I have become better friends with my journal so that when I think what is post-worthy to the general populous, I want to run back to the shy cozy place of my own little personal musings. Four lively children and a puppy have made me more introverted. I used to almost resent the startled comments that I had my hands full with two or three, but now my cup does overflow and I can wholeheartedly agree when people feel inclined to affirm the obvious. Another grocery store point I am now willing to concede is that the days speed by all too fast! I don’t think we can ever sufficiently savor the precious moments with little ones. I want to slam on the brakes and take them all in. I feel instead like a traffic cop with too many shiny red cars whirring past not sure which one to chase down and pull over. Then the hilariously memorable comments I think I will never forget have all but vanished from my memory by the end of the day.

When I journal, it’s like catching up with an old friend. I can selfishly comment on all the things I deem important. It all seems so banal when chatting with the world! The Lord has been good to us. He has blessed me with so much beauty all around me. I can hardly get enough of the green grass, the sunshine and rain and Hailey’s partly toothy smiles. My home is quickly filling up with boxes. With less than three weeks till our move date and without a newborn or a huge stomach, I’ve been motivated to conquer some of the organizing projects that can easily be neglected. I reclaimed several recipes and a $20 Victoria Secret gift card out of my labors! Four babies later I can dejavu that blissful newlywed time….only it’s all about online shopping these days! As I was going through boxes in our little storage shed, I remembered that it was at this very house two monumental celebrations occurred–surprise parties both at my high school graduation before I left for Equip and Indianapolis and then several years later I was royally surprised with a marvelous bridal shower before I became a California girl for what I thought would be forever! I never would have dreamed I’d call this same house home with my wonderful husband and four little children. I never would have dreamed my sister, bro-in-law, and little niece would live in the same downstairs where we used to have our slumber parties with our best friends, or that my kids would play in the same backyard whose trees we used to climb and talk about courtship and play capture the flag. Our God is big enough to handle the knowledge of a billion little intricately ironic subtleties that comprise our lives here on earth!

I’m excited about being home-owners though. There’s something nicely American about really making a home our own. (By the same token there’s something eternally valuable about not settling down too much. Our hearts will always yearn for something better since this life is not our eternal home.) It was on Aria’s third birthday that we fell in love with our new house. We threw water balloons at each other and ate a simple family picnic lunch in the shaded park community. After investigating all sorts of home possibilities, we finally felt our hearts engage in this place that is just right for us!