Blessings

I have been feeling like I should count my blessings lately. We don't have everything we want, but we certainly have everything we need. We are so blessed.

I have said before how grateful I am for the babysitters we have had. I want to say it again. They are so important to me as a parent, to know that my children are being taken care of while I am at work. And they are important to my children, because they spent a majority of their waking hours with their babysitter. Well, about a month and a half ago, our babysitter's husband had to have surgery. We found a temporary substitute for what we thought would be a week or two. But her husband did not recover very well, and she has had some health concerns. So she told us that she could not continue watching our girls.

So we began talking over what to do and where to look and praying that we could find someone. I felt really strongly that I should ask a friend in my neighborhood. At first, I argued with my feelings, because she has 3 children of her own and she home schools the oldest two. Her youngest is just 6 months older than Gabrielle, so she'd have 5 kids, two of whom are toddlers. That seemed like too much to ask from her. But the feeling persisted, so I asked. And she accepted. And it has been such a wonderful thing for my children. Ella, especially, loves being there. She loves playing with my friend's son who is a year older than her. In fact, she asks if she can play with him every day that we are at home. She tells me regularly that he is her best friend! And Gabrielle adores her oldest daughter. Today in church, Gabrielle walked across the aisle and climbed up into their laps. Thank you Aly! We are so grateful!!