What a day!

My day started bright and early this morning with a crying baby and a Bryanna in my face.  I actually love waking up that way, they are so cute.  Steven just does a fake fuss to let me know he wants me to come get him, which is why I think it's kinda cute.
Then started the marathon morning of cleaning and de-cluttering. I was out running errands yesterday when Dan called me on my cell phone around 5:00 to tell me that the photographer was coming to do the pictures of the house for the Realtor today!  Yesterday of all things we had taken a bit of a breather and the house was quite messy, and to top it off I had a ladies Auxiliary meeting for the Fire Dept. up in McKinleyville (a 30 minute drive North) which started at 6:30.  So it was a big push, had Daniel mow the lawns, put on a new basketball net and clean up a bit all while watching the little ones.  Jamie was working a side job and Kierstynn was at a meeting so he had to go it alone, Steven decided to be fussy so he didn't get to much done.  I am thankful for what he did get done though and that he was able to watch the kids.
So this morning was cleaning, straightening and de-cluttering even more for the photo session (trust me it's a good thing they weren't photographing the closets!  They were full to the gills, now to empty and reorganize them all.  It never seems to end!  I am already getting burnt out as this is my 3rd time of frantically cleaning for a "showing" and we haven't even shown it officially to any buyers!  Tuesday morning is the big day, it hits the MLS!  They are doing a virtual tour along with the photo's so that is a pretty cool experience, he showed me some of his pictures he was taking today, he is good at what he does that is for sure.  When you see the pictures I will warn you me house NEVER looks like that for real!  Well let's say it hasn't until the past couple of weeks, my neighbor and friend loves to come look at it when it's all cleaned up for the showings, because it looks so beautiful and she never get's to see it look like that.
Thankfully my friends bailed me out at the last minute and took the kids, could not have done it without them for sure!  Sarah Mandville took Ariel, Kaitlynn, and Bryanna from 10:45-3:30, that is a long time.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!  And Martha Kent and  her son/helper Josh Kent took Steven for 3 hours, in fact it was really cute because Josh and Steven fell asleep together.  He LOVES babies, so he was in heaven!
To top it all off, today we had a heat wave it was still 83 degrees out at 5:00 this evening!  For us that is HOT!  And I was inside sweating all day, cleaning all morning and then helping the photographer for 3 hours.  After that I brought Kierstynn and Kaitlynn home (Daniel had just gotten home when we did from work around 4:00), they stayed home while I took Steven, Ariel and Bryanna with me.  I still had all the grocery shopping to get done for the week and for the backpacking trip.  I was so short on time I really ended up getting the necessities for us and doing all the backpacking shopping instead.  So it was one of those eat whatever you can find nights around here (Top Ramen, Chicken Nuggets, Popsicles, you get the idea).
The boys are now all packed for their trip and ready to go, Dan is coming home from work around 6:00-6:30 in the morning so they can hopefully hit the road by 7:00 because tomorrow is a scorcher inland (high 90's to 100's)  not fun for hiking 10 miles in!  Please pray for their safety, I always worry when Dan takes a group alone even though the oldest is turning 21 this weekend and they range in age from 15 on up.
Still have my punch list of little things to finish on the house but they may not get done!  I am starting to experience burn out!  Who really cares right?!  I just don't want it to take months or even a year to sell this thing!  I think we will take most, if not all of tomorrow off (the girls, Steven and I) and enjoy the sun!  Most of our friends are leaving for the weekend so they are busy but maybe we can find someone who would like to go to the beach or park with us.
I am so blessed, I just have to say that, the Lord really does supply all my needs, there are so many gifts around me that I know I miss a lot of them, or I don't see them as the gifts they really are.  Like keeping the house cleaner is a huge gift because we are all having to learn to clean up behind ourselves to keep things from getting bad, yesterday and this morning were a good reminder of why that is important.  It's a good habit to pass to my children anyway.  Above all the word of God and my relationship with him, my husband and my children is where the real value is.  Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name.