Why We Have To Disappear Sometimes

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This blog…AHHHHH. I so badly want to be faithfully in keep track of our memories here, but most days I just have to live into what is going on in the day to day, rather then stress about remembering or recording it. Currently, I can’t do all our laundry, feed anyone any food on real dishes, brush my hair, make my bed, or clean up food under the highchair. So… if by chance there is some golden, extra time I will immediately fall into a deep 2 minute coma only to be awaken by someone diarrheaing into their boots and all over the playset. Free time is cursed for mothers. If there is quiet time there is probably some disaster lurking right around the corner.

Actually, I used to have free time when there were two kiddos and they laid down for naps and it was such a nice break. Now,  that world is long gone and these busy 6-9 year olds have serious NEEDS during quiet time (snacks, you tube research, school, chores, hobbies, nail painting, fire building and more snacks). Life continues to change and it is a struggle to change with it when you lose more of “you” time and do more “them” time. We must disappear for some seasons into our families to do the praying and ministering that is needed and we can’t always emerge for a good long while. After a baby I have to disappear, after a bad sickness or a child who struggles with lots of obedience or learning issues. I get worn down and sick and physically can’t do the things I used to be able to.  I used to struggle with that. There was so much I wanted to do outside of my home. There was so much I wanted to inside my home that couldn’t get done. I have learned to welcome the season of rest and hibernation. I am learning that motherhood has a lot of that. I am naturally a doer. I measure my worth on what I can accomplish off my to-do list. God has freed me from that by taking me through season of not being able to accomplish anything off my to-do list. Now I know it is not about what things I accomplish in the day, but how I have loved that day.

So…I have to take what I can get in the memories department… two years behind in the photo books (I don’t know if JohnLuke will ever get a baby book), a year absent from a blog and getting farther behind by the moment. I will choose to be joyful that we are living the day that we have right now.

Here is us… in our “disappearing days”:

It all started with this little guy. Seriously..take a good long look at the look on my face. That is not the face of pure joy...more like "I want to kill someone." My poor, sweet, blessed husband.

Yay...He came and we were both alive and healthy! Another miracle.

 Okay...this is what happens when you have six kids. You start taking name suggestions and casting lots. You just about got "Jason Bourne Bartlett" buddy, thanks to Aunt Julia and Uncle David stopping in after their movie date.

Our growing tribe celebrating our favorite season of Jesus' birth.

Dad keeps sharing his hobby with these boys so they will grow up and become his 4 man team.

We had a brief lapse of resolve in parenting and said yes to a snake...

 and a guinea pig. I liked the snake until he escaped and lived in our basement until we found him two months later. I always hated the guinea pig and dreamed at night of creative ways to "let him go to a better place".

 We went on vacation with the Rivera's to FLORIDA. It was AMAZING. I dream of going back...every day.

This girl started doing this...

so we got these. Now she is even cuter! I didn't even think it was possible.

This is why we had to go on vacation somewhere warm...to escape the strep throat epidemic. 

I escaped to Arizona with only two girls and a sister and told Justin I was never coming back. He got a little nervous when our return flight got cancelled.  It was the Lord, knowing I needed just one more day.

 This little boy spent the last year being snuggled...

 and snuggled

and snuggled

 and snuggled 

and one more snuggle just in case he didn't feel loved enough.

We kept our Easter traditions alive even though it seemed like there wasn't an extra minute in each day.

We had friends over and taught them our mad chess skills.

We got to welcome the newest cousin all the way from China. We left at midnight to meet him at the airport. One of the highlights of our lives.

Dad hit the slopes with these two. Olympics here we come!

The keep getting older and it becomes more of a joy to be a parent to them. Spencer turned nine and Jack turned eight. We celebrated with an epic Nerf battle and the parents celebrated by sitting.

Where I can be found most moments of the days... with all my littles snuggled around me.