Birthday week

I've tried for about four days to get a good video of Joy walking. I'll keep trying today and hopefully show y'all tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that. Or never. One never knows.





Here we are right after picking her up when she cried her way out of the nursery. Again. Every week for the last ten weeks or so...if we take her to church she gets "kicked out," which simply means she cries so hard and for so long she throws up.

It's her spiritual gift.

For weeks we took turns going to each service. I'd stay home with Joy while Sean took the big kids and then when Joy woke up we would go trade and I'd go to church. Working in Joy's room in the nursery has helped since as long as she is hanging on my leg she remaines calm. My child hanging on my leg of course makes it tricky to help other kids so if they kick ME out of the nursery I'll totally understand.

This week is Joy's birthday week which means I'll buy/cook/eat/feed the kids exciting or just different snacks and treats all week so as to spread the wealth instead of pumping them full of sugar on one day. It's a system I've used all along and allows me to eat more candy than any regular week while also monitoring how much makes it into the kids' bodies. Low blood sugar runs in the family and one of mine, (Ty) is a confirmed candy fan who can't handle much candy. He will eat it in place of anything else like his momma too. Then get sick and shaky...

We are thinking back to a year ago and what we were feeling: anxiety, fear, uncertainty, hesitation, joy, peace, calm, and exhaustion. We had no idea what was in store for the week of Joy's birthday. We just knew we were trying to cling to what we knew-that God was with us and wasn't surprised by what was happening.

This last year has been incredibly full of blessings. I'm hoping to put them into words this week but I'll warn you that since our families are coming over on Saturday to celebrate I'll also have to um clean this week. Which I um do not excel at.

Nighty night.