A new day

We've been groaning under the weight of a thick, gray cloud here for a couple of weeks.

A string of external challenges along with some dismal weather and the ever-changing needs of our growing children have seemed, at times, insurmountable.

First, there was the packing...






Then the moving.




We said good bye to one home--our baby's first.



And have been working very hard at making a new house feel like home with

pancake breakfasts ...



... bubbles ...



... make-believe ...



and books.



A new nursery complete with the introduction of a big-boy bed.




And then the sick happened ... to each of the children ... one by one. Snot, coughing, fevers, whining. In short: brief, but real, misery.



There have been many days when deodorant and a good ponytail holder were the only bits of attention I could give my weary body.



There were glimmers of sunshine, too, like first chuckles.



And a job promotion.



At last, this weekend arrived and there was sunshine--real, steady, intense sunshine. It was a new day. We felt healthy, stronger and just a tad bit settled.

We strolled to the beach.



We met up with friends. We dug in our toes. We beamed.



Later, N and I had a date night courtesy of a pretty fantastic brother and sister-in-law. Our batteries are fresh. The outlook seems brighter.

N left early this morning for the first stage of some lengthy travel time and I'm facing more strain and hard work ahead. But I'm hopeful.

The mother and wife I want to be and the mother and wife I am are two very different people right now. I know only time and hard work will bring those two versions of myself closer together.

Meanwhile, with prayer, tears and many heart-to-heart conversations, our little family is surviving and at times thriving, but accomplishing that has required a new level of hard work for N and I, along with a set of parenting skills we didn't possess before Baby H arrived ... before moving our household in the midst of figuring out how to be a family of five.

N and I have done our best to approach every aspect of this transition with optimism, but some things in life are just hard. They're meant to be hard. I hope these days will refine us as parents and bring us closer to each other and to our children.