"AAACCKKK....ATTACK!"

I picked this Tim photo because it looks as though that little bitty rock is holding up that giant one....and it is! With just the right angle and stance, this thin rock is holding a BIG load. Kinda similar to when Jesus empowers us to endure hardship....like this week for me.

Yeah...serious attack this week. It started on Friday when our four-year-old was stuck in the house with me all day long.....and then again on Saturday....that afternoon, he decided to bring out every annoying and disobedient behavior known to man. Great. I recognized it as a total attack from satan and began to pray. We hadn't seen this behavior from this kid in a long time. It didn't change.

I thought that this weekend was not a good time to have poor behaved kids around as Tim had several commitments and I would be on my own with the kids for a good portion of the time. It was also the weekend that I was to be the doula at my very first birth and we were also planning and preparing for our benefit spaghetti dinner on Tuesday night. Whew...lots to do and very little time to devote to misbehaving kids. But it didn't stop with the four year-old.

Next came our three wonderful boys that we have every other weekend. Saturday night seemed like a breeze compared to our run-in with the devil in the four year-old.....but then Sunday morning hit like whiplash.....

Our 9 year-old started puking...PROJECTILE BILE all over the floor-the bathroom-his bedroom- everywhere.

And then he felt better.....we decided to go to church....BAD IDEA. Once we pulled into the parking lot....PUKE....inside the church bathroom....PUKE....I decided to leave the two other boys with Tim at church and take the poor puking boy home....PUKE in the car....PUKE in his bed.....PUKE....PUKE....BURP. He was white as a ghost, shaking....feverish. Oooky. I treated him like a king and put some soft music in his room...oh the ginger ale....the cool washcloth...you know the drill...boy #1 was tucked in. Ahhh.

Then Tim came home with the other two boys and took off to see the Super Bowl at his brother's house 'cuz things seemed to be under control with puky boy downstairs and hyper boys upstairs....in the process, my mother-in-law even brought me flowers....AND I WASN'T SICK! What a blessing...I needed those flowers to get through the storm brewing just after 4 pm.

"Bethany, I feel sick." said boy #2. And then....PUKE. Yes, that's right...now two boys puking their guts out all over the place.....the SMELL....OH THE SMELL. The house may never recover, not to mention the bathroom floors. And poor boy #3 was feeling left out...needed attention...needed entertainment...so he picked a fight with puking boy #2 and then threw a GIANT tantrum!

Yes, now I had boy #1 puking and crying, boy #2 puking and yelling, and boy #3 destroying his room screaming and pounding that he wants to go home. And then there's me....on the verge of tears wanting my Tim to come home and help me cope. It was after 6 pm and I was no longer able to tend to all three sicky boys. Then boy #3 began to get violent...throwing things and was becoming a bit of a danger....he required all the attention...so I was praying and calling Tim...."COME HOME, TIM, I NEED YOU!" was my weepy cry. And he came 45 minutes later....

About 8:30pm I took puky boy #1 and #2 back to their family to get them away from boy #3 and to recover from our eventful weekend. And boy #3 was STILL tantruming....destroying almost eveything he could get his hands on (remember that we're planning a benefit dinner here at the house for Tuesday? I was enjoying the anxiety of having to clean up after this work week!). Then, at 9:30pm he finally ran out of steam and fell asleep. That's a good 4 hour tantrum! Impressive.

We didn't get to sleep until after midnight with two gravols each and oodles of prayer.

Boy #3 woke up the next morning not remembering anything. I woke up with a GIANT headache and tummy ache...hoping the flu hadn't decided to visit me again..... Tim woke up with a sore foot and a headache....and we were ALL emotionally empty and exhausted. Talk about attack. YUCK.

And today, I am tired and yet, full of hope because tomorrow cannot be worse than Sunday. It is becoming more and more real to me that the further we get along in our planning for the Philippines, the more adversity we will face...BUT, in the end, regardless of the journey...WE WIN BECAUSE......

1 John 4:4:
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

I AM SOOOO GLAD! Be blessed.
PS. I am still waiting for my first birth....no labor, yet! I'll keep you posted.