We're Back.

So, it's August ... wait no, it's September.  Good grief this year has flown!  Either way we have entered the last quarter of the year, and sadly this is my first post of 2013.  In my defense, my laptop croaked in March and I have been without one until yesterday ... that's like six months.  As far as where I was the second half of last December and January & February ... well, I have no valid excuse for that.  But all of that is behind us now, and we are up, running, and back in business.

I've had the blogger's itch for months -- wanting to write, but having no access to do such.  When I logged in to see where I had left off,  I was pleasantly surprised to see that I've actually received traffic over the last few months despite my absence. Oddly enough, I seem to be blowing up in Russia.  Of all the places across the globe, I never dreamed I'd be getting significant hits in the land of a frozen tundra. But I'll take it.  Hello, Russia!



There is a lot to catch up on, but doing it all in one post will most likely exhaust you, and give me carpal tunnel.  So, I'll just catch up on the biggest news that has happened since the last post, and all the other news can unfold in posts to come. 

I am a stay at home mom.  I quit my job in December, and my last official day of employment was January 4 of this year.  So it's official ... I am a tried and true, real live, completely exhausted, but extremely happy stay at home mom.  It's fantastic!  A little terrifying at first, but it's amazing the doors that the good Lord will open when we just let go, and let Him do His thing.  And of course, putting in some effort on your end, and praying like there's no tomorrow.  And leaning on friends ... and family.  And crying.  And praying some more.  And crying some more.  And when you're freaking out and wondering what the heck you were thinking by quitting your job, your friends with life experience and life perspective will gently (okay, sometimes firmly) bring you back to reality.  And then crying a little bit more.  And praying more than you're crying.  And then, before you can dry your tears, He has worked everything out better than your brain ever could have imagined. His plans are always better than ours ...  always.

The kicker is, in order to make our financial ends meet, I am nannying children in our home.  Keep in mind, home means apartment -- not house with a back yard where kids can run and burn off energy.  Nope, an 1,100sqft apartment on the second floor with a small screened in porch, that's better equipped for house plants than people.  As of now, besides my own girls, I only have one full time baby I watch, and one part time little boy.  Since last November, I have cared for a total of  eight children -- not all at once.  However, when I first started, I had not just one, not just two, but three babies I was watching.  Yes, babies -- as in under a year old.  And three of them ... one, two, three.  Three babies under a year old.  Diapers ... diapers, everywhere.  Spit up.  Poop.  Baby food.  Screaming.  Bottles.  Toys.  Diaper rash ointment.  First time moms.  I should write a book ... or a blog -- there's a thought. 

By June I was caring for five children (at once), and at one point, for one day only, I had six.  Yes, six.  I'm not insane, I assure you.  Then again, maybe I am.  Surprisingly, on most days, things go pretty smoothly.  I have no time to myself.  Peeing is a luxury.  Peeing alone doesn't happen - ever.  On the plus side, there is almost always one child sleeping.  But for every one child that's asleep, there is another who's hungry, or needs their pants changed, or is screaming for some ungodly reason, or they need their sippy cup refilled, or they're putting something in their mouth that doesn't belong, or they're playing in the sink ... you get the idea.  

The most draining thing is that when all the other kids have gone home, I still don't get a break.  That's motherhood though, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Sometimes, the frustration does get to me though ... being at home all day, five days a week, without another adult to talk to can get lonely.  Continuously picking up the same toys multiple times a day seems pointless.  And don't get me started on the number of escapee cheerios I pick up on a daily basis.  Despite the chaos that is my day to day life, I feel extremely blessed.  Being at home with my girls, and having the luxury of experiencing all of little Em's first year has been a blessing.  I wasn't able to do that with G.  Also, being able to watch Miss G grow from a tot of two to a beautiful almost-four-year-old little girl is so rewarding. 

The other day, I heard a fellow stay at home mom talk about how "lucky" she is to be at home with her children.  She may feel "lucky", but I know my dream of being at home is not by luck.  I know, without a doubt, that God put me here.  He gave me my beautiful girls, and worked out every detail in order for me to quit my job so that I could be home to raise them.  Our family is blessed beyond belief.  God's goodness is infinite, and for that, we are eternally grateful.