It's been a roller coaster for our family for the last few months. First, we didn't even KNOW about Elly until right before Christmas. Then, we didn't find out that we were going to get BOTH children until the end of the year. Only to find ourselves flying to Africa near the end of January. Not to speak of the 2nd day we were in country to find ourselves as a family of 7!
Basically, it's been like getting twins as Elly acts about 3/4 and so does Zeke. They are pretty much on the same level when it comes to mental, emotional and physical tasks. So, we have twins who are probably about a year apart. And, we are thankful. They have learned to go to the bathroom and wipe (most of the time), flush the toilet and wash their hands. They really enjoy the flushing of the toilet by the way.
They are feeling well physically (except allergies to the pollen) and eating well. Like most children they don't particularly like having veggies on their plates but they eat them anyway. And, they love to be outside (see pictures above). They love to dig in the dirt, play with chalk and just play on the playground. As soon as we are finished with breakfast each day, they ask "Play outside?"
JT and I were just discussing our family and our new life yesterday. We had some uninterrupted time (okay, the kids were singing and talking to each other but we could at least see each other in the front seats) in the car on the way to church last night....we take what we can get! We have really not even processed all that happened while we were in Uganda and since we've been home. My whirlwind trip to Guatemala put a halt to that.... Now, we are working on wrapping our minds around our new lives together...but wait, JT has to go to New Mexico this weekend. He'll be gone for a week. So, we postpone the processing for another week.
We are struggling with just the daily schedule of how to get everything done...school, cleaning the house (seriously, it hasn't been cleaned since we got home), planting a garden, ministry plans, etc. There doesn't seem to be enough of us to go around. By the time the kids go to bed, we are so exhausted that we just sit on the couch or bed and do nothing. But, we are working on that. Any wisdom/advice from moms of larger families???? We could use it!
We are blessed beyond measure to have great friends and family. We have people emailing us encouragement all the time and asking how we are doing. We are surviving and loving life. We are overjoyed at what God has done in our family...it is just us adults who have to learn to adjust to the increased people around here. It gets LOUD...really LOUD sometimes...and MESSY. But, we LOVE it, and we are thankful to God for every second of it.
2 comments:
Oh, I so get this. We are so missing having a car big enough to hold us because this was the cheapest way to have "date night" without paying for a baby-sitter. Strap 'em all down, turn up some music, and then commune with each other in the front seat. :-)
And I feel much better knowing that someone else hasn't cleaned their house since they got home. Seriously, it makes me happy. I mean, not for you, but for me. :-)
Hugs, friend. Some day, this will feel normal!
Umm, I didn't adopt or go to another country and I still just cleaned MY house for the first time since ya'll got home. =)
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