Sanctuary

Five years ago, had you been a guest in my house, it would have been very odd to have something lying on the floor, blocking your path from one room to another. Since becoming a parent,it is commonplace. I now think nothing of the fact that I spend most of my day dodging cowboy boots, trucks, magnets, blankies, and other various items as I walk from room to room. Yes, I suppose I could squat, pick them up and kill two birds with one stone (tone buttocks and cleaner floor), however that is really not practical. There is no point in attempting any type of cleaning from the knee level down before naps. I decided to photo a typical path (from the playroom to the boys room) and here is what my feet ran into.

This is why my living room brings me such joy. It is clean (at least from far away) and toys dont live here. My heart does a little leap each time I go up my dirty stairs from my toy induced kitchen to the hurricane boys room and glance to the right...ahhhh clean. untouched. pretty.

A first

This morning I asked Jeremy to put Porter in some clothes. As Jeremy is dressing our 14 week old, this is what he tells me
"This is the first time I have dressed him since he's been born."
We both laugh at this truth as this poor child has spent 90%of his life in just a diaper. I guess I am too practical: he is hot natured, he spits up, and when I swaddle him for sleeping, he only needs a diaper on anyways. I thought once I left camp, I would be motivated to dress him more, but no....plus, being the third child, especially third boy...i am completely over anything blue with a car on it.

we have been playing musical beds in our house since Keller got his tonsils and adenoids taken out a week ago. Nights and naps always find one boy or another in my bed, mine in theirs, and perhaps an adult on the couch trying to get a sacred three hours of sleep in a row. On this particular afternoon, I decided to try Coleman napping in our room, Keller in the room he and Coleman share, and Porter in the crib.
Keller immediately fell asleep, Coleman (who is my best sleeper at present) was not too excited about napping in mommy and daddy's room, but I tried my best to make it seem really fun. About 45 minutes after I put him down, I go to check on him. I open the door, the bedside lamp was turned on and the time on the clock was changed and Coleman was sitting upright in bed, looking suprised that I had inturrupted his wake time. I asked him what he is doing awake, he tells me "I didnt see the number seven (the boys know they cant get out of bed in the morning until they see the number seven). I remind him that he has no idea what a number seven looks like to which he replies "yes, but I did not see the number seven!"
He then begins to fix the pillows to make room for me to sit up with him and tells me we need to have a talk.

"what about, coleman?"
"Mommy, tell me about your day at the park, how is Porter doing?"
"He's good...why arent you sleeping?"
"Because I have a tennis ball" -which actually does appear in his hands from the depths of the covers...."and a football"...again, produces this as well.
At this point I am laughing too hard to even attempt a nap with him, so Porter and I join him.

A storm is coming as I sit in our sunroom of our camp house, the "walled off." This is the saddest day of camp for me. The day when cleaning and leaving are the only tasks to do. Though our house is not in the center of campus, I can sense when the staff have gone...camp is just not camp without them. It is too quiet-not even my boys can make up for the lack of noise. Keller previously wanted to stay here forever, until he realized he'd be stuck with just us. After lunch today, when seeing all the staff leave, he told me he was ready to go to Charlotte.

This has been my favorite summer since we have been coming four years ago. Seeing how much joy Keller and Coleman get from being in this environment brings me such happiness.The sacrifices we make for doing this job are huge, but I gain such perspective here during the summer. Friends- please remind me of this during the rest of the year. God's hand has been evident this summer as I've watched staff understand the gospel and their fixed identity in Christ, seen kids excited about Chapel and what they are learning about God's love for them-in spite of what they do, and in my own life becoming more excited about the ministry that God has called Jeremy and me to. I love being a part of something that so many I am close to love and have been impacted by. What a great God we serve!