Called up

Where the heck have I been, you ask?? Trust me when I say - nowhere. When my first two kids were born they were only 19 months apart. People used to ask me if they were twins. I would reply "no, but they are just like having twins". I would like to publicly state, I WAS WRONG.

Twins . . .

Twins are a whole new ballgame. In general, just two newborns at the same time is crazy. It is like a serious game of baseball. Juggling each kid and their needs on various bases. I am however, going to venture to say, twins AFTER having four children is the major league of crazy.

Not to say that people who have a set of twins first is not in constant need of sleep, a shower,caffeine and a clean shirt that doesn't smell like spit up. The difference is, they don't know any different. Caring for the twins is one thing - keeping them safe from the larger babies that have WAY too much love to give is another. Imagine navigating two newborns, a 2 year old and a 3 year old to take a nap in a full house, under construction with two bedrooms and an office. Major leagues baby - and I was called up.

"How do you do it?" I am asked this almost daily. The answer is - I don't. Not alone anyway. No baseball player gets to major leagues without help. They have an agent, a coach, manager, trainer, friends and family. Nowhere is the saying "It takes a village" more clearly visualized, than in our home.

I would not make it without a husband who is truly capable of running things if I were not here. To be honest, he could probably home school our kids AND manage life. But lets not tell him that he doesn't need me just yet.

I would not be here without friends who bring me coffee in the morning, help feed babies, do my dishes or just keep me sane.

I would not survive without a mother in law a half block away who can hold a kid, take a kid, feed a kid or take them all so I can nap and or shower (because these are the choices a mother has to make).

Raising 6 kids, ages 8 and under is not possible for me without amazing women from our local college who WANT to come over and help us weekly. Women who LOVE (I mean really LOVE) to fold laundry, sort clothes, do dishes, cook meals and play with our kids.

To be honest, I am not the personality to let someone help me. I have always been the "I can do it myself" mentality since birth (apparently - there are stories). This has been a lesson in extreme humility for me personally. It has been gradual through the last 5 years but I have come a long way.

I am forever reminded that "God doesn't give you anymore than you can handle". It has taken me10 months to realize that He knew I could handle the major leagues. He seems to always send help right when we need it. When He thought I could "handle" this, he meant that I could handle it WITH his help.

Everyday, I am forever reminded of the sheer awesomeness of Gods love. I am forever grateful of being called up to the majors despite the lack of clean shirts and loss of daily personal hygiene routines.