As life got harder, I slacked.
For many reasons.
I struggle with the delicate balance of honestly and privacy. It has been more than a year. The above photo was taken just a few weeks ago. I could not do life this gracefully without Jeremy. And in all sincerity, I am not graceful. Jeremy far exceeds me in that category. He offers such great stability.
Jeremy has a way of offering peace. His prayers are absolutely beautiful and raw. I love him and his example to our children.
It is always crazy here with so many kids with the typical and not-so-typical medical needs. We took our first vacation as a family of 8!
We painted the entire exterior of our house. It took about 5 weeks.
We even put the kids to work.
Over the years several boards have warped and pulled up.
Sweet friends came to visit.....twice!
A new school year.
New Christmas traditions.
Mariah's first Christmas play at church, and Ben's last.
Jeremy's trip to Israel.
Mariah's dislocated elbow.
Yes, she dislocated it again. The hospital knows us well.
Micah's broken finger (thanks to some football).
Three minor surgeries for ingrown toenails.
One hospitalization for a terrible uti.
One sinus surgery.
Several adrenal crisis.
Daily vision therapy.
An adorable haircut!
After.........
Another haircut!
After......
......and another!
A hailstorm like we have never seen before.
Soccer season with Jeremy coaching and all of our kids participating.
Third lost tooth!
Fourth lost tooth! This was just last night.
First and second lost tooth!
Oral surgery to attempt to bring down an terribly awkwardly impacted tooth.
Flood clean-up in southern WV.
Uncle Jeff and Aunt Wendy's gorgeous wedding!
Everyone had a part in the wedding.
Kids joined the Smoot Choirs.
Boys' and Girls' Ensembles.
Delayed reaction to a bee sting......which was headed toward and adrenal crisis. Again this was just yesterday and the reaction this morning.
It all leaves just a little time for this!
And through it all a couple of friends gathered together to have prayer for my family. Better yet, they texted me to let me know.
For us!
Can you even imagine?
I am humbled.
I am blessed to have prayer warrior friends when it gets tough. And it gets tough a lot around here. During one extremely difficult medical situation Jodi and Rene sent me this photo. (I hope you girls don't mind!)
Their lives were put on hold that day as Jeremy and I sat in a waiting room for 10 hours......waiting and being told, "One more hour." four times.
They did what they could.......they prayed together.
I know my life seems busy. And honestly, it is.
I am tired.
Homeschooling is hard!
Medical appointments for us seem to never go as planned.
There are days I struggle just getting out of bed. I give medicine twice each night to Mariah at 12am and 3:45am.
But we try to use each moment to help our kids understand that life is never easy. We are not promised easy. In fact, we know we are doing God's will because Satan tries to attack us when we are weak and vulnerable.
In this season of my life I lean heavily on several verses in Scripture.
This one I love:
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
One day these words I type will be distant memories.
I pray that I am serving Him in all I do and say. After all, that really is all that matters.
