Meet Melody

I have two young daughters, ages 2 and (almost) 5. They are wonderful, amazing, (fairly) well-behaved kids. Yet there are always those days where my husband and I find ourselves wondering who's silly idea it was to have so many children. You know, those days where you get into bed at night and just thank God you made it through the day, with everyone all still in one piece. We promise each other that the only way we'll have more children on purpose is if they come with more parents!

On the days I get frustrated, I always find inspiration and motivation and calm in thinking about Melody. Melody has four children. Yes, four! Not only four kids, but four boys! Can you imagine? One is grown but three of them are in their teen/tween years. Three tween boys?!?!? Yikes! Compared to that, my life is cake!

There's more to her story, though. The three youngest boys? All adopted. That's right, Melody and her husband made a conscious decision to open their hearts and their lives to three young boys, to bring them into their own family and love them as their own. Did I mention they're all close in age, and she currently has three tween boys?!?!?

The story still doesn't end there, though. Between them, these three boys live with autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. And yes, Melody knew all that going in. Can you think of anyone with more purpose, more courage or a bigger heart than this woman? I most certainly can't!

Not only is Melody a mother, she's a photographer, a writer, and she has a great sense of humor. In her own words:

I love my life! My special purpose sons take me to places daily in mind and heart that I would have never known existed without them. In sharing photos and a few words from our daily life, I encourage you to look at your life with humor, hope and with the reality that you do what you can do when you can do it. And reminding you to snap photos...lots of photos.

Let me tell you, this woman is amazing. She is an inspiration. She is a daily reminder to stop taking yourself so seriously, to look at your life with a little bit of humor, a whole lot of hope, and to let yourself off the hook on the days you just can't get it all done.

Run, don't walk, over to her blog: Slurping Life. Bookmark it, visit it daily. Melody will make you laugh, she'll make you cry, she'll show you some amazing pictures. More than all that, though, she'll remind you that even on your toughest days, there are others out there going through the same things as you, and if you stop to smell the roses, enjoy the moments and laugh when you can, life will be a much more beautiful place.

Oh -- and if three tween boys?!?!? and one blog wasn't enough, Melody just launched a new blog called whatithink, which is full of blogging reviews, giveaways and contests. Trust me, this lady gets some COOL giveaway stuff, you'll want to check that one out, too!

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat