We're here!

Well, this is it. My first post as a Knoxville resident. My heart still speeds up a bit at that thought! For the first time since I was 15, I don't live in the Nashville area. So crazy!

And though it isn't exactly far (right at 3 hours away), it's different here. The people, the culture, even the landscape. Its definitely not better or worse, its just all a little different. I'm equal parts missing my home town and falling in love with my new one.

I can't believe we've already been here for 15 days.

We had a great move! (Thanks to our two amazing real estate agents! We highly recommend Jenny Fann in Spring Hill and Troy Stavros in Knoxville!) :) As we were closing and making the drive to Knoxville, we were hearing that there might be some winter weather coming.

We spent one night here in a hotel and when we got up to close on the new house, we were greeted with a thin blanket of white! We bundled up the kids and headed to the title office, the electric company and then over to our new home to wait on the moving trucks. All the while the snow just kept falling.

We were pretty concerned that the road conditions would be too bad for our movers coming in from Nashville, but... the kids thought the snow was magical. And I have to admit--that hour (or however long it was) that we sat on sleeping bags in front of the fireplace... in our echoing, empty house... with our Jersey Mikes picnic... watching the snow fall outside... it was magical. A sweet kiss from the Lord.

The movers finally showed up and in classic Spencer fashion, our magical moment moved straight into high energy excitement and chaos. They obviously have to keep the doors open to move the furniture in, so the downstairs was every bit as chilly as it was outside--while the snow was still falling and really starting to accumulate! Those poor guys were freezing while unloading the trucks and had to inch their way down the truck ramp not to slip. And I spent the next several hours directing them through the house, drinking more coffee than is healthy just to stay warm, mopping up the steady stream of melted snow on my new hardwoods, stressing about my kids running in and out of the snow without any gloves or appropriate snow clothes, and blow-drying one of the kids' mattresses that had rainwater poured on the side of it from a leak in the truck door.

Micah took it upon himself to take pictures of our movers, but now I'm glad he did!

The kids met several neighbor kids outside in the snow, all close to their ages. I love how children can go from being compete strangers one minute to building trenches with sideways sleds and having street-wide snowball fights in no time. It took everything in me to overlook the fact that my kids were trembling cold and probably going to be sick (and they never were) because they were making friends and memories. Thank you Lord. For health and friends. ;)

Kate and Abby passed out after a long day of moving.
And bundled up because it was COLD!!

Since that day, I started working and haven't really stopped. The boxes are almost completely unpacked and a few things are even on the walls. Because our house will be sort of a home base for the church for a little while, it was important to me that it be welcoming and cozy, quickly. And I believe in my heart that if the kids love their rooms and feel good about them, it does their hearts good during this new phase.

We've had lots of visitors since we moved in. Both of the other families moving with us to start the church have had home inspections, so they've been through. (Minus Sarah and the girls! We missed you!) Along with some family and some practically-family. :)

And there's been no time wasted in making connections with families here and UT students. People have brought us dinner; we've had people over for dinner. We've even had a game night. Our family table has officially been christened here with friends and family sharing meals, laughter, cards and the loud singing of "somebody's going down". If you don't know what that is, you need to come play cards with us!

Last but certainly not least, the kids are all trying to settle into our new school routines. Micah and Abby are liking their new school and I had two great IEPs there. The other 4 are homeschooling and that's going ok. Probably best saved for another post. :)

Though its hard and feels strange not to share even more, I'm going to try and leave church updates to that blog. The church is so much a part of our lives, it's almost impossible to seperate. The Lord is doing so many amazing things and I could spend all my time telling those stories. But I'm saving those to be told to a broader audience than my humble blog. But please check out our sweet send-off from our home church here. And follow along there for updates. Its going to be so fun to watch what God does next.

As for me and my house, we're here and getting settled so we can serve the Lord!



"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9

Gray Patches

At first I thought it was the angle and reflection of the lighting in my bathroom.

Or hey, it's summer. We go to the pool all the time. Maybe it's just a little natural streaking from the sun. My girls all have that.

It could also be the white blonde of my childhood coming back.... 

No wait. It's the dry shampoo. Yep. That's it. Need to find a better brand that doesn't leave my hair white.

Then one night as we were having dinner, the kids and I were teasing Jake about how much gray is in his beard now. Then my loving husband turned the finger back around and pointed out ... I've got not only a gray hair, but a whole patch of gray.

