This too shall pass!

Since we've lived in our house- nearly 3 years now- I have managed to put pictures on every available wall...except this big open wall in the kitchen. I've had many different ideas as to what should go there, but nothing ever seemed...right. UNTIL NOW!! This is my latest brilliant project. Matting and framing these pictures of our kids- to go in our kitchen to remind me that "this too shall pass!" These are pictures of all my children at 9 months discovering the joys of "real" food!

Codie Rae

Cooper

Mia

Powerful Morning with Codie Rae

The usual morning routine is: up at dawn- bottles, diapers, breakfast and K-Love (radio station).

Yep, "Positive, encouraging K-Love" gets me through my days.

To completely understand this story, you need to understand me first. I have a dream. No, really. And one is an understatement. I feel like God has gifted me with creativity, and passion, and vision. Like He has planted a seed in my heart and if I don't tend to it I get bogged down with ideas that grow like wild ivy in the south!
And, God has also given me three beautiful, healthy, wonderful children...which I am sold out for in terms of adoration and passion.
These two gifts can feel like a contradiction at times- like they are competing against each other for time and attention. Even as I write this I feel a bit foolish because surely there must be a way to marry these two passions into one beautiful dream. I'm not putting this past God, I'm just saying right now at this point in my life...these two things, children and my art, they want separate lives. They don't want to marry. They think the other has cooties. Yes, think elementary school passions.

Okay, back to my morning. I'm listening to K-Love, making eggs for Codie Rae, all children are changed and babies are enjoying their bottles in bed. Codie Rae waits patiently for her eggs at the table. Do you have a visual? Good.

So, this song comes on that I've heard a few times before that I REALLY relate to. I don't know what it's called or even who sings it- but when I figure it out I will replace this sentence with the title and artist. The chorus says, "You only get just one time around, you only get one shot at this..."

Part of the song is telling a story about a woman who packed up and left- she left one dream for another. She left her child to pursue something else...and she realizes this tragic exchange that night when she calls home from a hotel room and hears that sweet little voice that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about since she left. Even as I write this now, tears sting my eyes and fall down my cheeks- because I have entertained a day dream that resembles the lyrics of this song. It usually happens when I'm up all night with a baby and/or C-Rae has taken her art work to a whole new level- meaning the walls, windows and floors- and my life feels like one big mess, literally.
Okay. You get it. I relate. So here's the kicker. This song plays at the precise time I am serving Codie breakfast. As I sit down I look at Codie and as the last lyric plays, Codie puts her hand out to me palm up and says, "pray," as she usually does before meals.
Anyone else's heart strings being pulled besides mine?

As, I begin to pray out loud, I cry, and I thank God for my precious dream named Codie Rae, Cooper and Amelia. I earnestly thank Him for each of my gifts, and for my husband too. When I say "amen," Codie says, "amen" and when she looks at me, tears running down my face, she says, "mama cry?" And she curls out her bottom lip and tears begin to fill her eyes...and I realize that our love bond is so strong that without knowing what is wrong, if I am sad, she is sad too.

I wipe my eyes and tell her, "I love you Codie Rae" and she replies, "too," which means: "I love you too."