A Temptation Too Great...

This past week, we had some beautiful weather. It sure seems like a waste to just stay inside. So I got rather ambitious and loaded all six kids up in our van and headed on over to the park. It was my first adventure with all six of those cute little people...well, some of them are not so little anymore but taller than me.

The thing about kids is that they come with stuff like one wanted his scooter, one needed a stroller, one wanted her precious animals (the stuffed kind), and this goes on and on depending on the particular moment and the particular child. Let's not forget the diaper bag, the camera, drinks because you just need a drink when you are at the park. By the time, you load everyone up and all this stuff, you feel like you need a trailer to hitch onto the back of the car. It really truly is an adventure just getting to the car.

So we get to the park and everyone bolts out of the car much to my frazzlement (yes, I know that is not a word...it is one in my own personal dictionary though). Trying to keep them all together and not let them run around in the parking lot or disappear into the park before I know where they were was my first encounter at the park that day. Actually, at that point, I truly had had enough fun for the day and we could have just packed the van back up and headed home. I would have been satisfied that we did something...together.However, that would have caused much distress to some of my kids since they had their little hearts set on exploring the world at the park.

So my next brilliant idea was to go check out the fountain at the back of this park before we got settled by the slide. We've been here once before but I never got past the playground. I heard the fountain area was very nice and wanted to see it for myself.

Let me tell you...I should have known that whether it be a mud puddle or a beautiful fountain filled with water..it calls to my children. It doesn't matter that the sign says 'stay out of the fountain'. The temptation is just to great and before I knew what hit me...I had three kids playing in the water drenching themselves from head to toe. Do you think that in all the stuff I brought, that there was anything to dry off with. Of course not!

All and all they had fun splashing around in the water and Ryan was pleased as punch that the 'park people' didn't yell at him to get out. Perhaps, I looked like a frazzled mother and they felt sympathy for me or perhaps, they saw all the kids who were also as tempted as mine on such a warm day and decided not to say anything. I personally probably should have made them get out but they were having so much fun and I was glad for something to entertain them besides me. I do think that making a park and placing the fountain so close to the playground where the temptation is greater than the strength children possess is just too much to resist. I mean, really, who planned that one???


Needless to say, we never made it to the slide or the swings. The younger ones now refer to that park as the 'water park' and cannot wait to go back. Should I send a note to the 'park people' to drain the fountain before we come or should we just let it be is the question of the day. I think Liliana had the right idea. It was a great day to take a nap! If only she knew what fun she missed...

Welcome Home!

Our third birthday celebration for May is the birth of our newest child, Liliana Hope Marie. She is perfect right down to her toes.

I am so thankful to God for the last nine months. In all that we were dealing with surrounding Bob, God gave me the strength to not only have a very healthy pregnancy but also to help Bob through his health struggles. I won't lie, it was tough. It's hard on a normal level to be point person for someone who needs help with their care, for five children and to be pregnant on top of it. I felt God's precious grace the whole time.

I ended up having to be induced. Not something I was overly thrilled about but I have never carried a baby past my due date. This was a first for me as I am usually 7-14 days early (which I was counting on). God answered many prayers for this little one and for myself:

At 37 weeks, we found out she was breech. Surprise! So a C-Section was scheduled. We had many people praying especially all those lovely ladies at 5 points church. Bob had laid his hand on my stomach and prayed over me the night we found out she was breech. Two days later, we went in to another ultrasound and she had totally flipped around and got herself in the right position. The doctor was so amazed. He said he just doesn't see that very often. I will never forget the look on his face when we gave him the news. He called the hospital to get confirmation of the ultrasound and then, canceled that c-section. We know that was God!

I was very concerned with how I was going to get to the hospital should I go into labor. Who is safer to drive? A woman in labor or a man who is on narcotics for pain? God worked that out even though being induced wasn't what I wanted. At least, we were both at the hospital before either of those concerns where an issue.

While in labor, she was posterior but by the time she was ready to be born, she, again flipped around and came out just the way she was suppose to. Again...God worked that out.