What. In. The. World. I'm going gray.

I'm not a part of the selfie generation so excuse the poor quality. I feel I should get points for even telling you about it much less trying to capture it in a picture. But that, my friends, is a section of white strands.

I'm telling you what. If stress causes gray hair (because I'm certainly not old enough to start having gray *wink*), I know what caused mine. His name is Micah.

~~~

On the fourth of July our culdesac was packed. Kids of all ages on bikes and scooters. Some of the usual faces and some added friends and family visiting for the 4th. The air smelled like BBQ and the sky was faintly smokey from the nearby neighbors pre-testing fireworks. All the kids had on some sort of red, white or blue and were excited about the festivities to come.

Late in the afternoon I called all my kids in. I couldn't watch them anymore because I needed to make dinner so we brought the toys in, closed the garage door and they all crashed in the living room. At some point we heard the garage door open again. I looked up to see who it was and one of the kids said it was Emily getting something from the car. I didn't think much of it and went back to cooking.

A short while later came an aggressive knock at the door. I ran to open it and it was a neighbor from down the street... There to return my son.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to throw up or cry. My son with special needs was gone and I didn't even know it. I wanted to crawl in a hole. To shut down my blog, turn in my PTO membership, resign from the church women's board, close my FB account and hand in my proverbial mom card. All I could think was, I am a failure as a mother.

Micah isn't like just any child. He has Down Syndrome but what's more, he is nonverbal. He can make some sounds but he can't even say is own name. And when he's not in the midst of his structured routine, he gets-- distracted. Unfocused. That's the best I can describe it. But he's also extremely smart and understands everything he hears. A lot of kids who are "flight risks" have autism, but Micah doesn't. He's just very curious, headstrong and he can figure out how to get himself into a variety of messes, he just can't figure out how to get out of them. There's just no telling what would have happened if that neighbor hadn't recognized him.

The nightmarish "what ifs" and the never ending "if only I'd".... I won't even go through them now. I won't speak them out now because the path of "what ifs" only leads to self-condemnation, depression  and fear. That day is over now. God protected him. Thank you God for protecting him.

He hasn't wandered in years. He used to. But he hasn't even tried in a long long time. The best I can figure is that the friends in the culdesac cleared and he went to find them for more playtime. And since he can't ask me, he didn't.

So the very next day, I ordered this.

He used to have a metal ID bracelet (Abby still has hers) with his name and my number on it. But he broke the chain and I hadn't replaced it yet. (Another if only...) I found this one on FB and it has room for so much more information and it's more comfortable. Abby is still fine with her chain, so we'll keep it for now. But this will be what we order for her next.

Nothing will EVER replace the watchful eye we have to keep on Micah (or any of our kids for that matter, of course!) but in an emergency situation, I know he'll have the information he needs on his person. That bracelet is now a part of my son, 24/7.

~~~

The funny thing about my little patch of gray is that it's usually hidden. It's under my side swept bangs. I have to pull them back to see it. I'm not even intentionally hiding it, that's just where it is.

The funny thing about the stress on parents of children with special needs is that it's usually hidden. We're just making ourselves presentable, we don't even do it intentionally. "More alike than different" as the World Down Syndrome Motto goes, and it's true. But what's hidden underneath is the gray patch. The tell-tale sign of worry, stress, exhaustion over our children. 

And you know, we wouldn't have it any other way.

