God's gifts from standing

Many pictures and moments to write about before I forget their sweetness...

But before I write about those, I wanted to record a struggle from this summer.  Starting at the end of May, my sciatic nerve flared up.  And since then, the three doctors I have seen have each said that I may not sit: I can stand or lie down.  This rather limits available activities and driving and doing normal, daily things with my children.  

I praise God that over a week ago, I received a treatment that actually made a break through for my sciatic nerve.  I waited for the residual lower back pain to fade as the nerve pain did.  Alas, it has not.  One of my doctors thinks it is possible that I have a "slipping disk."  I am not entirely certain of all the ramifications of that dilemma, but it does sound pretty creepy to me.  I will try the recommended treatments and stretches that this doctor suggests.  And I continue to ask God for His powerful healing.  And I ask Him to help me be thankful, even in this.

I have been dealing with the struggle to not try to wish this time away.  When the pain is bad, and the days seem filled with impatience and shortness with my precious children, it is a challenge to stop and thank God for each moment.  My mind keeps retunring to just hanging on... just waiting to feel better.  I know that He created me to praise Him no matter what the circumstances.  And to choose joy no matter how I feel.  In Phillipians 4, Paul says, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I know I have not learned to be content in all things, as Paul did.  But I pray that this experience will help me to grow in this way.  I know so many have gone before me, dealing with pains and heartaches -- after all, it comes with living in this world -- and they have done so with such strength and dignity.  I know that this trial is likely quite temporary and I strive to maintain perspective.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

And now for the moments of grace, my thankfulness to the Giver of all good gifts...

- Adrianna building a stairway with her cucumbers

- Apricot abundance
... And our neighbors sharing the wealth
... And Adrianna helping me to dry them

- Abel running out from his room time to tell me about the book he found: "Mommy!  Elmo!"

- Adrianna using the left-over VBS crafts to make a dozen woven basket bowls

- Adrianna determining to make her own clubhouse with a box

... And being surprised when it was not big enough for herself and Jenny to fit in :)

- Abel being willing to participate in swim lessons, even after having fear of the water over the Fourth

- The kids playing in the Pooh Bear tent Scott set up for them (notice the foot sticking out)

- Having friends over for dinner, and seeing again how dear the daughter and Adrianna are to each other

... And the almost seven years they have gotten to know each other at church

- More apricots

- Adrianna making a birthday card for Grandpa Richard using the glitter glue she found at the Dollar Store

- Adrianna and Abel getting a preview taste of the cook-out goodies I prepared

... And finally getting all the recipes I needed to be able to make allergy-free graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows, for campfire s'mores
... And rearranging the campfire location to my in-laws' property, after the dry weather caused a closing at our usual one

- Adrianna copying the sun pattern she saw someone else had drawn by our market

- Performing puppet shows with Adrianna
... And her introducing the "cast of characters" for five minutes and then forgetting their names
... And Grandpa Steve making hoof beat sounds on his knees

-  Making an allergy-free cherry crisp into an apricot crisp

- Kevin joining us for a game night before he returned home

... And Adrianna getting help from Scott for Apples to Apples

- Abel finding the game the next morning and deciding he could turn it into pretend play

- Adrianna deciding to turn  her couch into a clubhouse, after the box was too small

- Adrianna making many pairs of cardboard shoes with crafts leftover from VBS

... And her confiding to me that she was making so many so that she could take them when she grew up and was a missionary to Ethiopia

- Abel intentionally spilling Adrianna's bucket of beads not once, but three times in a week
... And him taking hours and days to pick them all up, because he positively refused to try
... And thanking God that this is just a stage
... And remembering all the ways God worked to bring us this child -- the very precious child He chose just for our family

- Spending evenings drying and freezing more apricots

- Abel trying out Adrianna's head band

- Adrianna making pictures using rose petals
... And her taking one to her piano teacher

- Me giving instructions to Abel about how to play at on the play structures, while Adrianna had swim lessons: "Go up the slide; peak through the window; go down the slide; go around the table three times..."  Over and over!
... And Abel loving it

- Lunches in the garage with the neighbor kids

- Adrianna setting up her Littlest Pet Shop absolutely silently during our small group

- Adrianna and Abel helping me by cleaning up the breakfast table

- Adrianna wanting me to help her play school in the garage

- Painting butterflies for Adrianna and Jenny

- "Look at my trucks, Mom!"

- Having dinner at our friend's house
... And Abel and Judah being two peas in a pod... even with their watermelon

- Repainting the play room in preparation for moving Adrianna and Abel into it so that Abel can have a real bed

... And God's kindness that my back wasn't aching more after all the taping off and painting

- Abel's "Thomas eyes" (that he says are just like what Thomas the Tank Engine does)

- The kids curling up to listen to "Pinky Dinky Do" on the iPod
... And them both being in a "Pinky" phase
... And them calling each other Pinky and Tyler (the brother and sister from the stories)

- Adrianna working on a friendship bracelet for Jenny during Abel's swim classes

- Making a "secret club" underneath the bunk bed
... And the kids wanting to eat their snacks and lunches there

- Adrianna working on a double puzzle with me
... And Abel coming to put in the final pieces

- Adrianna and Abel helping me paint crowns for VBS

- A meal that came out looking pretty (cinnamon chicken with quinoa and dried fruit, topped with fresh mint)... and it tasting good, but perhaps not worth all the work

- Adrianna wanting "homework" to do in her new "secret club" desk

... And her going back repeatedly to fix the mistakes

- Walking barefoot in the grass
- Having things to look forward to
- Finding baby squash in our garden
- My nephew's belly laugh
- Crisp morning air
- My family's reaction to a loaf of fresh yeast bread (I've hardly made any in months, as I've avoided yeast)
- Abel talking about asparagus all week, and then finally cooking him some, and his reply: "I eat all my asparagus!"
- The wet earth radiating back moisture after the rains
- Going to get Abel from his room, and him explaining: "I was praying in my bed."
- Asking Abel, "What do you want mommy to face paint on you." Abel: "A monster truck!"