Raindrops

I began a Bible study on Wednesday. During introductions we had to pick a statement that best represented our life right now. The choices were:

• Raindrops keep falling on my head
• It's the best of times, the worst of times
• Try, try, try again
• O what a beautiful morning, o what a beautiful day

I picked the raindrops phrase. Well, actually, that morning I said it was a combo of the first three.

But, as I've pondered it longer, I think the raindrops line is most accurate.

Sometimes raindrops are much needed on parched land. (We know this well here in Texas after a scorching summer!) Raindrops provide water to sustain and grow vegetation and keep people alive. In my life there are times when God gives me small bits of life-giving truth that sustain me. Not a torrential flood, but little raindrops.

Sometimes raindrops are an annoyance. For someone with wavy hair who likes to wear it straight (not kinky!), little raindrops can ruin my hairstyle in minutes. It is especially annoying when you don't look good in hats, too. Sometimes, the raindrops that fall on me just annoy the heck out of me. They usually reveal my incredible selfish nature, vanity, and need for a Savior.

Sometimes raindrops are devastating. Just ask my friends in central Pennsylvania who are enduring awful flooding right now. The raindrops keep falling and falling and falling and.... I kinda feel like there are seasons where this has been true for me. My kids have been battling being sick for two weeks now. While it's nothing compared to my friends who have battled cancer or had chronic illnesses, two weeks with sickness going through four children with days of health and wellness sprinkled in between--it feel like the rain stops, then drops come again.

So, raindrops keep falling on my head.

I welcome them all because as I look to the Lord through it all, He teaches me, grows me, and is (hopefully) refining me to more effectively and thoroughly reflect Himself.

Cutest Boys Around

[cheeks -- his new name;
to fully appreciate the shot, click on it]

Well, that fever just couldn't leave well enough alone. It had to go and land on Asa!
He started running a low fever last night after dinner. It never went up very high, but it was high enough to keep him home with Mama and Jett today.
The first thing he said was, "I'm going to watch tv all day like the girls did!"

That didn't really happen.
Instead, the guys on top of our house were being so loud replacing our roof, he couldn't hear the tv.

So, he did some math with magnets, drew pictures, ran an errand with me, watched the guys working outside, expressed great concern that the men wouldn't clean up the mess they were making, played with Jett, and put together a U.S. map of magnets.
He thought it was hilarious that the men working on our roof took a break and sat at our kids' picnic table.For some reason, I thought it was a little funny to see them all sitting in our backyard too.And, what did this other little guy do with all the incredible banging?
He settled himself right down to take two naps, like every other day, thank you very much!
My goodness he is just as cute as can be! We all love him to pieces.

The Last Two Weeks

School started. The first week went well. Then, Saturday the girls both started running a fever. It went pretty high--up to 105 for Jenna. We tried to keep them comfortable but let the heat run its course.

We stayed close to home Sunday and Monday. Then, Tuesday the fevers were down to 100 and I needed to run some errands. It was a lot of driving so I figured the girls would be fine to ride. As we were getting ready to grab some lunch both girls complained that their throats were hurting.

I ended up calling the pediatrician, getting a 4pm appointment, and taking the girls in. They both had strep. yippee!

They stayed home one more day (making it three missed days of school), then they headed back to try and catch up.It was a long week. Being inside does that to me. Some days I end up staying home. But, when you're "forced" to be home (with kids who are sick of being sick and have run out of movies to watch and have no energy to do much else except start arguing), it gets a little maddening.

[my daytime playmate]

[this is what he does twice a day for about 90 minutes each time while the big kids are at school. LOVE the crossed ankles!]

All was well by Friday and I decided to surprise the kids with a cream slush smoothie and a snack after school when I picked them up. I also threw their swimsuits in the car and planned to let them play in the water fountains nearby. The fountains were down for repair and cleaning so we ended up swimming with friends in their pool. They were excited and had a good time.

Then, Jett started running a fever on Friday night. Argh! Thankfully, it was only mild and he still nursed and napped and then it was gone by Saturday night.

Last night, Joel decided to take our pergola down.

What's a pergola?

It was this...
Now, it's this...And, my kitchen now looks like this...
But, the weather outside is currently B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. So, blaring sunlight into my kitchen is totally okay with me.

We are getting a new roof tomorrow--thanks to hail damage in May. And, then, hopefully we'll get a new pergola in the next few months. Until then, we'll have a lovely screen hanging over our window so I can tolerate standing at my kitchen sink in the mornings.

So, there you go...you're all caught up![i LOVE this outfit. i got it for Asa when he was little because it says "Ace"--can you see it on the chest? today, when I put it on Jett, i realized it's fitting for him as well; it has jet planes!]