Ups and Downs. . .

This past weekend was an interesting one to say the least.

It was full of ups and downs ~ the makings of a wonderful roller coaster ride. And, we rode it well ~ for the most part. Even though the weekend was far from perfect, due mostly to the fact that we were still fighting a stubborn stomach bug, it was beautiful and wonderful in so many ways.

It is something that I never thought of when I signed up for a big family. . .

the fact that it takes a good long while for a virus to make its way through a family of 6.

Ugghh.

Friday evening in the hopes that the virus had died a quick death after infecting only Joshua and me, we headed to Chickfila for dinner. The boys had heard the song from the post below so many times last week that they were biting at the bit for some nuggets and sweet tea. So, we walked our darling ones inside the "Chickfila house" (as Lij calls it). We got in line, and after a short wait in line, JCT began coughing. Erik and I made eye contact, a glance of mutual panic. He handed Erik Daniel to me, grabbed JCT, and ran for the nearest door. And, JCT christened the floor of the "Chickfila house" and fertilized their lawn.

God bless them.

And, I had a thought that surprised even me. If you know me, you know that I lament the day that my sons grow up. I want them to stay cute and little. Well, as soon as we got home, Elijah threw up, too, and in that moment with JCT hugging the toilet and Elijah depositing his stomach contents into the sink, I thought to myself, " I can not wait until my children are teenagers." Then, at the very least, they could give me a 45 second warning before they begin to, you know...

This is what my middle men felt like at 3:00 in the afternoon on Friday. . .

And, this is what they looked like at 6:00 in the evening. . .

Kids are amazingly resilient!

But, in other news our caterpillars "hatched" (as Joshua calls it) into beautiful butterflies! The boys and I were even able to watch one of the butterflies emerge. Very cool.

And, another little change happened. . .

My big boy asked his Daddy to teach him to ride without training wheels. . .

Success. . .

And, on Sunday I had the great of honor of standing beside my precious friend at her church where she was asked to speak about her walk through the deepest, darkest time in her life, her struggle with depression. And, before she spoke I stood beside her and worshipped, and we sang In Christ Alone. And, the words struck me as never before. A perfect prelude to her testimony. The words below touched my heart especially knowing her story. . .

"...And as He stands in victory,

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;

For I am His and He is mine—

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—

This is the pow'r of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home—

Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand."