Only by the Grace of God

Backtracking a couple of months.

What a couple of months it has been!

It's complete and utter chaos about 95 percent of the time around here.

Chaos isn't even the right word-more like one disaster after another. At this very moment my children have managed to unload an entire box of Kleenex's right under my nose, and yes, they are literally right next to me.

And so it seems that for the first time in my life I feel as if I am no longer

 qualified for my job.

Seriously under qualified... 

Some recent completely normal activities at our house include but are not limited to:

Drawing on walls.

Drawing on walls some more

Drawing on doors (are you noticing a theme?)

Drawing on books, babies, and toys

Drawing on walls in building stairwell (you're welcome neighbors)

Drawing on neighbors walls...sigh...

Cutting sisters hair

Cutting sisters hair again... ???!

Cutting an entire ball of yarn into a billion pieces

Cutting sheets, curtains, and blankets...

(Brand new king sized sheets I might mention.)

This was all done with a pair of itty bitty child sized, blunt, scissors...

 It takes dedication to cut a king sized sheet, the entire way across, with tiny scissors.  

And of course, an extra heaping spoonful of naughtiness.

These were the same scissors in fact the Alex and I have resorted to using for absolutely everything due to the fact that all of our other scissors have been banned and are now gone. See above instances.

Its absolutely as ridiculous as it sounds.

Dumping all of the hand soap out(after using it on every surface of bathroom/self- naturally.

Stealing the honey and eating/making a huge mess with it in their toy room.

Using all of my pads as huge band aids and/ or stickers on self. This seems to

  be turning into a sort of pattern with Maria.

It's one mess after another.

One pee or poop issue after another

One temper tantrum after another.

I feel like I am on full go, everyday,  all the time, and I still feel like I'm drowning in the never ending list of things to do and messes to clean up. 

At times there are crumbs on every surface of our home and I'm starting to wonder if  Maria just grabs anything within reach to simply jumble it all up and scatter it about

the entire house.

I'm beginning to remember what an impossible combination of smart and

mischievous two year olds are. 

  These boys of mine are no longer content to play quietly with blocks and train tracks

for any amount of time. 

They want to run, ride there bikes, explore, wrestle and fight each other.

Babies want to be held and nursed and so many times it all just doesn't mesh well together.

I'm just plain old tired.

  But on these increasingly frequent rough days all it takes is a little dose of perspective-

remembering to see my life outside of my own narrow view. And, remembering to judge myself as a mother and wife based on God's expectations and not the world's or mine.

That it seems is my constant struggle.

This life I lead is only by the grace of God. That I know for certain.

This is what happened while I was in the shower...when I left he wasn't even IN the tent...

"Mama! Tate a pictsure wit Wobin an me!"

When I left Paul to make dinner he was laying on the floor talking with Will. When I came back he was propped up on Williams lap perfectly content. :)

She made this bed all on her own and then fell asleep.