If I continue to strive and fight for my kids, they'll reach higher goals, live better lives. I'm never going to stop striving. If I am continually on my toes, I can better protect my children. Forbid that I ever let my guard down. We don't even have a choice. We will fight and protect. Its what we do. But all the fight, all the protecting, leaves us with a feathery, snow white patch of premature aging. Beautiful strands of wisdom for tomorrow. We've earned it, friends. Actually, I think I might start wearing my hair back more. 

~~~





If you or someone you know has a child that wanders, here are some resources I've found. Thankfully there's a lot out there now, but these are some that I have personally heard testimonials about. I hope this helps you narrow down your own search for a product that fits you and your child(ren). And if you have a product that helps your family, please feel free to share it in the comments below. Lastly, I encourage you to find a church group, other special needs parents from school or work, FB groups, whatever- to walk this parenting thing out with you. Don't keep hiding the gray and doing it alone.

1) Safe Baby
For my local friends. We knew from Day 1 with Micah that he was a wanderer so we had our friend Buck at Safe Baby come do "the works" to each of the houses we've lived in since he's been home. Child safety locks on the doors, baby gates, whatever was necessary to keep the kids in and safe.

2) Alert Me Bands Bracelet
This is what Micah has (photo above) and we plan to buy one for Abby next. Its low cost (abo $26), fits a ton of information, he can't get it off and it does have cute dinosaurs (a print I chose) but his wrist is so small, we had to tighten it too much for the print to show.

3) Make Me This Bracelet
I bought Micah and Abby each one of these. Its a metal ID bracelet with a design on the front and their information inside. Micah did break his but after a couple of years of wear. Abbys is still going strong, occasionally I check to make sure the inscription has't worn flat. For $9.95 you can't beat it.

4) If I Need Help QR Code in a variety of forms
This is a service that creates a personal data base and a QR code that can be purchased on a shoe tag, ID card, window cling, dog tags, you name it! In an emergency, anyone with a smart phone can scan the QR code and pull up any critical information that you would want them to have.

5) Amber Alert GPS Wearable GPS system
There are several child GPS systems but if we ever have the resources, I'd chose this one. The features take full advantage of modern technology for peace of mind for parents like us. 

A {{special needs}} mom

I shared this photo the other day on FB. As names of friends who "liked" this pic popped up... friends who have their own special kids... tears filled my eyes, thinking about each one of them and the strength they have. Some are close friends and some I know only through online groups. But we all know. We all get it. The things we go through that only other special needs moms and dads know about.

Good ol Rosie the Riveter

45 lb. 7 year olds throwing tantrums on the floor and needing to be carried to bed. Putting on your 9 year old's socks and shoes because he never gets the socks straight or the shoes on the right feet. Shedding silent tears because your 2nd grade daughter is telling you something about her school day and though you've asked her to repeat it several times, you still don't understand what she's saying and you're both frustrated. The knot in your stomach when a special education teacher emails to say they want to make an "IEP addendum".

But there's another thing we parents have in common. The indescribable high of the child you fight so hard for... accomplishing something new. Being a little more independent. Sure, other kids their age did it long ago. Your younger children did it long ago. But when you've sat for hours on the floor of a therapy room with a baby in leg braces, anything she accomplishes in life makes you want to jump up and cheer and then stop to ugly cry.

Micah and Abby ride the special ed. bus. Every morning at 8:05 we go out to our porch. They settle in to wait on the top step, adjusting the weight of their backpacks behind them. And I look up, 2 houses down and watch the group of kids and parents waiting at the bus stop together. Their bus comes first and I watch it load up and pull away as a few moms linger and talk.

Then our bus comes. It pulls into our culdesac, backing up a time or two to make it around the circle, stopping right at the driveway. Micah runs straight to the bus door while Abby and I walk the long way around on our sidewalk because she has an aversion to getting her shoes wet in the dewy grass. The size, noise and vibration of the bus are overwhelming to their senses, so it makes Micah extra hyper and it makes Abby extra scared. Because of her fear and low muscle tone, I help/push Abby up the steps onto the bus and tell Micah to settle down in his seat. The full size bus is nearly empty, its just the driver, an aid (sweet Mrs Joyce) and two other kids besides mine.

"I love you, have a good day!!"  I stand in the yard and wave at the two pieces of my heart on that bus. 

And then its gone.

And I hope that their aids will give me good updates in their communication log so I can know how their day goes.

But this year, I've made a goal of getting them to walk to the bus without me. Every day this school year, I've been trying to slowly stand back and encourage Micah and Abby to get on the bus themselves. First I only took them to the mail box. Then a few weeks (with a few days of exception, when Abby wouldn't have it) of just taking them as far as the yard.

Today I stayed on the porch...
they walked together...
got on the bus...
and it pulled away without any assistance from me.

Accomplishments for Micah and Abby mean a world of unspoken joy, pride and tears for Mom. And I go back in my house feeling like I am, in fact, Rosie the riveter.

Let's not lose sight.

I came across this little graphic on Pinterest not too long ago. Its so simple. 

The graphic is imperfect and messy. 

The message is inspiring and beautiful. 

I love it.

I made it the lock screen on my phone, just as a constant reminder. And because, lets be honest, my phone is one of the places I get distracted the most.

These words are direct. And they redirect me.

There is much to be done. Losing sight distracts us. And when we are distracted, we don't press on towards the goal.

There's much to be done at home. This house of eight is a machine. I wish I could say it was well oiled. But its got lots of moving parts, and many affect another, for better or for worse. As a homekeeper, its my job to make sure that it stays clean and organized. Which is a full time job alone. But it's also important that I make sure the children stay on top of their chores. That I teach the little ones to do new chores. That I wash all the laundry, fold all the laundry and put all the laundry away. That I pay the bills, plan the meals, make the grocery lists, file the coupons, buy the groceries, buy the birthday gifts, make the casseroles for friends and neighbors, fill out the school paperwork, filter the internet research for the science project, write the check for the school fundraiser, sign the folders for the kids, and pack the lunches for ones who need it. Organize the medical bills, stay on top of the insurance EOBs, schedule checkups at the doctor, dentist, and eye doctor for all 8 of us once a year. Pick up the shoes, kick the toys back into the playroom, find the remote, fill the sippy cups, change the diapers (though not for long!), cook the dinner, clean the dishes, book the babysitter, and write her the check when we get home. Whew! To name a few things. ;)

