Skies of Grey

No idea why these did not load yesterday but I obviously was a little rushed finishing up yesterday's post because just realized today they weren't included.  Oh, well.  I like them extra much, so here they are to close our USA Adventures posts!

I think our little girlies were a bit weary by this part of the day!

So, the end of July, we packed our SIX huge, 70 pound luggage pieces (3 rolling suitcases and 3 packing tubs...and in case you did not do the math, I will do it for you.  That is over 400 pounds of stuff that my poor husband single-handedly loaded onto carts in customs and reloaded twice, God bless him!), said our goodbyes and 3 planes, 3 countries, no less than 3 times through security check points and 24 hours of traveling later, we were H.O.M.E.  Oh, there is truly no place like home.  We were more than grateful to finally be here, even though the cold, chilling Sao Paulo weather hit us in the face like a very unwelcome "welcome home"!!!

We are most grateful for those who made this trip possible and you know who you are.  We are overwhelmingly grateful to those who had us in their homes, fed us abundantly, loved on us unconditionally, showered our children with lovely gifts, and filled our love cups to overflowing.  For those of you who pray for us faithfully: please, as always, continue "without ceasing!"  This week I have had two very disturbing dreams about the safety of our little girl and have had an urgency in my heart to pray even more faithfully for God's protection over my little family.  It is truly a crazy city we live in, but our hope and trust is in a heavenly Father who promised in His Word that,

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the almighty...He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart...For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways...Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name."  Psalms 91:1,4,11,14.

May we only continue to dwell in His shelter and truly love and acknowledge HIM as Lord!

Today can only be described in our part of the world as G.R.E.Y.
The skies are grey, the buildings are grey, the roads are grey.  The drizzling, cold rain is grey.
It is the kind of day that if too many follow each other, I get very s.a.d and d.o.w.n.

But SPRING is on it's way to the southern hemisphere, PRAISE THE LORD!
Since Pinterest is beginning to fill up with Thanksgiving ideas, I got this bright idea today to use some frozen, homemade pumpkin puree and make something "Thanksgivingy" even though of course, I am longing for Spring and not Fall!  My Pumpkin Squares are not what I imagined them to be, but they'll work.  For now.

I very obviously need to go to the grocery.  Out of too many key items.  Maybe that is why they are less than fantastic.  The pumpkin squares, that is.  Anyway, with the smell of pumpkin in the air and my one, lone candle giving off it's brave, cheery glow, my home is not grey.  Nor is my heart.

Today my heart is full of anticipation.  I know the weeks ahead bring many changes and transition to our home but I am truly excited for them all.  My excitement in meeting our little boy child is growing with each day.  As my body grows ever more and more uncomfortable, I long more and more for his arrival day.  I wonder who he will look like.  I can't wait to smell him, hold him, welcome him into our family.  Tell him he is so welcome and so much anticipated and so prayed for.  Tell him that even though mommy doesn't like being pregnant, nurturing him and bringing him into this world is one of my greatest joys this side of heaven.  Oh, I simply can hardly wait!

The children's room is coming together.  Slowly.  Will post pictures soon.  Chloe is adjusting to her new, big-girl bed.  The first night she demanded that "the lady bring back my old crib.  I don't want to share it with the other baby girl anymore!  I want my bed back!"  I explained that she would not even fit in the crib much longer and so even if we had not given it away, she would still need to get a new bed.  Then because her bed is a trundle that slides under the crib and changing table, she was concerned that after she went to sleep we would slide her away under little brother's bed.  I tried to not laugh when I finally figured out why she was so concerned about "scratching her head on the baby's bed"!!!  I explained that as long as she was in it, the bed would be pulled out well away from baby's bed!  She has been more okay with the whole thing since then.

Where, oh, where does the child get these ideas.  Yesterday she told me she could not eat lunch with me because she already ate lunch at school and if she ate two lunches, she would "get fat."  I gulped on my mouth full of food and asked incredulously who told her that.  She shrugged nonchalantly and said, "no one." I, again trying to not laugh, said she is way too active to run much risk of getting fat at 3 years old!  But the other side of me felt a little sad that those topics are coming up already, at 3 years old.  Sigh.

Lord, give me wisdom to know how to respond with discernment and understanding to this child who on one hand is still my baby girl, but on the other is turning into a little girl before my eyes!

May the light of the Lord Jesus shine in your heart and homes today and throughout this weekend!