My first disclaimer to the photographs above is this...Kaitlyn is not in one single one of them. She happens to be the photographer of our family and coincidentally (or not so much), she doesn't take any photos of herself. She is our first-born, and I'd really like some more photos of her. I hope she reads this....
I have been bombarded by the question, "So how is it being the mother of five?" time and time again over the past month. I don't mind the question...I'm just not so sure how to answer that. To a mom who has more children, I often like I should just say, "I don't know how you do it. I admire you greatly. Are you insane?" To moms with fewer children, I certainly don't want to be a discouragement to her having more...so I say "It is good...really good." What I would like to say is this: "It is hard. I have NO clue what I'm doing. There are GREAT days when everyone is getting along so nicely. We have our Bible study, and everyone is honoring one another. Obedience is awesome. Naptime is directly from God. Adoption is beautiful. And then there are days that start way to early for humankind. Someone screams and cries. Another wet bed...strip that bed...wash the sheets..oh, and the comforter too. And, the mattress pad. How many loads today? 12? Seriously. We eat breakfast (again, still too early). Someone doesn't like grits and says 'No fank you" way too many times. I repeat the same mantra every 10 seconds. Eat with one hand. Napkin in your lap. Eat over your plate. Don't eat with your hands. Chew your food. Not with your mouth open. Kids argue and fight. The language issue can sometimes be a barrier. Other times it is pure humor. There are LONG days...I'm too old for this. Adoption is hard. It is not always pretty."
But, I'm reminded daily of God's overwhelming grace. He chose us to be the family of these children (all five of them). And, I like it...I love it. I am honored. I walk in His grace because of His blessed name.
Then, there are days like today when I'm the oldest mom at an event. My older girls went to a movie with their dad, and I'm taking the little guys to a jump-y place. They LOVE it. They relish every second of it. I find myself at least 5 years older than everyone else if not 10-15. It's not my nature....but I love hearing the young moms talk. I used to be one of those moms. Now, I'm just old...and worn out. But, I adore my family. They could've stayed all day. I had to take a nap just to see 5:00 today.
Life is full....overflowing. I am grateful and humbled by the magnitude of it all.
1 comment:
I love your posts! They are so honest. Don't worry about your age. I always had the oldest parents of all my friends. In fact, some of their grandparents were the age of my parents. They were married 16 yrs. before they had my oldest sister and 19 when we (twins) came along. So they were 38 and 42 when I was born. However, my grandmother (maternal) had her last two at 40 and 42, so I guess it runs in the family. What is important, is that your ARE a family--and it means so much to all five of them!
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