overwhelmed

Sometimes I just get so distracted by the whirlwind of activity around me that I find myself overwhelmed. Yes, it is usually because I have stretched myself a little too far, haven't taken time for myself, my house is a total wreck, the kids are all yelling and bickering, or any combination of the above! Last Thursday I found myself there. On top of the aforementioned stressors, I was fighting a critical spirit for a couple days and was quite irritated at Chad for relatively nothing. I also had not had a decent quiet time or any exercise in several days.

That afternoon, I found myself lying on the floor upstairs just sobbing. "How can I do all of this, Lord? I just can't do everything!!"

And His voice was so clear. So distinct. "Put me first." I kept crying and tried to ignore it, but doggone it, He said it again. "Put me first." To be honest, I didn't even acknowledge to him that I had heard him. Okay, I might have cried, "How?" But otherwise I pretended not to hear.

The next morning, though, I did it. I got up and put Him first. And the day was better. The house wasn't any cleaner, the kids weren't much better, and I took nothing off my to-do list, but the day was still better.

Maybe I should listen. Maybe, just maybe, He knows how to take me from overwhelmed to overjoyed.

Hold your breath!

On our recent trip as a family, we had to pass through two interstate tunnels in each direction, and Chad's favorite thing to do is to try to hold his breath the entire way through the tunnel. Yes, he was driving both times (I know that sounds unsafe, but I trust that he will not actually let himself pass out)!! So, now he likes to include our kids, and he always says, "Okay, here we go, hold your breath!" Needless to say, they don't really understand what this means. One time, Katie was talking the entire way through, saying, "Daddy, are you holding your breath? Daddy! Why aren't you answering me? Daddy!"

To them, "hold your breath" essentially means "puff out your cheeks and breathe through your nose and then let out a gasping breath at the end!!" So funny!

Vacation

We just got back from one of the best vacations! We were total moochers and spent nearly the entire time eating someone else's food and sleeping in someone else's bed!! We visited 2 children's museums, saw 3 sets of friends, got soaked on a waterslide, played at 3 parks, swam in 1 pool, and had a great intro to Rock Band! We also slept all 6 of us in one room everywhere we went - after 5 nights, I think we were all happy to be back in our own separate beds! Wow, we really had a good time! Here are some pictures:

Sarah and Annie trying on circus hats

The Sawhooks and the Cobbs

Aaron climbs to the top!

Aaron and Katie playing Rock Band with Kenny

Katie reading to Ben and Natalie

Chad, Aaron, and Ben on a giant waterslide

Ben making friends with a wallaby

What if we all lived under the same shell . . . ?

The Anderson kids in Charlotte