Blessings

Do you ever have those moments in life when you just know how blessed you truly are?  Where things are hard, or life is crazy, but you have that "quite" moment where you can just feel the peace in life, and know that life is just an abundance of blessings?

Jack, Hannah, Spencer, Kate, Will after a special dinner out as a family.

 Then there are moments, where you wonder WHY things happened they way they did, and things turned out perfectly.  Why did my sweet little baby have a stroke at 10 days old, and then have things happen so perfectly in order that he is an amazing little 3 year old with no problems?  Why did someone else I know have a baby that had something similar to their child, and their child can't talk or walk?  Obviously, we all have our own purpose in life, and we all need to have different struggles, as individuals, families, parents, children, etc.

Hannah loving this crazy toy that was shaking.  She  literally LOL the entire time it was on.

 Life for me as a mom of 6 kids that are so close together is crazy.  It's more busy than I feel I've ever been. I often feel like I have a moment, and then all the sudden I'm being pulled 12 different directions because everyone needs me at the same moment for all sorts of reasons.  Someone needs milk, someone needs help with the potty, someone else needs to show me what they did at school, someone else just got hurt, someone else is hungry and begging (or crying) for food, someone else is tired, etc.  However, I'd never trade it.  Each one of the kids is such a wonderful blessing in their own way and add someone unique to our family that we need to have.

The stockings are finally hung (all 8, 7 have been for weeks now).  I made these while pregnant with Will.  We've slowly added to them.  It's been so fun.

 Then there are moments.  Not like the ones I'm listening to now.  :)  But sometimes there are sweet conversations of love I get to over hear.  Sometimes there is holding hands when I wouldn't expect to see it.  Sometimes, the love they actually have for each other, for me, for Dale, it comes through.  It's these rare moments, that I know that I'll survive being a mother of six little kids.  I can't guarantee those teenage years that will come sooner than I think they will, lol.  I hope I still get to over hear those conversations, see those secret moments of love and friendship towards each other, and for each member of our family.

Jack with his arm around Emma.  He had it there for quite a while.  We were watching a movie, so it was dark.