Take my word for it, this IS thriving.

This will be my [likely feeble] attempt at "making it quick."  Because I've got approximately 947 things I should be doing besides sitting behind a computer typing up a blog post, but I need to decompress and this is...what I do.  Tell me someone else gets that?  I never, ever, ever imagined my left-brained self would find solace in words, but I think I may have convinced myself that I'm something I'm actually not.  And, see?  Already on a tangent.

Where have I been?

Trying to heed the words of this song:

Just to know You and
To make You known
We lift Your name on High
Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more
Than ordinary lives
It's time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive

For too long I camped in survival mode.  I have wasted so much precious time in that spot.  I know this is just a Christian pop song and not biblical authority, but my goodness it has rocked me to the core.

I refuse to merely just "survive."

Funny segue, though, speaking of surviving, I can share this quick Leah story since it turned out okay in the end.

We have been at VBS this week, and while I used to make fun of the people who volunteered at it and talked about how tired they were afterwards, I've totally become one of them.  Anyway, my kids have been troopers.  They really are great.  But for some reason, tonight they just all seemed to need me all at the same time for what seemed like all night long.  At one point, I used the laundry room restroom in an effort to get a moment of peace, only to find out that I couldn't even close the door thanks to the ginormous pile of waiting-to-be-stain-treated clothing, and I actually had to say to three of my children, "Do not follow me into the bathroom while I'm peeing."  (I know everyone likes a pee story.)  Their reasons for wanting me were reasonable enough.  Leah pooped and needed a diaper change. (Everyone likes poop stories too.  Right?)  Sarah wanted a to read a story.  Abby wanted to recite a Bible verse to me.  Ben wanted to practice his lines for the drama in the VBS musical.  Noah, well, he's just rotten and he wants someone to hold him all the live long day, so his reason was less...reasonable.

It was a night of 30-second tasks turned 3-hour tasks, but I actually managed to cream a few dozen ears of corn while Noah played delightfully in his exersaucer next to me.  As I lifted the giant bag of corn waste out of the trashcan to take it outside, I observed that Noah and I were alone in the kitchen.  I opened the garage, walked out to the trashcan, dropped the bag in, and returned inside.  Where I found Leah.  Standing next to the exersaucer.  Feeding Noah small bits of something.  And he was like a little baby bird.
Just mouth open and ready.  I said to her, "Leah!  What is that?!"  She didn't even look up and replied as casually as you can imagine, "Those are rocks."

Rocks.

In the total elapsed time of what couldn't have been more than 45 seconds, my two year old filled my seven month old's mouth with fireplace pebbles.  He didn't want to give them back to me either.  Delicious, I tell you.

After she was appropriately scolded for what might have been a terrible, terrible catastrophe, I laughed.  Because we have to.  And what I mean by that is, we really should.  It makes this life so much better. 

Then...we took some pictures in a basketball trashcan.  Because I'm delirious, and I thought it would be funny.

And now I have the pleasure of trying to write a title for this randomness. 

My goodness.  It's so time to go to bed.  I've got more thriving to do tomorrow.  Hope you've all had a blessed June!