Home requires physical work, and that's my job. But if I lose sight of it, I'll drop the ball somewhere. All my days are scheduled with different tasks. If I get distracted, those tasks don't get done in time and our home suffers because of it. 

There's much to be done for my family. I am the only wife Jake has. I'm his confidant. I'm his helpmate. I'm his only lover. My heart and my mind need to be available for him. As in: not being spent and irritated and pulling out my hair at the end of the day, because its the only time he see's me. He needs me to trust him. As in: not be defensive in conversation, not nag him to do things, and not question his side of the story. He needs me to be respectful to him. And he loves me back by honoring me and providing for me. By being my confident, lover, and best friend. This relationship affects... everything. So its worth a weighty investment. Of focus.

*Before I keep going, a disclaimer: Parenting is a partnership in this house. But this post is about what happens if I personally lose focus. And while I am not solely responsible for the upbringing of our children, Jake entrusts me with these things while he's physically at work all day. This is from my perspective as a mother.*

The kids need me to train them up in the way of the Lord. The older girls need me to listen to their every story... excitedly. ;) They need me to dance with them in the kitchen as we all clean up from dinner, and cry with them when they're hurt by the words of friends and enemies. They're completely aware of their need for Christ at this age, and I'm their number one mentor. Their self image will be based largely on my own. I'm still cool and fun enough to be begged to go on field trips or braid their hair or join them in devotions... I pray I'm always cool enough, but it will take careful nurturing of our relationships now. Micah and Abby need me to be their advocate at school. They need me to make sure that their many needs, physical and emotional, are met. I have to be able to recognize stimming and watch for cues that they need a sensory break. I have to battle through the delay in verbal skills. And wipe away tears that I don't understand, while fighting back my own. The littler girls (aside from their basic needs which mostly depend on me) need me to get back the toy their sibling stole, read to them, kiss their boo boo's, sing to them at night, and teach them that there are no monsters because the God sets his angels charge over us. Its my job to calm the tantrum and determine the consequence. I have to teach them that Jesus loves them first and foremost, that Daddy is their hero and mine, and that I will always be their mommy.

If I get distracted or lose sight of any of these things, they don't get done. Which isn't an option. Because the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of my family are critically important. Lord help me to to never lose sight.

There is much to be done for the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ is coming soon. He will return in glory to get His bride and I want to be ready. I want everyone around me to be ready. My husband is in full time ministry and I need to do everything I can to support that. And for me personally: my disciples are the 6 small people that live in my house. And I pray that my heart and my home are ever open to my community. Ready to serve with love and joy.

Current thieves of my focus. Pinterest is awesome. Any of my closest friends will tell you, I start several conversations with, "I saw this thing on Pinterest..." It’s extremely helpful to me in homekeeping. Recipes, cleaning tips, decorating ideas, inspiring scriptures... I've already said, I found the above graphic on Pinterest! But it literally profits me nothing if I sit and stare at it all day. Its merely a distraction. 

Facebook creates good community. I don't even know where I'd be without my adoption and Down Syndrome groups. But when I have (what I believe to be) a clever, interesting, or funny thought, posting it to Facebook shouldn't be my first reaction. 

Instagram is fun. Pictures are worth a thousand words and I am a wanna-be photog with some seriously cute kids. But I can check it every 2 or 3 days and stay caught up. And not everyone needs to see everything we do. 

I love me some good blogs. But I have to carve out a set time (and ending time) to read them, or I'll get distracted.

Even the tasks of my home can be a distraction for me. Like spending so much time deep cleaning that the kids are doing who knows what. Or vice versa. I could lay on the floor reading or playing dolls with the babies all day, but if my husband gets home and the house is a wreck, I look disgusting, and there's no dinner... yeah, no. 

So it’s got to be about balance. And focus. On the one who sets these tasks before me.

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23, 24 

"And let us not grow weary of doing good. For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9

Father may I never lose sight of Your will for me. Keep my eyes open and focused on the task that lay ahead of me. Every day, every hour. As I serve my home and my family, remind me that I'm serving you.

"I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.... I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12, 14

There is still much to be done. Let's not lose sight.

Still

Well, I might as well blog about it. Since I have the time.

I mentioned it a bit in my last post. But here it is again.

I've got mono. :(

It all started before Christmas. I was feeling pretty miserable. But honestly, I was so on guard for flu symptoms, that I didn't stop to think what else could be wrong. I had no congestion. No runny nose. Not really a sore throat. But my neck hurt. Like... swollen kinda hurt. And my lower back hurt just a little. And I was getting migraines. 30 years and I've never had a migraine. Until now. But my biggest complaint- fatigue. I was so tired. All the time. But hey, I've got six kids. And it was Christmastime. Who wouldn't be tired?

But still, there was something there.

I told myself to deal with it and I moved on.

Until finally I got to the point that I knew something must be really wrong with me. And actually, the only reason I finally saw a doctor was because if something was wrong, I just wanted to know so I could start on an antibiotic or something and be done with it. Because like Sweet Brown says, "Ain't no body got time for that!" ;)

The doctor did a flu test and a strep test. Both were negative. But after barely touching the back of my neck, my doctor have a "Oooohhh, now I know what's wrong" followed by a "You're not gonna like this". Which, ya know, is always what you want to hear from your doctor.

She said the glands in my neck were sticking out. And that she thought it was mono, though it's rare for someone my age to catch it. I told her I'd had it several times in high school. She said that made sense. And to make a long story short, it's kind of been latent in my body and could really only be brought about by extreme stress or not taking care of myself.   .....Who me???? ;)

So they drew blood to confirm that it was mono and sent me home with a steroid.

