"We bend.
I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to pick up little ones and wipe away tears. I bend over a big pot of stew and I bend to fold endless laundry and I bend over math books and spelling sentences and history quiz corrections. And at the end of these days I bend next to the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower.
Because I serve a Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face.
He lived, only to die.
Could I?
Die to self and just break open for love.
This Savior, His one purpose to spend Himself on behalf of messy us. Will I spend myself on behalf of those in front of me?
And people say, “Don’t you get tired?” and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness of Joy.
Praying for you as you bend today for whoever is in front of you. He will meet you there."
-auntie katie from THE JOURNEY

thank you, Jesus for constantly reminding me that i'm here to serve. that this is not too much or too hard or not 'not what i had planned' but this is living abundantly. this is my Father's work. this is serving and loving HIM.
if only i could learn to remember that all on my own without always having to be reminded!

i am feeling a little overwhelmed with all that is going on.
i need to do better at resting in Jesus and remembering that He is in control.

tomorrow i have some girls coming to help me deep clean. PRAISE JESUS. i don't think i would make it without that boost. i have been cleaning and organizing closets and re-moving boxes and trying to get things looking nice around here for the home-study visit on wednesday.
and because we are going to start showing this house very soon.

tomorrow is also tekoa's pre-school screening to see if she can get into pre-school in the new school district for the fall.

with all these thoughts running through my head plus vbs at my church starting this week and getting songs for and hearing everybody's opinions of the praise singing before church and running the nursery at church this month and dave's brother getting married in kansas in a week and a half and the parade of homes coming up and flooring and light fixtures to quickly pick out i am feeling pretty maxed out- and a bit scatter brained.

and it is showing. embarrassingly enough.

last sunday after the praise singing i helped dave get the 2 little ones upstairs for the service and then went to tekoa's classroom to teach sunday school for that day. i got the lesson ready and greeted all the children and as they were starting to settle in a friend came to the door carrying a crying tekoa.

i had forgotten all about her.

i was in HER classroom getting HER lesson ready and greeting HER friends and did not even realize that she was not there.

and then yesterday we went to a birthday party at my grandma's house, and when it was time to go we loaded up the kids and started pulling away without shaeya. they had to flag us down.

that happens, right??

and then the worst was today. i took the kids to the pool, and when we got there i told them not to get in the water until i put their sunscreen on.

i was holding neiko as we walked in and i saw an old friend so i stepped about 10 feet away from the kids to say "hi." and wren decided to jump in the water anyway- without her floaties on. there were 2 girls in the pool that saved her.

that happens too, right??

it's just a good thing they belong more to God than to me.

and i'm really hoping that things slow down a bit after this month.

(but my husband would tell you that i ALWAYS say that, and it NEVER happens :)

here is a picture of a mother's day gift gone bad-



it hung like that for quite awhile before i finally took it down and threw it away. (it used to say "faith" :)

sometimes you just have to take a picture of them sweetly sleeping.....



shaeya and wren's birthday party (1 of 2)



neiko loves the swing at the lake



really loves it....



and sometime he just needs a little peace and quiet. hard to come by around here....



the good thing is that all those concerns about neiko not being like my kids were as babies are slowly fading. he is becoming more affectionate and social and just fitting in more and more.
it is amazing to watch.

he was really trying hard to walk for awhile but now he is slowing down a bit
(but only when it comes to walking!)



tonight he said, "go."
it was really cute. i was telling the kids we needed to go and he said "go" plain as day.
and he waves "bye-bye" now too. genius :)

say a prayer for us on wednesday if you think of it!