Your grace is enough

This past week I was really wishing I had Ree Drummond's phone number.  I had the sudden urge to call her up and ask her a question.  Not a question about a recipe.  Not a question about photography or homeschooling either.  Not a question most people would want to ask her.   I wanted to ask her, from one farmer/rancher's wife and mom of toddlers to another, how did you do it when they were this age?  At the age where mom rules their world.  At the age where they can't just go with daddy on the tractor yet or help with cattle for the day.  At the age where it is just you and them all day from dawn till way past dusk, and everything is dramatic in the almost 4 year olds life and everything is dangerous in the 18 month olds life.  I know I have many friends whose husbands work all day and some that even don't get to come home every night (I am thankful for that) and I could pry their brains for some advice; however, none of them live far away from neighbors or a park or a pool or a movie theater or another human semi close to their age to just get some adult contact with.  This harvest season has been the hardest on me yet, but I am so thankful every day that CR walks out the door to the field, because it is a blessing to have a harvest to harvest.  You get that?  It's been a few years since we have had a full on harvest … I might go as far to say as we have not had a full harvest since the kids have been here.  I know CR was finishing harvest when Kirby was born, but all the years since have been odd.

We have finally gotten into a place where we make it each day … I always tell myself, "If you can make it till 4:30, then you're good."  For some reason that is the magic time.  After that, we hit routine mode and everything goes smoother.   Get dinner going for the field guys, feed the kiddos, pack the dinner and take to the field, then home for bedtime routine.  Maybe this is telling me something … maybe all the rest of the day should be more routine, too.

Brother Bill said something last week in his sermon that really, really, really spoke to me.  Like, I slapped myself on the head and said "duh Lauren" after he made his point.  He said, "If God has called you to something, whatever it may be, then he will fully equip you to carry it out."  My first thought was photography and I felt totally guilty for that (but I am real with you so the guts of me is what you get) … He called me to quit teaching and start a stay at home career, and has blessed every step of the way beyond anything I could have ever imagined.  He equipped me with amazing mentors, skill, and continues to bless me with clients every single day.  However, even before that (and here is the duh, palm to forehead moment) he called me to be a mom.  First Kirby's momma and then Patton's.  Therefore, HE. WILL. FULLY. EQUIP!  That means you too, momma.  Any of you moms out there, you know it is hard and sometimes not pretty, but He will completely, utterly, entirely, equip us to get through each day.  And to not only get through, but to bless our getting through because we are doing what he called us to do.  Hardest, most precious job ever.  And you've got all you need in His strength. So why do we worry, fret, get impatient, and freak out from time to time …. because we are human and we need him.  Thank you Lord for your grace.  And for loving me in all my freak out on my children moments.

 Dinner drop off and visit to the field is a favorite of ours.

 Cousin visits always help break up the monotony.

 Kyleigh got to stay a little extra to help around the farm and earn some money.

 She prepared the dinner for us one night ;)

 A sweet reminder of our Creator and his mercies.

Meltdowns … remind me it's good to be persistent now.

 Oh hey, just one of Patton's new games … 

 Kyleigh got crazy with the paint.

 Here is my attempt at the chronological events of grain harvest … my city folks will love this!

Combine headed down the middle of the road, stopping traffic I am sure, to get to the field.

 Combining (cutting) the grain.  You will notice 2 other tractors in the field.  The one on the left side of the picture is pulling a chisel plow (my daddy came to run it!).  This goes through the field to chisel up what is left of the grain stubble, making organic matter for the ground.  The tractor to the far right of the picture is pulling the grain buggy.  This is what the combine dumps the grain into, and then the buggy goes and dumps on a truck.  This is helpful so that when the combine gets full in the middle of the field, the buggy can get the grain.

After the grain is taken to the truck, the truck either will go to our headquarters to put into the big grain bins, or straight to the port.  It is great when it goes straight to the port … cuts out quite a bit of in between work.  The truck driver got up and grabbed a shot of all the trucks in line that day … there were over 100.  

 Then the port ships it off.  But how cool is this ….

 one day we had to run an errand in Kingsville and got stuck at the railroad crossing.  Look what was coming through!  That is grain in those there rail cars.  Now next time you see a KCS (Kansas City Southern) rail car coming through, you will know what is in there!  

 Paw was gracious enough to come down and help for a few weeks.  He not only helped in the field, but he helped at home.  He taught Patton how to march, which is also one of his new favorite things to do.

 What your laundry room looks like when you have a climber.

 Last week Kirby discovered what we call the scale house.  It is a little tin building set up by the grain bins so that we can weigh and document trucks as they drop and pick up grain or corn.  It is now her office.

I love that statement.  And I know these are not the deepest waters I will ever be in, but they are deep enough for me right now.  It is such a gracious blessing that we finished the last of the corn Friday night just minutes before a huge storm came in.  Now we have almost a week of no harvest before the cotton begins.  Still work to be done, but not like the daunting days in the field.  Pray for us as we plow through the rest of this wonderful lifestyle we have been given.  I could not ask for more than we have been given, and I do not ever mean to come across to complain.  I am just staring our pockets of time with you and praying that my words of truth can comfort another southern momma out there too.  

"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31