And finally, one of the concerns I had that gave me great anxiety was Bob. I prayed and prayed over the last few months for him. I worried about how he was going to get through labor and delivery as I know he has very little time between pain medications that provide any amount of relief. I worried that he was going to be curled up in the fetal position in the corner while I was giving birth to our daughter. I even worried that he wouldn't be able to be there. But God provided a miracle. He overdosed Bob on HIS grace allowing the pain meds to work longer and allowing him to be there for us. It was a true testament to the power of prayer and God's sufficient provision. God is amazing and I thank him over and over again when I think on the events of that day. Not only did God give me the gift of my husband but he also blessed me with another amazing little child.

Welcome to our family, sweet little one...

15

Our second birthday celebration in May is for our oldest. He is now 15. I have to keep reminding myself just how old he is because I just can't believe that that much time has gone by since I had my first child. If only you could slow time down just a bit....

Unfortunately, birthdays, holidays, special days all come whether you are financially ready to celebrate them or not. I am afraid this birthday was a bit of a disappointment as he had big plans for how he wanted to celebrate. He decided that his birthday is on hold for now until we can get to where he wants to be in order to do what he had planned. I am hoping he isn't still waiting when he's 35.

I think it's harder to come to terms with life situations as older children. The younger ones are somewhat oblivious to their parents financial struggles and are more easily pleased with the little things that we can do for them. It is a tough place to be in as a parent because I am completely disappointed myself in what I couldn't do for him. My heart breaks every time a situation comes up like this and I have to tell them I just can't meet their wishes.

On the flip side of that, it is a good life lesson. Life doesn't always go as planned and sometimes we have to adjust and come to terms with that. I'm still learning that myself. It's not a lesson I like to learn. I want to be able to do what I want and it's difficult to not be able to. We have to be very careful that we don't let these disappointments fester inside us and turn into bitterness and hatred, growing our hearts cold.

I know that birthday presents and going out to eat are all superficial things. These things are not what we live for. However, I think it's alight with God to enjoy those things as long as we don't make them our central focus.

The one thing that we are rich in is the love we have for each other. I know to a 15 year old, that isn't what you are concentrating on and it's hard to keep everything in proper perspective. But...it's the truth. Love is what we have to share....the love of Christ in us and the love we have for one another. I hope and pray that someday my kids will all look back on this time and see that shining brighter than all the pain and struggles we endured....that and the giant chocolate chip cookie we had instead of a cake.

Turning 4

May is a busy month for us. We now have 3 birthday's to celebrate. The first one being our Kara, who is now the big '4'. On the day of her birthday, Bob asked her if she felt any older and she told him she felt like she was 11. Should I be worried??

We asked Miss Kara what kind of cake she wanted and her choice for this year was pink cupcakes with pink frosting. That was fairly simple or so I thought. Have you ever had a 4 year old 'helping' you? The pink cupcakes were a hit with her. However, the next day she asked me when her birthday was. So we talked about how she had cupcakes the day before. She looked at me with a puzzled look and informed me that was not her birthday because we didn't have a round cake. Either she was trying to get a second birthday out of the deal or she really thought she should have a round cake and pink cupcakes. Maybe next year I'll get with it.

One of her prized gifts was a Cinderella polly pocket. It came with Prince Charming, a carriage and a pony. I had thought this was a great gift for her considering the fact that she was asking for a pony for her birthday. Earlier this year, she had been asking for a dragon and a puppy until her brothers informed her that dragons are fire breathing creatures. She decided she didn't want the puppy burnt up so she changed her birthday wish to a puppy and a pony.

She was a bit disappointed in the polly pocket set because the carriage would only hold Cinderella. She asked me why they didn't make it so both her 'guys' could fit. I was wondering that myself. Perhaps, we should send a suggestion to Mattel.

Unfortunately, Cinderella didn't last too long. Her 'boys' (brothers) got to playing too rough with her new present and popped the head off of poor Cinderella upsetting one new four year old. The hilarious thing was that she decided to play with the headless Cinderella until her mama could get to the store to get her a new one. So we have this headless polly pocket toy in our possession which I don't dare throw out until I can get a replacement. We talk about how this is going to get rectified daily. She never forgets and is always willing to remind me....just in case, I forget.