You can't make this stuff up!

   So, hubby and I went to a marriage conference today. Just a one day, cram it all in kind of deal. We actually won the tickets to attend by winning the most games at a couples' date night not long ago! We were excited to go, having attended it last year as well.
   We heard all sorts of great things, but one that stuck out the most to both of us was the need to put our relationship before work and kids. I think it resonated with us so much because the couple that expressed this need were much like us. They were married a little longer than us, but had six kids. They are Kirk and Chelsea Cameron. Kirk had realized he was putting work first and Chelsea had realized she was putting the kids first and they just met along the way once in a while. Boy, could we relate.
   Well, we got home at around 4, relieved the sitters (yes, more than one) and started to do what needed to be done, like usual. We ran some errands which all revolved around the kids and their school - books from the library, fish from the pet store (for science), and a game from Kmart. We got home, fed them all dinner, and started baths.
   Here's where the irony of it all comes in! As I'm bathing the little ones and Andrew's cleaning dinner up, the older two are racing through the house, the middle two are getting soaked "helping" mom in the bathroom. I got the little ones out and sent them on their way to start the middle two. In the midst of that, Andrew comes into the bathroom holding a fish tank kind of cock-eyed and with wide eyes and a panicked expression asks, "what temperature does the water need to be for the fish?"
   "What?" is all I can muster. Here he is with about two tablespoons of water left in the tank and holding it so all the water has run to one corner and there in lies the fish with no room to move. "Room temperature," I reply, confused. Turns out the toddler had decided she needed to see what that was, moving around in there and had dumped it all over the school room. Oh yes, it's a carpeted room, no less.
   Not five minutes after that, the twin girls are found downstairs sitting side by side on the couch watching the Olympics, each munching on an apple. We have no inkling of where they got those apples, but they had whittled them down to the cores and were happy as could be. Needless to say, it became bedtime for them.
   Andrew looked at me and all he could say was, "Boy it's been a trying day for parenting. And we were gone for most of it!" So true.
   Are there days when it isn't trying, when it doesn't take every ounce of energy from your body? Are there days when we don't turn to each other and say, "What have we gotten into?" No, there aren't. And although it's taxing, it's painful, and it seems never-ending, for some reason we wouldn't want it any other way.
   We still have work to do to get our relationship first, especially in the midst of the craziness that is our life. And we won't get it right for a while, I'm sure. But, the great part is, when we have nothing left to give our spouse because we've given it all to others or other things, we can turn to Jesus and he'll fill us up. Then we can turn back to our spouse and give from a reservoir that we didn't realize we had. Thank you, Jesus.