Children are a Gift

I keep thinking about how I want to write this post. I've retyped it several times. I've been reading Matt Logelin's site since before Addison was born. He recently directed his readers to another site that just last night I was able to begin reading through. Reading the story of the Spohr family not only made me sad for them; I can't imagine loosing a child, but also sad for so many other families.
As I thought through this I thought about the countless families with fertility issues. There are families in the making that have used every cent they have to try to start a family. Families that would give anything and everything just to hold their own baby in their arms.
I'm also thinking about families who, like the Spohr family have lost a newborn, infant, or even adult child. I can't imagine the pain of burying your own child. It seems so wrong for a parent to outlive their child. Such pain must come with that fact. I can't imagine.
Then my thoughts turn towards parents who aren't taking care of their precious babies. Parents who leave their kids unattended for days, who don't meet the simple needs of their own children, who neglect and abuse the sweet innocent children that they have been entrusted to take care of. I sometimes stand back and wonder why. And how?
Then, my thoughts turn to my own children at home. Happy, healthy, thriving. I'm so so blessed to have a child at all, but three? And beautiful ones at that! It blows my mind that God would allow ME to be in charge of them while they are here. However long they are here. I want to always soak up every minute. Especially this time while they are so young and impressionable.

Speaking of impressionable:

Yesterday, as I was working on putting away the girls laundry, I overheard them playing. They were being Jesus and Mary. Olivia had the pleasure of being Jesus. As they played I could hear them BOTH quoting scripture and having a ball. At one point, Olivia came running past me looking for something. When she came back she had a blanket and she gave it to Emma Claire. She said, "Emma Claire, now you put this on the ground in front of me and say, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Mark 11:9' now! I have to go get my horse. It'll be a good donkey." I thought to myself, now Leslie, you know you have good kids if their play even reflects CHRIST! Ha!

Yesterday afternoon I was rushing through getting a pork tenderloin in the oven. I'd finally gotten it in and was putting everything back away and in doing so I ended up dropping half a jar of minced garlic onto the kitchen floor. Because it was beautiful outside and I'd promised the girls I'd let the play, I was trying to rush and get it cleaned up. When the girls heard the crash they came running in to see what it was. Emma Claire was the first to speak. "Mom...I smell...poop...and puke...and...........pizza." I about peed my pants I was laughing so hard.