Don't Say I didn't Warn ya

I cannot even bear to look and see when the last time I posted a real post was ... ya know, the kind with words and stuff. Yeah, it's been a while.

And because it has been a while there is a lot to say.

I know, you're thrilled :)

But, before you begin, please be aware that this is gonna come with a few warnings. Because things have been crazy round here and I feel the need to keep y'all from such craziness...

WARNING: VBS songs are addicting. They run round and round in your head til it's spinning and then the songs have no escape so they STAY in your head. I was seriously lamenting this fact until I realized that they stay in the CHILDREN'S heads too.

And, really, how awesome is it that, after a week, my girls are still singin things like "I will not be swamped with fear. Cause God is always, always, always, YEAH, God is always here!", "This little light of mine", "You're powerful!" and "In all I do, I honor You"? Yeah ... that is some good stuff right there!

WARNING: Toy airplanes with movable propellers are NOT to be used as hairdryers in the make believe beauty shop of imaginative 5 year old girls. How do I know this? Let's just say a hair emergency of epic proportions was averted by the slimmest of margins.

Too bad too. I almost got to cut my hair off again!

WARNING: The pink lemonaid served at Costco is a STIMULANT to little girls and may cause them to bounce around your house like rubber balls gone berzerk.

WARNING: Celery left in the dark recesses of your refrigerator for MUCH too long becomes a slimey liquid grossness and is NOT to be touched by human hands ... except when hubby refuses to give in and buy a new fridge so wifey can avoid cleaning up said liquid grossness.

Did I mention, it was gross.

WARNING: Knowing that your current youngest child is destined to be your LAST child makes going through the baby stuff, to donate, give away and get rid of, a VERY emotional experience.

WARNING: No matter how sweetly a speech impaired little girl asks (using her voice and everything!) it is NEVER a good idea to mix chocolate pudding and Doritos.

The stains alone make this a bad combination!

And now for the serious one ...

WARNING: Being sure to have the window blinds with the safety cord (without the loop) does NOT guarantee safety. Pulling the blinds all the way open and wrapping said cord around the top of the window, assummedly out of the reach of small children, does not guarantee safety.

Because curious little girls can still find a way to get the cord down and may inadvertently find them selves in a very dangerous situation.

Last Thursday, the girls were playing in Hattie's room while I cooked them some dinner. I heard Sophie begin to cry and assumed they were fussing at each other (as they had been doing all afternoon). I called back, asking them to please get along. A minute later I noticed the the cry was NOT a normal cry so I began to make my way back to the room.

What I found was my baby girl with the blinds cord wrapped TIGHTLY around her little neck and, though she was still crying, it was more of a gurgly cry than a cry-cry. I ran to help her and could not get a hold of enough string to loosen it. So, I grabbed the cord and yanked it from the window, pulling down and breaking the whole set of blinds. But I did get her loose and managed to save my baby from God only knows what.

A week later, she is just fine and all we have to show from our traumatic event is a fading rope burn around her cute little neck, brand new curtains on every window in both of the girls rooms and a lingering phobia of having ANYTHING on her neck - even a necklace.

I COULD spend my time wondering what if - what if I hadn't detected the difference in her cry? What if I had ignored the cry and kept cooking dinner? What if I had not gotten back there in time?

Yes, I COULD worry.

But I am going to CHOOSE to spend my time praising the One who let none of those things happen. The One who heightened my awareness of her cries and let me KNOW that she needed me. The One who protected my baby girl from harm. The One about whom I can sing:

"I will not be swamped with fear, cause God is always, always, always, YEAH!

God is always here!"