O<p>Life is absolutely amazing but at the same time totally crazy. I love having three girls but since Caroline has been born, we have had nonstop storms. Nothing big, thank God!!!!!! At three weeks, we all got sick. The house was a whirlwind. At 7 weeks, Caroline caught her sisters virus and got a fever, sending her to the er with mommy. She got poked and prodded (I wanted to punch the nurse, she was so upset!), for them to tell me, it is just a virus. If you have ever seen just how tiny a 7 week olds veins are, just imagine how difficult getting an iv in is. It was extremely upsetting to watch and more upsetting for Caroline. Ugh!!! Then all got colds about two weeks later! Eleanor got an ear infection and had to use a nebulizer to help with breathing! Just as everyone was getting better, we got some sad family news. And then, two days later, tom rushed to the ER to have an emergency appendectomy (by far the biggest scare we had!). No picking up the kids for 4 weeks! Eeek! Poor guy is finally feeling better. We did our best to take care of him!!!! I thought we were done but that same day Caroline was diagnosed with rsv, a virus that can be very dangerous in infants. And now, a few weeks later, everyone has colds again. Elle was up all night so we went to the doc and she has a double ear infection. What is my point to all of this? We are in the middle of a storm, and I really feel like there are so many blessings to come from this!!!!!!! For one, I learned how to take all three girls places myself! I look like a madwoman, but now I have the confidence to do it! We have all gotten plenty of cuddly movie time, which is also so nice. I have needed help, so we have found a few good babysitters that are so needed. Eleanor has learned to walk everywhere and lillian helps when we are all out by holding eleanors hand and my hand!!!!! Our pastor and his wife are going to meet with us to help teach us to be good spiritual leaders to the girls! We have had so much sun our outdoor play has been incredible. I learned to cook enough one night to last the next night or two. I have had a friendship really blossom, and received much needed support from her! I buckled down with sleep training with lil, I had to!, and she is doing great with it. We have had more dance parties together in the last few weeks than I can count, more pizza and movie nights, more staying home and playing and less running around. We got our first smiles and giggles from sweet Caroline. Would any of these things happened if it hadn't stormed? I think not. Does God always have a plan and purpose? Of course. While we are in the middle of a storm it is incredibly hard to see the clearing in the sky. It is always there though, especially if you have faith. I learned how to really pray these last few weeks. Sometimes ridiculous prayers (please God, let lillian go back to sleep! It is 2am!), sometimes prayers of desperation, but also prayers of thanks. I also had numerous prayers answered, more than I can count. The point of this entry is to remember that God cares about you and what you're going through. You're never alone in a storm, in fact you're never alone period. It I'd also so humbling and so sad to think about how the things we went through really were little things. I pray for really sick babies and kids, little ones who have become angels all too soon, wives who are alone in raising their families while their husbands are fighting for our country, or wives who are alone because they have lost their husband. I'm so thankful for the craziness we have had because it has made me stronger as a mom and wife. It makes me realize how precious each second is, and I'm trying to be better about appreciating each moment, holding toms hand a little tighter.and snuggling the girls a little more. My girls became stronger in their relationship with each other and more confident in their independence. Most importantly, my relationship with God even stronger. I wouldn't want to go through this storm again, but I do know more storms will come. I'm not afraid though, knowing God is by my side. Thank you God for these storms, to help me appreciate the calm, and to have even more faith in your love.
"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4-17
'Be strong and of good courage. Do not fear or be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, he is the one who goes with you.He will never leave you nor forsake you" deuteronomy 31:6
