Tired...but blessed

I know, I know. Its been a LONG time since I've written any gut-wrenching, motivating, personal blog entry. I've got 3 words for you....



I AM TIRED!



Tired from...



homeschooling, cooking, cleaning (okay, so I haven't been doing that one), trying to get highlighter drawings off of my bed sheets (no, I did not draw them myself, or I would have chosen a lighter color than florescent orange), attempting to teach one of our kids to count in English...to ONE...unsuccessfully, almost lighting the kitchen table on fire after teaching about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,



taking 3 kids to baseball practices and games where I try to shout to Samuel where his "knees" are (cause the coach is wondering why he's not bending them while at bat), cleaning candle wax out of Savanna's hair (if you know her, you don't have to ask), making sure to pour the right kind of milk for each child (one needs extra calories, one does not, one needs lactose free, and one gets whatever is leftover at that point),



realizing that the temporary still and quiet moment I am experiencing is only because Savanna has found my makeup again and is pouring the base all into the bag, trying to explain to her the reason I can TELL she had my makeup is because she has put it on her face, and we have slightly different skin colors...., searching for shoes - not even matching, just any 2 shoes that will fit the child making us late b/c he can't find any, taking ibuprofen, cleaning out Goodwill, smiling at the employees of Publix who now greet us all by name, wondering why they know our names?...



enjoying visits from family and friends, learning 3-4 new songs each week for kids' worship at church, scheduling and enduring doctors and dentists appointments for 5 (sorry Art, you're on your own), collecting more stool samples from Samuel (or as we call it around here, "pooping in the hat"), tending to Josiah's continuous tube-feeds during the night and calculating how many calories he has taken in during the day, taking a little more ibuprofen,



Drinking more caffeine than I should, yelling more than I'd like, laughing a lot, crying occasionally, sleeping really hard when I can, clinging helplessly to power and wisdom from the Holy Spirit (when I remember to call upon God cause I can't do this in my own strength)...



THANKING GOD THAT THE REASONS I'M EXHAUSTED ARE NOT BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY, HOMELESS, OPPRESSED, POVERTY-STRICKEN, LONELY OR LIVING WITH A LACK OF PURPOSE.



I'm THIS TIRED, because I'm THIS BLESSED...