~~~

After being on the steroid for those 7 days or whatever it was, I felt great. Totally fine. And when they called with the results of the blood test, she said it was already 4 weeks in. So I thought, great! I'm practically done with it!

Wroooooong.

A few days after my last steroid pill, my back started hurting again. And though low, I've had a fever the last couple of nights.

I still have mono.

And once again the thing that bothers me more than anything else- is the exhaustion. I can't function. And in this house, the mom has to function.

And if all that wasn't fun enough, Jake has a Sr. High winter retreat for 4 days. Which means....

Watch the amazing "SOLO MOMMY! As she swirls through the house cleaning and cooking while juggling six children IN THE AIR!! And for her next act she's going to swallow fire!"

But ya know, I can't do it. I physically cannot. And even if I physically could, I have to rest or this thing is never gonna be over.

So for once in my life, I swallowed my pride. And asked for help. (via facebook) Are you proud of me??!! You should be!! Its not easy for me! Why should people come do something for me when they are busy with their own lives? But my husband gently reminded me that I'm loved and that people want to help if they can. And he was right. Boy was he right.

I've got dinner coming every night this weekend. The 2nd grade class moms have lined up meals for the rest of the week. Yesterday a friend bought me groceries. Mallory is taking the baby girls for a couple of days, Ashley and Emily have been farmed out to friends (and teachers, actually) to play and sleepover. My neighbors even took Mabry to dinner last night and are going to do some laundry for me. And I've had lots more offers for help as well. I'm so blessed, I want to cry. God's people are awesome.

And now...

I can be still.

So until this thing passes (and I'm praying that day is coming soon), I'm going to accept the help with gladness. I'm going to rest the way I need to. I'm going to let the dust bunnies collect under the kitchen table and snuggle with my babies. Maybe the Lord will reveal a thing or two to this stubborn conquer-all mommy. Like how to be still.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Father God, teach me to be still and know that You alone are the great I am. Be exalted in this home... be exalted in my heart.

