blessed

Some of you know that recently we had some major upheavals in our life, but when I stop and look around my messy house I can't help but notice how blessed we are. Little shoes, little socks, loud toys that turn on by themselves in the middle of the night, running water in the bathroom with no one washing, crayon on the walls, jam on the couch, a yard filled with club houses, kiddie pools, and miniature sports equipment...........all the little things that mean children are present. We are so lucky to have five wonderful, healthy children. I've watched people that I love dearly, hope and pray for the chance to have just one child. I read about little Annabelle, who's not even in this world yet (her blog is listed off to the side), and my heart breaks for her and her parents. I have had the chance to work first hand with children who were born with life-altering conditions. We recently participated in March of Dimes March for Babies, and I honestly find it mind-boggling that we have been given five healthy children. FIVE. Wow. The other day a man in the grocery store asked if they were all mine. I get this question a LOT, so at this point I tend to just say yes, give a half smile, and continue on with my business. But before I could even look away, he stopped me and said "You are incredibly rich. You have wealth far beyond many others." It can be so easy to get caught up in what we don't have that we forget to look at what we do have. Tonight I spent the evening sitting in the new "club house" while Bella pretended to drive us to the zoo, climbed a rope ladder with Genna, slid down a slide with Isaac on my back, sat on the swings with Elijah in my lap, and cuddled up in bed with my sweet baby Nahshon. Times like these will not last forever, and I pray that God will keep me focused on these precious moments because in 50 years, this is the stuff that will matter.