Such a Blessed Day

As I sit here snuggled up with my two girls I reflect upon this day where we celebrated 13 years of being blessed with Alex. I am truly thankful for every day that the Lord has given me with him. He is a blessing. We did not actually get to see Alex on his true birthday, which was yesterday. He spent the past three nights at my Mom and Dad's celebrating with them. He had a blast just being by himself. They went to the Museum of Life and Science and Dick's Sporting Goods and Toys R Us. My mom presented him with a wonderful compass that had a cross on it. It was beautiful. He also got a lot of art supplies which he immediately put to use. Carl and I added to his art supplies too. We also got him his own t-shirts which may seem like a silly gift but Carl and Alex are always getting their t-shirts mixed up. They are very similar in size. He was excited because his are different than Carl's so they will easily be identified. We also got him a big present. He has wanted a trampoline for years and we finally bought one. The kids spent the whole day jumping. We invited a family from church over. They have six boys and one girl about the same ages as ours. Their oldest turns 13 in June. Their youngest turns 2 very soon. The kids had a blast jumping on the trampoline and playing video games. Sam and Caleb fell asleep early and now Tirzah and Esther are lying next to me. I took a bath and asked Esther to watch Tirzah. When I came out of my bathroom they were both sleeping snuggled up next to each other. I am truly a blessed woman. Despite all the struggles and trials of raising children who will bring glory and honor to God I am truly blessed. Raising children who have a strong relationship with the Lord is hard work. It has its moments where you want to give up and it seems like nothing will ever get better. It is the Lord giving us days like today that give me the strength to go on. This day was not without its challenges though. The trampoline had a piece that was defective. Sam screamed most of the day and I pulled a muscle in my back. Carl and I also had a disagreement over the trampoline. Despite all those things I say that I am truly blessed. I have a wonderful husband and eight healthy children. I have a God who loves me and only wants the best for me. A blessed life I have.