Sleeplessness and Shopping

The bad news today was that I think James has two more teeth working their way up, which resulted in some crankiness last night and over an hour of awake time for me in the wee hours.  The good news is that KJ kept the children for me this afternoon, freeing me up to take advantage of a really good sale at Stein-Mart.  


I feel a little embarrassed that spending money cures my ills so easily, but alas, that was certainly the case today.  Instead of sitting at home feeling tired and sad I was able to enjoy some fun time with a friend.  I was very thankful for the good deals and the good fellowship.  And it was a joy to come home and have Ella run to me asking for her prize that I had promised and James crawling to the door with a smile of recognition and greeting on his face.  


I spent a lot of time today thinking about the things that make mothering hard:  the continuous lack of sleep, the worry and wonder over if I'm doing things right, the stress of trying to plan outings around nursing and nap schedules, and the guilt when I mess up (to name a few things).  But it truly is rewarding work, and though sometimes I might wish to be footloose and fancy free, this road I am walking is the one God has chosen to use to refine my heart and make me more like Christ.  It is a pathway of duty and delight.  There are many duties, and there is genuine delight and satisfaction in performing of them.  


Again, I am SUPER-thankful to my husband for knowing the joy a break from the work would give me and allowing the time away.  I love him so!

Back when we were young and carefree:

Biking through Cades Cove September 2005

I think we had actually just made the decision to have a baby.  

If only we knew what we were getting into...