Opening my Arms to Recieve

I feel like I have lived nearly a month in 7 days time: sickness, Dr. Appointments, Surgery, Screaming, lack of sleep. a broken washer, more sleeplessness, nebulizer treatments, and many more.  For most of the week, I've been able to sit back and open my arms to receive what He gives and the grace that comes with the receiving.

#1482-1521 of the Gifts the Lord just Keeps Giving

• Aeralind inviting me to play "tickle tickle tickle"
• Two tired sick babies giggling on the bean bag chair
• Girl sleeping the early evening through so I could work on stuff
• Figuring out how to use a Concordance and Greek-Enlish Lexicon
• A & B falling asleep for the 2nd time after Tylenol in our bed snuggled warm
• Derek takin a half-day to go to the ENT with me
• Being celebrities at the ENT because the Dr.'s wife's name is Bronwyn too
• Getting the go-ahead for tubes
• Asking- half joking- if we could do tubes tommorrow
• Being told yes!
• Bronwyn- feverish- taking a long afternoon nap
• Aeralind snuggling with me and playing with her food
• Aeralind and Daddy Jedi-mind tickling each other
• Derek running out to a scratch and dent store to look for washers.
• finding some cheap ones
• Derek gaining the nickname "Rice Man" at our Trader Joes. We buy rice milk 2 cases at a time: enough for 1 whole month.
• The "rice man" bringing home sushi for me!
• Both girls asleep on either side of me when Derek came home.  That hasn't happend since before they could roll.
• Soft breathing in the dark.
• Joy found- even in the hardships
• Girls so shocked by leaving the house in the dark that they were no upset by having no food or drink
• Chicken biscuits eaten in the car.
• Laughter when we arrived at teh wrong surgery center
• More laughter as Aeralind, my easy-going child, started screaming everytime she saw the nurse who put on her pulse oximeter and chest wires.
• Aeralind snuggling right up to the anesthesiologist as he carried her to and from the OR
• Bronwyn begging to be held by Dr. Green and all of us laughing at the way Bronwyn's just love him.
• Both girls coming through anesthesia/surgery fine.
• Finally leaving the surgery center!
• Moments after arriving hom seeing a car pull in the driveway and it being my sweet high school friend Heather.  I totally forgot she was comming.
• Little girls returning ot normal and showing off with squeals and the stealing of each others' food
• Playing with playdough with Heather and the girls
• Hearing about Heather's life
• Seing Bronwyn play after two day of listless fevers
• Getting in a 20 minute nap before the girls woke up from theirs
• Snugggling with two screaming girls for an hour in my bed
• Tylenol
• Little girls begging for and receiving some of my salmon cake.
• Salmon cakes- mostly dairy free babies have to get their calcium from somwhere and they love salmon cakes (and broccoli!)
• Girls sitting on adult chairs eating snacks (they love it!)
• Little girls holding dolls by the hands and dragging lawn mowers behind them.  These truly are girls after my own heart.
• Studying Beauty with Julia