Idyllic

Our babies just turned four months old. Insert deep sigh here. They sure are getting big.

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Shane and I took them in for their well baby visits last week. Lieren weighs 13 pounds, 3 ounces. She is a petite little thing; in the 20th percentile. Simeon weighs 14 pounds, 15 ounces and is perfectly average in the 50th percentile. They are right on track with development and seem to be doing just fine (if you don't count all of Simeon's tummy issues!).

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I looked back and at this age Silas was 15 pounds, 13 ounces and in the 70th percentile. If you have forgotten what our firstborn looked like at 4 months, here is a reminder. And just because they are so cute, here are some more pics of him around this age.
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Are these two not the sweetest little things you've ever seen?
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Looking at these pictures I thought: Those pictures look so idyllic; so sweet; so staged...life looks like that about once a week around here!

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The rest of the week we look like every other normal family. Sometimes we wear pajamas all day. Sometimes our clothes don't match. Sometimes we get all the goldfish crumbs wiped off and sometimes not. Lots of days I get the bed made (if made means getting the sheets pulled up and the pillows put in place by 3 in the afternoon) and lots of days I get laundry done (if done means washed and not necessarily put away). But every day we laugh. And every day we play. And every day I have a moment that reminds me it's all worth it.

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I see you're about to think we are an ideal family so let me remind you we're just human. The people I live with would be the first to tell you that I'm far from perfect (although they're all really nice and would sugar-coat my faults enough to make you think I always do the right thing). I get tired. I get cranky. And there are days when I would like to simply go to bed (like last night when I did while Shane and my parents held down the fort without me). In the past 4 months I have said I'm sorry more times than I care to admit and probably should have said it even more.

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So tonight I am grateful that I live with some of the most gracious people on earth.

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Grateful that I belong to a gracious Father, the Only Wise God, whose mercies are new every morning.

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And grateful that I will see this tomorrow...