Faithfulness

As we near the one year mark from our move from Tulsa to Dallas I have found a few minutes to reflect on the past year.  Has it been easy?  No.  Has God been faithful?  Yes, always.
We faced many challenges as we moved states, changed jobs, had another baby, did home improvements, and tried to find our "home" in Texas.  It's hard to believe that one can experience such a range of emotions within a small frame of time.
This has been a challenging year as a mom.  I remember people telling me that the hardest year with twins is the first year.  I beg to differ.  The baby stage seems like a piece of cake compared to the challenges of raising two year olds.  There are definitely great things about living with toddlers, but I feel whipped at the end of most days.  By the time I figure out how to handle tantrums out in public while still attending to a baby and getting my errands done, the twins will probably be sixteen!
Another challenge of the past year has been developing meaningful relationships.  As a person who is very relational and loves to "go deep" with people I find myself feeling very lonely at times.  I know that God can use those lonely times to draw us closer to him.  I'm so thankful that He is so much more faithful than I am.  While I long for more friends to share life with, He is constantly there reminding me that He is all I need.  It has also given Jared and I more time to spend together and with our children, which are the relationships that are most dear to me.
There have also been times when I feel such contentment and thankfulness as I see how God has worked in and around our lives.  One picture pops into my mind.  We had ventured out for dinner with the whole family a few months ago and went to a Mexican restaurant that had an outdoor dining area with an outdoor fountain/splash park right next to it.  After the toddlers finished eating we lifted them over the gate so that they could run around the fountain area.  I vividly remember seeing them run and chase after the fountains of water that kept splashing higher then lower.  The pure joy and squeals of excitement brought tears to my eyes.  The thought came to my mind, "What if Kai's spinal lesion was 1/2 an inch higher on his spinal cord?  Would he ever know what it felt like to walk, run and jump? Would he know the fun of chasing his sister and brother around? Or would he just sit in a wheel chair and watch with longing in his eyes?" God is so faithful.  Yes, He would still be faithful if Kai was not able to experience the gift of mobility, but I am so thankful that He chose to bless him in this way.
Yes, there has been many great times and challenging times this past year.  While we look forward to the next year, I don't know if God will bless us with more friends to share life with or if He will continue to bless our children with health.  What I do know is that God is faithful and always will be.  This brings me joy as I try (and struggle at times) to trust Him with our tomorrows.

P.S.  Grandparents, don't worry! I just posted another blog with the pictures that you want to see!