A day in the life of me

I had BIG plans yesterday of having all the kiddos in bed by 7p. *laughing hysterically at my  naiveté *

Around 9p I finally got the 3 younger babies in bed, by 10:30p I had all 4 of them in their beds, and by 11p they were all FINALLY asleep. By then I felt the need to relax and grabbed a bubble bath and a book. And as a result I didn't go to sleep until 2a. Oops.

I'm just a bit tired today. To put it mildly. 

My body is tired, but my heart is full. And you know what? I'm happy!

My life is often crazy and chaotic. My home is usually a disaster zone for 4 daily tornadoes. But my home is full of love, joy, and peace.

I am blessed.

My day is usually started by little voices in the baby monitor saying, "Mooommmmaaaa....I'm ready to get uuuuppppp.", very sweetly and softly. Those voices get louder and more insistent with each repetition. And if I fail to get downstairs and to those babies quickly enough I'll hear thump thump thump on the stairs as they run up them to find me. Sometimes they'll knock first, but I'm always jumped on by 2 sets of arms and legs and lots of "The sun is awake, Momma! It's time to GET UP!" from excited little boys. The girls are less enthusiastic about the start of a new day. When I come downstairs I usually find them snuggled up half asleep on the couch watching cartoons. Maybe they'll have made themselves a snack, maybe they'll have gotten dressed, maybe they'll be grumpy and whiny....it's always a toss of the coin with those two. (I have visions of teenagers in my future...)

So, I mosey into the kitchen and make myself a SPARK. (Think coffee, for those of you who don't know what SPARK is. It's my mental wake me up. I don't go without it.) I always end up sharing it with kiddos, so I always make extra. Once I'm half-way awake I start on breakfast. Depending on the voracity of appetites - which I usually gauge by grouchiness levels - I'll make something quick or something more intricate. You know, quick like oatmeal or intricate like sausage, eggs, and biscuits. Hey, I never claimed to be a chef! ;) Then it's time to snuggle on the couch and wait for moods to improve. Once the food kicks in, my day EXPLODES. Kids running every direction, toys come out in full force, laughter, giggles, screams, debates, fights, "I'm sorrys", new ideas, imaginations going crazy, games made up on the spot, trains on major journeys, cars having races, school teachers teaching baby dolls. Just to name a little bit of my "sweet chaos". :) This is my time to clean the kitchen, play referee, change diapers (only one kiddo left in those things, thank you Jesus!), and start heating the oven up for lunch.

And so my day continues....

I don't usually sit down, except to eat, all day. But I do laugh a lot, rescue random toys, give out lots of hugs and kisses, and enjoy my life. I'm busy. My kids drive me crazy sometimes. But I'm fulfilled. I'm happy. And I'm blessed.

It's in the quiet moments after my house has settled down for the night that I realize how boring my life would be if it was any different. I've had people ask me why I have 4 kids....and well, we just do! It felt like the right decision and I can't imagine my life any other way. People ask us all the time if we are done, if we'll have any more, etc. And I don't know. I know we aren't having any more any time soon, but I don't know what God has planned for us. I do know that I am content, my heart is full, and my life is blessed because of these four little faces, these four sets of dirty feet, and these four little lives we are blessed to mold and shape on their way to becoming who God has designed them to be.

So, here's what I know -
My life is crazy and chaotic, I may be tired often, my home is usually decorated by children, and I am blessed.