I'm getting the hang of this!

Today was a good day in la casa de McClain! We all came home after church and rested- which was much needed. Matt and I and Audrey have 5 extra hours of school this trimester (1 of those hours is an extra break for Matt and I) and so our day ends at 1 instead of 12 like last trimester. It really wore on us this week. Audrey has not been sleeping well, therfore I have not either. So, we all relaxed after church- and I even took a nap! I can count on one hand the number of times I have done that since we've lived here! When we all got up and moving in the afternoon, I started some little clean up detail around the house. To my surprise Ethan jumped up, wondering what he could do to help. Matt started on the dishes (We have the tiniest sink ever made in our house, so after a few cups and one or two plates are in it - it is full...I had made pancakes for breakfast- so the morning dishes were straggling over to the stove still since I hadn't had time to do them before we left for church...)Anyway, so the boys were busy doing jobs, Isabelle grabbed the broom and stated how much she LOVED to clean! I was busy working on some things in the kids room and Audrey, well Audrey was busy taking care of the cat...or soemthing like that :) For a good hour we all worked on different things and I am telling you what- it was great. Ethan kept asking what he could do to help. Isabelle swept the entire living room/dining room area. It was some great McClain family teamwork! After Ethan had changed the cat litter, taken the garbage out and replaced the bag, and made his bed and his sisters beds and picked up his toys, he said "Mom, I'm getting the hang of this cleaning thing! Can I keep helping you?" Can you guess what my answer was?

For all they have been through the past year, our kids are amazingly well adjusted and for the most part, happy in our new life. They pray with real sensitivity every day for things that blow me away. Ethan prays that the whole world would know Jesus. Isabelle has been asking questions about baptism and communion. And Audrey asks often about where God is and what he looks like and how can she know about God? When I ask her where she thinks God is she places her hand on her heart and says "right here!" And then, usually she proceeds with a list of people she knows have Jesus in their heart, too...

We ended our evening by reading Ramona Quimby (we are on our second book Ramona book) and writing in our prayer journal we have started to keep as a family. Then we prayed before bed.

I think often about the business of life in the states. I think about how busy our last 6 months were before we moved. And I seek the Lord daily, because honestly, it would be so easy to become that busy here. Just being in school keeps us so busy. This trimester it already seems our homework level will be much more intense. We have set homework every day for one class, but it is detailed things and presentations for the class. Then, we add the little we are able to serve in the ministry and it feels like so much sometimes; for our kids we can sense it is way too much at times. Matt and I were used to at least seeing each other for a few minutes between classes last tri, this tri our classes are spread out so much that we see each other from afar, but by the time I get to the bathroom and back our five minute break is done and class starts again...We do still have chapel break together- praise the Lord, but our other breaks are at different times. That is a big adjustment for me.

And then the Lord blesses us with a day like today. Slow paced, filled with glimpses of him at every turn. A day where we were able to take it slow enough to listen to each other and enjoy each other. A day where we were able to remember what is most important in our lives- the Lord and each other- and how every thing else in life comes after those two things.

Thank you Lord for this day. Thank you for the questions that were asked, the answers you provided. Thank you for the gift of family you have blessed me with. Thank you for the moments like today. I pray Lord that they would not be so few and far between.