No kidding, just one couple joined us tonight for dinner and conversation and the tally was 9 kids age 6 and under and 4 adults.  Talk about outnumbered.

I can hear you now…conversation isn’t possible with so many little people running around.  Contrare-it just looks/sounds different.  It’s a little louder, a little more disjointed and it moves from room to room.  But it was just as wonderful.

How could we possibly have a fun time with so many small ones about?

With a smile when one is found standing on the kitchen table reaching for the light fixture.

With giggles, lots and lots of giggles, at the dinner table.  So many giggles even all the adults had to laugh.

With ample sharing, taking turns and patience.

With noise when a marching band line up ensued that included every musical instrument we have in our whole house.

With messes that were happily made in every nook and cranny, then (thank you Heather) all cleaned up later!

With a washer load of towels when the toilet overflowed all over the bathroom floor.

With twirls and princess dresses as Rylee finally had a girl over to play with!

Here’s the thing, when there are so many, it’s hard to get worked up and stressed out about the little things.  There is no way to sweat the small stuff and somehow, that feels kind of nice.  It’s easy to relax and go with the flow because the flow as it is, is so darn fun.  It’s hard to aim for perfection (perfect gourmet food, perfectly clean home, etc) when it just isn’t possible.  Although it was nice to have my sisters’ help-right before our guests arrived- scraping all the dried play dough out of the bathroom sink and scooping up a freshly unrolled roll of toilet paper.

Not on a soap box here, really.  Just sharing our heart and the way things go around here.  Children are a gift and we dig ’em.  Simple as that.  Be they one or ten.  They are treasured.

Don’t get me wrong, we are exhausted and spent at the end of each day, not sure how we can do it again.  It’s not all sunshine and roses.   But somehow at 3 AM, I still get up with Audrey to feed her, rock her and snuggle her (although I have hit my head on the door frame a few times lately in my sleepy stupor).  Somehow my very hard working husband still gets out of bed long before sunrise and heads to his new job.

Grace.

We live under a blanket of extravagantly given grace.  That is simply the only explanation for life as it is.  We are completely and utterly thankful.