Messes or Miracles?

I read this wonderful quote on FB today. It was a kind of a warning to not miss out on the miracles surrounding you because you are focused on the mess. What good advice for me! I love it and perhaps will put in on a wall somewhere in our home. 

It is very easy to become discouraged as I daily trip over the shoes, soccer gear, pets, toys, dirty laundry piles, swim goggles, dishes, construction zone (our addition project), school supplies for both the home schoolers and public schoolers in our family and more, knowing that I will not be able to conquer/fix it all since it will just keep on growing. 

If the mess is all I let myself see, I will be missing out on such pure, dear treasure. I live in the middle of so many miracles! John and I have been happily married for 19 years now, despite having been born and raised in different countries. I mean, what were the chances of us even meeting one another? Mark is our miracle baby. Luke and Nathan are our beloved treasures from Ghana. The story of how our little Sam came to us from Ukraine is incredible. Really, we are crazy, crazy blessed! 

So, I will still try to clean up, but I will keep my eyes & heart wide open and remember. 

I adore this saying that I found on Pinterest.

So, thank You God for blessing me with a home full of love, and energy and life. So it's very messy...and loud! So what?! I am blessed!  

Big Mac & Nathan's First-Ever Presentation

Nathan did his first-ever presentation at a public speaking class he goes to. Big Mac, his bunny, came along as the best prop ever. Nate did a good job and Mac surprised us by loving all the attention. 

The Fair

Every year I work with the kids on their fair projects and it is such a lot of work (and often very frustrating!!!!!) that I always wonder if it is even worth all the effort. But then we all go to the Fair and see their work on display and all their ribbons and we all enjoy it so much. So, I guess I'm convinced to try again next year too. 

Our littlest, Sam, won the purple rosette for his age group with a Christmas tree he made from a pot from Goodwill and some painted egg cups. 

All of us ribboned, even John and I. Fun! 

Luke and Nathan got to be in a play.

We went to a Colton Dixon concert (I was impressed.) and Sam got hilariously happy and kept trying to plant big kisses on his unwilling brother's face. So funny!