I want to remember...

I do hope to continue going back over some of the fun events from the last couple of months and get them documented here.  I don't know how long that will take or if it is even manageable.  There has been camping, the museum, Easter, Mother's Day, 1st birthday party, many a park-adventure, a soccer season and more.  Just thinking about that list of documentable occasions makes my heart start racing a little.  So, yeah, not making any promises and planning to cut myself some slack on hashing through it all.

In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to show a few pictures of how things are "rolling" around here.  People often ask "how we do it"- meaning how do we SURVIVE.  My answer is nearly always the same...we ARE NOT doing it.  We simply can't.  Can't do it alone, at least.  I mentioned before, but we have literally been sustained in miraculous ways through strength and endurance of supernatural proportions and by the angels sent to walk beside us. 

At home, though, we are learning a few survival tactics, and I thought it might be fun to show you a few of the small ones.  No one else may be interested in this, but these little things speak volumes to me about our lives right now and...

I want to remember.

I want to remember what it looks like to have six car seats in the minivan.

(not pictured: the solid layer of books and toys on the floor, the mass chaos of getting everyone in and out, and the "luggage" that fills the trunk each time we go ANYWHERE)

speaking of "luggage"...

I want to remember the color coded cubbies where school backpacks, lunchboxes, folders and nap mats are organized each evening

I want to remember what it looks like to walk by myself with six little chicks to the park nearly every day. 

I lead the way with the stroller and four little ducklings tag along behind on their bright orange rope.  If that weren't spectacle enough, we also usually have at least one kid in some combination of funny hat, random winter gloves, mismatched clothes, shoes on the wrong feet, lugging a favorite (but random) toy...etc.

I want to remember what it looks like to fix 5 toddler plates at the same time

(fix them all on the counter BEFORE we sit down and say prayers and THEN serve them.  Critical timing to ensure that nothing gets spilled, traded, tasted or complained about...before RRL and I get to sit down).

I want to remember what it looks like to find random jobs around the house to a) get toddlers involved and b) keep those toddlers occupied.  Jobs like helping load the washing machine via a 2-year-old to 3-year-old handoff.

I want to remember what it looks like to lay out six outfits each night, across the back of the couch.

in age order, so that everyone knows where there clothes are in the morning and can get themselves dressed before breakfast

And I want to remember what it looks like to tuck in 6 sleeping angels.

(this particular night 5 were all sleeping on one pallet in our tent when we went camping.  Baby B, not pictured, was in his packnplay.)

As crazy as it all is...I do want to remember each of these things.

Such tiny things that have completely transformed our everyday living in just two short months.

ABL