Four Random Stories

Tonight one of our awesome neighbors brought over this huge bin of produce from his equally awesome garden. The kids were so overwhelmed with excitement that they felt compelled to return a gift. And so they raced off to their favorite part of the house- the fruit baskets in the kitchen- and returned with a pear, an apple, a grapefruit and a banana. With beaming smiles and eyes, they presented their gifts to our neighbor, and I had the privilege of watching joyful, spontaneous giving unfold.

With just about 2 months left until baby #4 enters our world, the kids are getting very excited. The boys are constantly giving the baby raspberries on my bare belly. Little Lady tries her best to do the same, but she ends up just spitting on me. Feelin’ the love; literally. The Hubs talks to him as if my belly serves as a walkie talkie, and I often find myself patting his bum (the baby’s, not the Hubs’) in a daydream of “I can’t wait to meet him!”

*picture taken last pregnancy by Caryn Scanlan Photography

I’m also getting a lot of “God Bless You’s” from strangers. The kind that mirror the Southern phrase “Bless your heart”. As in: you just walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper streaming behind you and a stranger replies “Bless your heart.” Most of these comments occur in the grocery store, because, let’s face it, a waddling pregnant lady with 2 little kids crammed into the toy car seats and a third getting quickly buried under groceries (we try to make this position fun by giving it the title of food organizer) gets some stares. I’m choosing to interpret those “God Bless You’s” as “What a blessing to be a mother of four” rather than “You poor thing”. Either way, I do consider it a gift to nurture 3-almost-4 little souls. And speaking of grocery shopping, we finally rounded the corner to where the 3 & 4 year old are actually legitimately helpful. Besides organizing the groceries in the shopping cart, they put all the food on the conveyor belt and then unload the bags from the car and into the kitchen. All of which makes for one grateful pregnant momma!

Recently I’ve begun thankfulness sessions with the kids over lunch. I ask if they would share 3 things that made them happy today. Here’s some of their top items:

1. Ms. Sarah (our elderly neighbor who often brings us food and lets us play with her dogs)

2. Ms. Sarah’s dog (who was passing our window at the moment)

3. “That squirrel” (the one sitting at our window watching us eat)

4. “The World and all the people in it”

5. Going to the park

6. Food

7. The new baby

We’ve also begun sharing any concerns we may have over breakfast and then praying together. Here’s a few from this past week:

1. “I’m concerned about taking a nap”

2. “I”m concerned about how do we get him down here to talk to him” (in reference to God)

3. “But how did the baby get in there” (in reference to my belly)

4. “I don’t have any concerns right now; I’m just happy”