Help.

{Okay, just a warning. I’m pretty sappy and probably a bit hormonal right now so lots of personal ramblings lately and ‘thoughts’. Hope that is okay. If not, just ignore this post and move on!}

A lot of people keep asking me if I am going to hire help when the new baby comes … how am I going to handle ‘it all’, etc or if this is ‘my last’?

And maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I’m living in a slightly-dreamy fairy world, but I think everything will be fine. We’ve been working so hard on homeschooling that we’re almost done and will be over the majority of it by the time the baby comes … and then it’ll be summer … and the girls and I will be spending a LOT of down time together … and THAT, that, I can handle.

Yes, there will be things that will be busier than normal.

The laundry. No fun.
The floors. So annoyingly dirty with all those bare feet.
The dinners that need planning. And cleaning up afterwards. {Why DO I make rice?! Someone slap me!!}
The outings that will have to be more routinely planned. {And praying we get our a/c fixed on the suburban before the heat comes!}

… but really, this is what I signed up for and this is what I feel so blessed to have! If we look at our tasks of being a mom, washing floors, doing laundry, grocery shopping (Oh, it sounds so glorious, doesn’t it?!) as annoying-to-dos, our attitude will reflect that. I’m not saying I will have joy in every single moment of every single day … I will get tired… I will be exhausted and I will probably want to die around the third month of sleepless nights (Is that not the hardest part? Off the babymoon, and into to the depths of exhaustion?!) … but …it will be fine. 🙂

Today, after coming home from a long dance practice with the girls, I was feeling very tired, had to make dinner for the girls before they left from their Awana club, had to clean up, find the backpacks etc. and I looked into the other room and saw Lacey, in all our eight year old maturity, sitting, rocking Lovelyn (who had missed her nap because we were at the dance practice and was very tired and crabby when we arrived home) and stroking her hair ever so gently, slowly putting her to sleep.

It was so precious. So precious.

It made my heart go pitter-patter.

I hadn’t asked Lacey to help with Lovelyn and we all know little 18 month olds are not exactly the happiest right before dinner (aka. the witching hour). It just completely blessed me to see Lacey step up to the situation and care for Lovelyn in such a motherly way.

It doesn’t matter that my laundry is still on the line (to be fair, it’s the fourth load today!) and that it’s supposed to rain tomorrow (yes, I plan on getting it off the line – eventually). I am grateful.

“Motherhood is a calling, a privilege, and a gift.

It is our legacy. It is what we embrace and pour ourselves into.
It is not burdensome.
It is not an onerous list of unending tasks to complete. It is not some half-hearted thing we do on the side of other things.
Motherhood is a most powerful and significant calling.
We have the opportunity to be in a loving relationship with a precious one-of-a- kind creation from the very hand of God Himself.
We are granted guardianship, friendship and mentorship with an eternal soul whom we have the joy of sharing all of life with.
It is the most amazing thing! What could be a better use of our time? How can it ever be thought of as less than what it truly is?
To be in relationship with our children and grandchildren throughout our lives with the ability to love and minister to them is absolutely the best of all opportunities.”

-Above Rubies