21 Days of Gratitude: Day 20

#1) Thankful for awesome neighbors who bring us party leftovers to feed our little troops!

#2) Thankful for extra hands around the house to help me clean for Thanksgiving.

#3) Thankful for Paula Deen and her delicious, butter-filled recipes. ;)

Packing

Its time to get my OCD engines running. In 3 days, four of us are going to the Dominican Republic, two are going to one friend's house and two are going to another. Which means 8 distinct packing lists. And I'm the kind of scatter-brain that would forget something like... underwear.


So, besides Jakes-- because he did his own-- I've been building these lists for about two weeks now. Don't laugh. Its the only way I can handle my family dividing and knowing everyone will have everything they need.

I'm already finished with the gargantuan (I didn't think that was really a word, but spell check fixed it. Huh.) task of typing up instruction lists for the four littles. And I made (and notarized) medical release forms. I've notified ADT to put anyone in jail who even steps on our property. (I'm actually really serious, I did.) And I notified our pediatrician's office. Oh and the bank.

I have washed, and am continuing to wash, mountains of laundry so everything is clean.


And now its time *cue dramatic music* to pack.

First it looked like this.

This is in my big family organization binder. Aka. the external hard drive of Amy Spencer's brain.

And if I had time I would totally type them up in an Excel file and print it out. But I don't. So these are my master lists. I would flip my book open and jot things down as they would randomly come into my brain. Stars note items I needed to purchase.

And now my bedroom has become Packing Ground Zero. Good thing we haven't had the money time to get furniture. (Except for my amazing bed, but ...that's another post.) So I took each of my lists and taped them up around the room. I have sections for Jake, myself, the 2 big kids, the 2 middle kids and the two babies. (Since that's how they are divided for the trip.) Then each kid section is divided into a sub section for that child.

So as you can tell, I've just started with some small items. I've still got a lot to do. These piles are about to explode. And it all needs to be done by Tuesday night before our Bible study because Wednesday is run-around-dropping-everyone-off-day. And Thursday morning we have to be at the airport at... well, lets just say it could also be considered late Wednesday night. I don't like to speak of such hours. Anyway, I have 2 days to finish packing, finish laundry, spend time with all my babies and store up kisses and squishes for over a week, clean my entire house so its not a crazy disaster when I get home, oh and still perform the daily functions of feeding 6 kids 3 meals a day, changing the two in diapers, running a 2 year old to the potty every stinking five minutes now and then, keeping up with dishes, facilitating kids chores, breaking up fights, entertaining them so they don't sit in front of the TV all day and making sure little thieves don't pull stuff out of the packing room as I'm putting stuff in. That's doable right? Right?!?!

Oy. Ok, anyway.

In case I don't get a chance to post again until we get home, I have some prayer requests. Just a few. ;)

~Pray for safe travels for our trip.
~Pray that the 4 littles aren't too homesick
~Pray that Ashley and Emily can properly process the unique situation of going to grandma and grandpa's hosue, which is also a mission field.
~You could also actually pray for Jake and I-- before we leave-- as we continue to prepare the girls for all that they are going to see down there.
~Pray that Abby's sensory overload moments are at a minimum and that she's happy and content.
~Pray that Micah would behave and stay with our friends. :)
~This sounds funny, but I really need prayers that the tent-bed we ordered for Micah comes in!! Like, today!!! Please, Jesus, we need it!!!!
~Pray that the babies wouldn't have too hard of a time being away from home, mommy and daddy, and the rest of their siblings.
~Strength for friends watching our kids. (thank you amazing friends!!!!!)
~Protection over our house (thank you awesome neighbors for keeping an eye out for us!)
~Pray for Jake, Ian and the other leaders going down.
~Pray for the families of the leaders who are staying here. I know that feeling of sending your spouse off on a mission trip and the spiritual warfare that happens at home while they're gone!
~Last but not least, pray for the 40 youth kids. That hearts and lives would be changed- the youth and those to whom they are bringing the gospel of Jesus!!!

Ok, one more cup of coffee and here I go!!!

Tada!

THIS:

MINUS THIS:

EQUALS THIS!

Tada!

It feels so refreshing! I do have moments when I miss my long hair, but overall, I'm so happy to have finally cut it. 

Thanks again to my awesome friend/neighbor for bestowing her talents on my hair! :)