Ahh, the rollercoaster of Motherhood. Last weeks high is this weeks hiccup. We are still doing well but not near as together as last week, and of course by we, I mean ME. Hannah has had tummy issues and ran a fever one day and is still having teeth coming in like it is her life's job, so that means she wants Mommy to be holding her or nursing her constantly. Really puts a cramp in my "get 'er done" attitude. But hold her I do because she won't want or need that much longer. I try to remember that when I am frustrated with the poor attempt at schooling and the nasty, filthy floors and laundry that never did get put away and toilets....oh the toilets. When I hit these times now, instead of just throwing in the towel and calling the day a bust, which used to be my MO....at times I'd call a day a bust at 9 am, lol... now I pile us up on the couch and read books together or gather us on and around a kitchen counter to make something, ANYTHING and make myself no matter how tired sit down and do my devotional. This might surprise you all (or not since I'm sure 99% of you aren't as hard headed as I) but those days end up much better than they began. I look back with Robert after the kids are in bed, and the dishes are done of course, and can actually say that something got done.

So my superwoman cape isn't back from the cleaners yet, but that's ok. I'm focusing on growing Godly children and feeding us all as nutritious as possible, after all our lives are gifts from the Lord, shouldn't we fill them as such. (and no no, you are completely wrong if you think this recent healthy refocus has anything to do with the nasty taste still left in my mouth from our recent McD's trip...completely off base!)

We are of course praying for Haiti too. We haven't introduced the topic to our children. How do you really, to a 5, 3, and 1 year old? How do you tell them that there are children just like them starving to death lieing next to their dead mothers? I just don't know what to tell them without scarring them. They know about Haiti since some of our friends brought their boys home from their last May. How do I tell mine that the orphanage that Justin and Peterson lived in, and we looked at pictures of often is now unsafe and maybe after this morning not even standing. So Robert and I save those prayers for our time, not our children's. Sadly, this won't be the last time in our babies lives that they will see this kind of destruction, so we wait until their little hearts can handle it.

We are rejoicing today at the hope that the Lord has brought us thru the Republican win in Mass. We do continue to pray though for God to stop our nation from the innocent slaughter of children. Shame on everyone of us for not doing more!

Ok, this post has taken an sad turn and I can't leave it here, especially since I have some fun kid updates that I didn't get posted last week. So here they are...
Hannah- Has hit a developmental SPURT in addition to her fussiness. She is also talking much clearer and repeating everything she hears. Yesterday she went on and on about her hummus and crackers. The girl might just bankrupt us with her hummus habit! (Note to self, must get homemade hummus going quickly!) She can point to most parts of her body when we ask her. She likes this game particularly when getting her diaper changed. She is walking full time now too. If you don't believe me, check out the video I put up on FB. She's 16 months old now and like all three, I am becoming weary of her babyhood, but unlike the others, I know that a BIG corner gets turned at 18 months and so I'm ok.
Leah- Is struggling with middle child syndrome right now. Joshua gets lots of attention because of school, Hannah because she's still nursing and Leah is feeling left out. She's taken to lieing or trying too. She's still a helper though. I think she has to help, it is in her genetic make up to clean and pick up and coddle her siblings!
Joshua- Has had a big ole growth spurt lately. Right now he is LONG and lanky. I know that means to stock on groceries because he'll start chubbing up for his next spurt soon. He already eats twice the breakfast I do. He's doing really well with his school. He loves all of it. His handwriting is improving TREMENDOUSLY and I think he finally has conquered the "b"/"d" confusion....just in time to confuse a 9 with a P. He'd doing so well!