Far Too Long

It's been far too long since I last sat down at the computer and did anything other than school work. Sitting for any amount of time makes me irritable and puffy (My very pregnant body thinks very little of the computer chair!)But today was one of those days that I just had to share!

It was one of those days that you dread for a week ahead of time... we had to get our family of five up, and out the door by 6:30 am to get to an appointment that was an hour away. After that appointment we had to get drinking water (because we let ourselves run completely out!) and then meet up with some family and then run some errands... and then on to another appointment before ending the day at a houseful of little kids all tormenting live animals and playing with extremely permanent dye. Not one of those days that you really look forward to... But God is good! He took a day full of experiences that I normally try to space out and crammed them all into one beautiful, blissful and unbeatable day, and I just have to share....

The day started off much like I expected. I woke up a half an hour late, leaving not enough time to get breakfast ready, had three grumpy, crying kids that didn't get enough sleep to get up and dressed midst the struggles and chaos and then, after getting out of the house 15 minutes later than we had planned, we ran into roadwork on the way to my appointment. But Praise God! Somehow, we made it to the appointment on time.

After that it was on to my Dad's house to say good morning and fill up water jugs while we tried to figure out when we were supposed to meet up with more family. I called my Dad and he had coffee brewing for us and water hot to make the kids instant oatmeal (a much coveted breakfast at PopPop's house.) Praise God! He gives us people who take the time to think about the simple things they can do to show their love....

Then after a nice visit with my Dad we headed off to meet Eric's Grandma for breakfast at the local Denny's... and Praise God! Eric's Mom and Uncle both came too! Yea!!! We got to spend a nice breakfast visiting with family and had a wonderful time!

Then it was on to appointment # 2 (We ran out of time to run errands) So Eric dropped me off at the doctors office and headed off to do a few errands while I was waiting. The appointment went great! Praise God! All the little questions and things that arose in the past two weeks while I have been sick are all okay and nothing to worry about... and my blood pressure is down!!!

After my appointment, Eric picked me back up and even though we should have been rushing to get out of Durango and on our way home, somehow we had an extra hour and a half! Praise God again! We had enough time to get our errands done and still headed out of town about 15 minutes early.

Then, the best part of the day came... we headed out to a friend's house... the place where all the little children were planning on meeting up to torment animals and play with extremely permanent dye... and Praise God! We had a terrific time!!!

The kids were so excited! They talked about eggs and what they look like raw versus cooked, they got to see the baby chickens and they got to pet them and learn about how they eat, then they got to go out and see the big chickens and see where they sleep and lay their eggs, they got to touch one and they all got to toss out some chicken feed (and a few of the kids pretended they were chickens and ate some of the food as well) Then they headed back in to eat a snack made up of the foods that chickens like to eat (peas, corn, beets and tomatoes) as well as a little bit of chicken. They had so much fun... but the chicken party didn't end there...Then they got to dye the eggs. They all got to choose different colors and to find out what happens when you mix the colors or put tape on the eggs (one very smart Momma suggested that we use tape to put stripes and crosses on the eggs, and it worked out so nicely!) They found out what happens when you are too rough with the eggs and they learned that you have to be patient if you want really bright colors.... They all got to learn and explore together... And they learned that group activities are more fun when everyone is happy and having a good time, and that working together makes the day a lot better.

And as Moms (and one grandma) we got to enjoy seeing our kids learn and play and explore and grow. And we got the added enjoyment of visiting with each other, sharing laughter and making memories with our friends and children. (Because we'll never forget the poor little boy with the squeaky shoes that kept trying to get away from the dog that was sure he was hiding a squeaky toy somewhere on his little body...)

My writing doesn't do the joy of today justice... I guess you had to be there. But I am thankful to a God who provides spare time, loving family, wonderful friends and unforgettable memories. And I am thankful that when we face things we are overwhelmed by, He gives us the strength to get through the day... and not to only get through it, but to love every minute of it. Thank You God for all You do and for those people You use to make our life more abundant.

And I'm sending out thank yous to Jen for opening your home, spending the time and money to create a wonderful day and for using the talents God gave you to make all of our lives richer and to Jaime for using your talent with a camera to capture these moment on film, so that we can look back, reminisce and enjoy the day all over again. I thank God every day for friends like you.