THIS CRAZY FALL: HIGHS & LOWS

I'm sitting here letting the girls watch cartoons and letting the babies nap longer than they should after a broken up afternoon.  That's just the kind of life it feels like it is right now.  I'm trying to catch my breath, and it seems there is not enough oxygen.  So much of it is all good stuff, so I quite realize that I cannot complain, but I do have to just acknowledge that I am tired and thankful that the pace of our current life is just a season.  Here are some of the highs and lows of lately.

High:  The girls have decided that every time we come out of the babies' therapy session, they want their picture taken by these large crayons.  I happily oblige all smiley picture taking.

High:  Having my mom and Wes here a couple of weekends ago for all of Bella's birthday stuff.  Here are the girls wearing the dresses that Mom sewed for them - I love them.  (The dresses and the people more.) (Violet was obviously thrilled about taking this picture.)

Mom did all of my laundry and put it away.  I haven't done it since, and my laundry room is in desperate straits.  That would be a low.  Come back, Mom.

Low:  In the past two weeks, this lovely child has started playing in her poopy diapers in her bed.  I have come in to discover several poop crime scenes, with feces smeared everywhere.  So gross.  I've started sleeping her in footed pajamas to restrict her diaper access.  She is a busy girl.

High:  The twins are getting more fun all the time.  William LOVES to be flipped upside down, sideways, backwards, forwards - whatever.  He keeps coming back for more.



Low:  Sometimes parenting the newest four-year-old child in our home feels like emotional warfare.  This was one of those moments.



High:  I've done a lot of cookies lately and have gotten to do lots of fun themes.  Usually when someone books with me, they tell me to do whatever I want to do to match their theme.  I love the freedom and possibilities that come with that.



(I really liked the cookie cutter window in one of my favorite local stores - Vanness.)

High:  Our church has taken on the ginormous task of packing 5,000 boxes of essentials to go to Nepal and accompany the gospel message.  Our D-Group has helped with a lot of the prep work, and we got to work together and pack several hundred boxes.  I love working with friends.

(These are boxes of t-shirts that we took home to fold and our children loved playing on the boxes.)

High:  Weekend time with our big girl.  These sisters love "t'each other."  That's the way they say it, and it cracks me up.

High:  We went to a really fun birthday party at the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday where it felt like I ran into half the people I know from West Little Rock.  The kids had a great time.

They loved eating treats/second breakfast and singing to the birthday boy.




They loved going to the field to pick pumpkins with friends.



We all enjoyed the hayride.



They really loved the corn pit - especially William.

Low:  William kept eating the corn which then had to be removed from his mouth.  He was not happy about this.  At all.  Not a bit.



High:  We got another restaurant.  Still amazed about this one.

Low:  As Lily continues to point out to us - "Having two restaurants is a lot of work."  There is a lot that goes into a transition, and we are swimming in the thick of it right now - especially John.  We've gotta buckle in, because this holiday season will certainly be full.

That's us - there is so much good, and I'm so thankful.  It's now much later in the evening, and the laundry is all folded - much in part to John's gracious help.  Maybe I'll be able to put it all away tomorrow and reclaim the laundry room.  We can only hope.