May Update

Well...I think I'm officially a new woman! My 15 week old bruiser has slept through the night two nights in a row, which means that this mama is actually getting 8 hours of straight, glorious, blissful sleep! Can you tell I'm excited?!

One thing that I've learned since having Hudson is that lack of sleep is not becoming on me. I become impatient, easily discouraged and grouchy as a mom. So, it is a wonderful feeling to see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that consistent sleep is here...or at least around the corner.

I haven't blogged in a long time, so I wanted to update how life as a family of six is going. I don't seem to have enough time to update baby books (which I have some guilt over, considering that Elly's is full and beautiful!), so maybe this is my best avenue of recording milestones.

Elly is becoming a big girl. She's creative, bright and doesn't know a stranger. She is also extremely particular (a nicer way of saying anal retentive!). She wants things a certain way and is very sure of her opinions and habits of doing things. This characteristic will hopefully result in her being a visionary who keeps a clean house :) but only time will tell. Preschool will begin at the end of the summer, and we are all excited for Elly to be a "Little Lamb".

Silas has matured SO much since coming home from the Congo 10 months ago. He is talking up a storm and loves to dance, sing, and laugh. He can be the life of the party and quite a charmer. His whining has decreased a hundred fold from last summer, but he still commonly can go from laughing to uncontrollable crying in a moment's notice. My most recent consistent prayer for Silas is that God will grow him into a steadfast, godly man...that his high highs and low lows will mellow into consistency. He loves to pray at meal times and can often be found singing to himself. Personal favorites include: Go Tell it on the Mountain, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the ABC's and Jesus Loves Me.

Mercy has a smile that can light up a room. She is generally joyful (unless you steal her toy...) and loves to play games and be chased. She is a daredevil, often found climbing and getting into everything that she isn't supposed to! She just moved into Elly's room, so the girls sleep together at night, and it seems that Mercy is growing into a big girl right before our eyes. She had her hernia repaired as well as her adenoids removed and tubes put in several weeks after Hudson was born. The result is that she can hear and is slowly starting to talk more. It will be nice when she can start articulating her wants because she definitely has opinions...she just struggles communicating them. Mercy is a daddy's girl and LOVES her baby brother. Since joining our family, Mercy has gone from being quiet and content to really spunky and fun but still content. Both she and Silas have been a great blessing to our family.

Hudson, for those of you who haven't seen him, is GIGANTIC! He is a beast of a child...weighing at 2 months what Elly weighed at 6 months! He is just starting to sleep better but hasn't really fallen into a schedule yet. He is smiling and cooing and melts my heart often. After struggling for so long to consent to the idea of being pregnant, I am so thankful for his smiling, chunky face. He brings me great joy...and I can see how the baby of the family always seems spoiled! ha

Overall, the adjustment to 4 has been a challenge, but we're making it. Hudson is my constant companion as it's basically impossible for anyone to watch all 4 without help. We have incredible help from our family and church family. Everyday I have people come over to help me with the kids, which we are SO blessed by. I look forward to the day when I can help young moms out in the way that so many are helping my family out. God has been so good to put us in the church and town that we are in.

For Andy and I, some days it seems like pure survival and other days are more joyful. The days are full and require a lot from us, and for awhile we felt like two passing ships...he would come home from work and help with the older ones while I cared for Hudson. Things have settled down some, but we still find that we have be intentional about spending time together because once the last child's head hits the pillow, we quickly follow.

I've been learning lots of things from having all of these children.
These lessons include (but aren't limited to...):

 --Learning that God does in fact give us more than we can handle...BUT He puts us in community with others who fill in the gaps. We have been incredibly blessed by so many who help us and love on our kids.

--I have seen the ugliness of my sin as I struggle to handle the chaos of 4 under 3, but I also am reminded that my perfect Father is gracious and is using these hard days to change my character. It has been extremely humbling to see my sin. I often pray that He will protect my children from my sin as I often feel like I'm failing at the job that God has assigned me. However, the Bible promises that His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

  --I have been reminded again and again that I am small and weak and must be submissive to the LORD who is over all. I would not have chosen to have 4 children under 3, if I had been given the choice, but God has plans for my little people and my job is to accept the circumstances and be faithful to raise them to the best of my ability.

All four are unique little treasures, and Andy and I are thankful for how fearfully and wonderfully they are made.