Life Gets Busy Sometimes

Sometimes, life gets busy, and we find ourselves short on time to keep up with everything we're trying to accomplish in a day, a week, or a month. My blogging has been sacrificed while I entertained my father-in-law for one week, before my mother arrived the following week. But, it was all worth setting my blog aside for a week or two...

If you couldn't already tell from the smiles in the above photograph, we really enjoyed Grandma's visit. I was thankful for the additional female and the additional adult in my home full of masculinity. The children were excited about all of the trips we were taking and the goodies that they received. Grandmas are always appreciated. They don't say "no" as much as mom and dad do!

We spent the week taking homeschool field trips, like the one above. We met up with Uncle Lief and Aunt Julie, the cousins, Parker and Ephraim, and my cousin, Willow and her daughter Bailey. My beloved auntie even came along! (She's taking the photo.) We had a blast at the Discovery Center in Charlotte, NC. The children found their favorite activities and stayed at those particular stations throughout most of the day. Ezra was fascinated with making buckets and scoops move tiny metal balls around a huge area. Caleb bounced from activity to activity, displaying his curiosity and short attention span (he's so bright, he gets bored quickly...no ADHD in that kid). Hannah tried a few things, but she enjoyed taking her time and exploring them all.

Gideon enjoyed the day, until he got lost. He was with Uncle Lief and decided to try to find Mommy (while Uncle Lief was looking away, I'm sure). He spent about 15 minutes roaming the building before some nice young lady discovered him crying on the stairwell. Talk about panic. I realized he was gone when I saw my brother and took a head count (which we do frequently in places like that...four kids is difficult to keep track of; I can't imagine being a teacher with a class of 15 or more...). No Gideon. We started the hunt, and I knew I needed to look down on the first floor. He came running with tears in his eyes and a shake in his body as soon as he saw me round the corner. I think he learned his lesson about leaving any adult's side. Needless to say, I am grateful for kind people who are protective of little guys who can't find their mommy.

We spent Wednesday at the zoo. We saw lions and tigers and bears. We saw all sorts of sea creatures and snakes. It was a great educational experience for the kids, and I think I even witnessed the older boys trying to read the plaques about some of the animals they were looking at! Grandma and I enjoyed the day, as well, until the kids started whining...they slept most of the way home.

While Grandpa visited, Ezra learned about leading as the oldest sibling. I wish I'd understood that concept when I was his age. I had no clue my siblings were watching me and learning from me. Caleb learned that persistence pays off; Grandpa finally took him for a ride with him one of the last nights of his visit. Hannah enjoyed the occasional hug from her grandfather. Gideon practiced riding his two-wheeler without his training wheels, with Grandpa holding the seat.

So, along with homeschooling, field trips, visiting grandparents, going to the gym on a regular basis, ministry, and normal everyday life, one can see how my writing had to take a back seat for the past couple of weeks!

In the photo above, left to right (since we all look alike...their kids could be my kids and vice versa):
Lief (pronounced Life...my brother), Parker (my nephew, his son), Ezra (mine), Julie (Lief's wife), Ephraim (he and Caleb could be twins, if they were the same age...also, Lief's son), Caleb, Hannah, and Me, Bailey (on my lap...she's Willow's), Mom/Grandma/Aunt Barb, Gideon (mine), and Willow (my cousin...dad's side...my twin).

What do you set aside when you get busy? Have you ever had a child "get lost" for a short time? Let me know!