sister's mouth, and Sadie covered herself in orange and green when I leaped up to rescue Hayden from a crash. Little Eislie finally gave into a nap and slept through the cacophony. Meanwhile, James and Elisa were upstairs, playing in Elisa's room. All was quiet. When I checked on them I discovered why. They had emptied her bookshelf onto the floor, emptied her clothes from the dresser into a mound on the floor of the closet, shifted knick-knacks, stripped her bed, dumped out a basket of stuffed animals, and ransacked the guest room.

I had cleaned house earlier in preparation for Bible Study tonight - thinking we would be at Becca's. Oops! Out came the vacuum, the windex for the glass sunroom doors, the tile cleaner for a potty defiled by potty-trainers.... It was a fun morning. I love being with these ladies, even though our times together are definitely chaotic as we try to be productive while keeping track of so many energetic little ones. Our beautiful blessing babies certainly keep us busy! :)

As we served our church body in a sort of unconventional way today, we were mindful of the fact that two faithful church members passed away yesterday, both victims of cancer. Another long-time church member is currently at home with hospice care, expected to go home to Jesus soon. A good friend of Erik's parents (a young woman our age) just lost her dad last Saturday to a sudden heart attack. There is so much grief in the world. I think my own heartache this last year has made me so much more aware of the hurting of others... We are not alone in sorrow.

Today was also Sadie's 11-month birthday. What a big girl! She is sweeter every day. I love her snuggles and the way she laughs and the coy grin she gives as she cocks her round little head. She has about 1 1/2 teeth. It is adorable. Her life and Elisa's bring such hope to my heart, every day.