Mountaintop or Valley?

That was the question posed during worship this morning. Are you on a mountaintop or in a valley? So after I had to leave the worship/service because Elizabeth is becoming more vocal, which is a good thing!, I contemplated that question. This afternoon I realized that I am neither in a valley or on a mountaintop and I am not somewhere in between in the calm foothills. I am hanging from a sheer mountain face, trying to climb the mountain, but with the valley looming ominously below me waiting to swallow me. Now why would I say this?! Everybody has hard times and they do seem to come in seasons of highs and lows. But for us EVERYDAY is filled with peaks and valleys. struggles- Dr. appointments, therapy appointments, cooking gluten free, having a child that's casein free as well!, advocating for my ADHD child, communicating with Elizabeth, feeding Elizabeth, homeschooling a 5th grader and 3rd grader and two in K/preK, keeping the house somewhat sanitized with five children, two dogs and a cat- I am not talking clean freak clean, just livable. victories- Elizabeth is verbalizing more and she is finger feeding herself more foods, my ADHD child is responding to the gluten/casein free diet, our colds didn't last too long, no one else got Mr. M's stomach bug, the generosity of people giving us clothes for Elizabeth, Mr. M is learning letter sounds, long division is becoming less of a laborious task, God provides the money to eat gluten free, Mr. M and Elizabeth are getting the specialized help that they each need, God provided the money for Elizabeth's adoption.
If I stop and think about all that is necessary everyday just for "normal" living, I want to crawl in bed and sleep because just thinking about it makes me exhausted. I feel that I am not doing a half way decent job of anything. One step forward and two steps back. That's the way things have been going. Especially when LIFE happens- a dear friend's marriage is ending, insurance doesn't cover hearing aids, our house didn't sell... But if I can look past my disappointments and look at all that God is doing in our lives, I am overcome with gratitude. I serve a big God who can create the whole world and still cares about even the little things in my life. He knows that I feel like I am hanging on for life and He is giving me the strength to keep hanging on and work my way up to the mountaintop. (the picture is one of our mountaintop moments)

We are SICK

Haven't been blogging because of dealing with sick kids and now Mr. Incredible and I are also under the weather. Hope to be back to posting soon.

Awareness

Today is Orphan Sunday.
The 13th is National Adoption Day.

LOVE

Love is a decision. It is a choice you have to make. There are many days when it is not an easy choice. The object of your love may come in a tiny package that is defiant, deceitful and disobedient. But, you still must make the choice to set yourself aside and minister to that little person and meet them where they are and in a way they can understand.

1 Corinthians 13 (The Message)

The Way of Love

¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

(highlighting is mine)

Mr. M has had some VERY rough days lately. It feels like with every few steps forward, there comes a point where we take those same steps backward. It is in these times that love takes on a whole new meaning and it makes me so grateful for the days that are good. Lord, hasten the good days again.

Ultrasound Results

NORMAL!!!!! Praise the Lord for no kidney stones.

Dr. Appts

We went for the renal ultrasound on Wednesday. Might have results on Friday.
Today we went to the audiologist and he is recommending we see an ENT. She does have significant hearing loss, but she also has fluid in her ears. Lots of details that I don't have time to post about. He thinks she needs hearing aids. Pray that we can get into an ENT quickly (and get hearing aids quickly), she needs to develop her speech. Pray also for peace/timing if she needs tubes in her ears. Thanksgiving is approaching, life is hectic, house showing again tomorrow..... ahhhhhhhh!

Transitioning

Elizabeth wore tights for the first time yesterday and Mr. M asked if they were really big socks, after a brief explanation that they were tights which were similar to socks. He states with a voice of amazement, "Those are REALLY BIG socks!!!"
Our life is going at break neck speed. Appointments for Elizabeth and Mr. Z this week. We continue to wait on paperwork for Mr. M to get into another doctor. I have more paperwork to send off and file. LIFE!!!!
I just wanted to let to touch base with everyone in cyberland and let you know we are still alive. Elizabeth seems to be adjusting well. All the brothers love her to pieces. We made it through our first bout of sickness and everyone is well. I have adoption grant resources I will be posting soon.