One amazing month....

Today is July 25th... One month post surgery!  Ezekiel is growing so quickly and is much more alert as we are quickly approaching his due date!  At his 1 month check up, he was 7lbs. 3 ozs!
I am starting to feel like we are getting back to "life as normal" (or at least as normal as it was before all this)!  We have gone out 3 times this week... and although I come home feeling like I got hit by a bus - we are making it work!  The older kids have been so helpful when I need to just lie down for a bit.  The 4 younger ones (ages 5 and under) have also started "settling" again - praise God!  Everytime I put a prayer request out there... God answers it almost immediately!  We are so blessed!
Now... to get the school room organized so that we can start school!  Shortly after moving, I was put on bed rest, and never got to finish organizing the school/playroom.  I like structure.  I like organization.  I like everything to have a home (and be in it)!  I have been stretched A LOT in that area over the last couple of months... and I have survived!  However, I am feeling the "need" to get it done now.  It seems that every "milestone" I pass (surviving 3 times out with all 8 kids in the last 5 days), it encourages me to press on!
We have decided to go visit some good friends that live in Georgia!  This is a trip we had planned last year, but cancelled, not thinking it was going to be possible with all that was going on with me.  And now, glory to God, I am well and feel good enough to take a road trip with the whole gang!  We are all excited to see our friends and to just get away and enjoy each other!  Now... To pack x10!!!
This Sunday, Pastor Tom has asked me to share my testimony in front of church.  I am excited to share ALL that God had done in the last couple of months, but am terrified of sharing from stage!  I can write all day... But to be in the spotlight is not my thing!  What is encouraging is that God will be glorified and His word says that if He is lifted up, He will draw men to Him!  It is amazing to see that God has grown my faith tremendously over the last month!  It has truly been a whirlwind of craziness and I haven't had the "quiet time" with God that I am used to (mostly because if I sit down somewhere quiet... I fall asleep), but feel so blessed and so overwhelmed by what He has done for me - knowing I didn't deserve any of it!  God is so good!  So so good!!!  It blessed me beyond belief to see that my 17 year old daughter (also an introvert) is going to get on stage and play and sing a piano solo to the song "Victory is in the Blood" after I share my testimony!  And it was her idea!  To those of you that know Dakota, this is nothing shy of a miracle!  It is so amazing how God works!  Please pray that I would share what God wants me to share... Nothing more and nothing less!  Also, please pray for peace and confidence for myself and Dakota as we both step WAY out of our comfort zones!  I pray that God would continue to be glorified as we share and that He would use this testimony as a means to show His unfailing love to anyone that's faith is weak... cause that was me a month ago!
This is probably my last post... At least for awhile!  I am still working on thank you cards (I've bought 3 packs and am still thinking of others to thank)... for the many that helped make this last month go so smoothly!  I honestly don't know what we would have done without the body of Christ pouring into our family when we needed it most!  Thank you... Your love and service (and yummy meals) have meant more then you know!  May God bless you, my friends!
PS - I started this post on the 25th, but I think it's the 28th now (yeah, life is back to normal)!