Answer to the Prayer of Jabez

I love Sundays. If i'm lucky, Daddy watches all 3 boys and I go for a nice run before church, all by myself, no stroller, no bikes to keep up with, just me and my miles. Today, Daddy lay sleeping in bed, still recovering from spring football and i didn't have the heart to wake him just so i could get my fix. So i loaded up and prepared for a stroller workout: bottles, paci, toys, diaper and wipes, water babies sunscreen. We were off and as we were walking out the door, tucker asked if he could come along on his bike. My run was beginning to take shape as an "oh well, maybe later," kind of thing. But Tate was excited to have Tucker beside us, talking up a storm and we hadn't even made it down the hill.

Tucker is always asking me to tell him stories, remind him of things from the past, or write about him in my blog. i'm not sure if this is what he had in mind, but today i witnessed one of those moments that will become "one of those stories." We decided to head to the track where it's easier to push a stroller with a 25 pound baby. Well, here's when Tucker became my hero. Instead of logging my miles behind a baby jog, Tucker offered to take Tate and play with him under the Magnolia tree. I was on my own!!! Free to run--ALONE!!! Every lap around I came back to them and they were laughing, giggling, practicing Tate's walking, playing chase, and bouncing on the high jump mats. Tate didn't cry for me once. What a perfect morning, and running had nothing to do with it.

There's an ineffable amount of joy in watching your children laugh, seeing them happy. A parent is only as happy as his saddest child, but today we were all on the moon. Not only is there joy when all our kids are playing together, but for us there is also a lot of irony in watching those two play; that is the baby Tucker did not want. To say that he was distraught when he heard the news of a new baby doesn't even begin to describe that night. He left the table, locked himself in his room, and eventually asked (quite seriously, i'm afraid) if we could take the baby to an orphanage. Tanner, he insisted, was the only brother he wanted. My joy was squashed. How could i do this to my first born child, hurt him so, not even consider his feelings? Not even a sonogram was going to fix this. (Tanner you might ask, well he took it much better. As if to prove himself the "good child" said, "I don't care if we have another kid." That was it and marched off to play DS). HOurs later and a trip to Home Depot, Billy had saved the day. We would totally redo tucker's room in a Georgia theme. Problem solved? ehh, not quite. He still wasn't happy, but atleast he was talking to me.

I think about that night almost every day, because the baby Tucker didn't want is practically being raised by Tucker. Ever since I brought Tate home from the hospital and Tucker felt comfortable enough to touch him and hold him, he's been an ever present fixture in Tate's life. He picks out his clothes each morning, helps with bathtime, makes sure i have the camera ready for all the big moments, shares his snacks with him, scolds him for putting things in his mouth, and races to his bed each time he wakes from a nap. Tucker has been just as excited at each of Tate's milestones as I have from crawling, getting his first tooth, and now his first steps.

God is good, and i am fortunate enough to see it every day. For those of you with only one child right now, experiencing the unbelievable excitement in everything that child does, let me tell you. You know you are blessed, so thankful that God has allowed you to be a parent, bestowed upon you the most awesome responsibility and privilege imaginable. Now, imagine that joy ten fold, a hundred fold, even greater than that. That is what I am part of every time Tucker and Tanner play with Tate.

Several years ago, Billy began reading and repeating the Prayer of Jabez, following the author's advice on how to ask God to bless our lives and do great things. The prayer goes something like this:

"And Jabez called upon the God of Israel saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory. . . so God granted him what he requested." God always answers our prayers, just not always in the way we think He will. Not too long after he brought that prayer into our lives, Tate was born.

Now if that isn't an answered prayer, I don't know what is:)