Do You Know What This Is?

THIS is not just a plate of cookies.

THIS is a plate of love discovered in my diaper bag on Thursday evening.
Made by our new DEAR baby sitter, because she "loves and appreciates our family."

Have I told you the baby sitter saga? About how we had to switch sitters because ours unexpectedly moved? How 1 week before school started we still hadn't found anyone? And how I spent hours on my knees begging God to show me a way to be a stay at home mom? Only to have Him send us Lora Jean...because, as always, He knows best. And how He sent me back to work but blessed our lives tremendously in the form of this woman and her husband...

A woman who sings Jesus Loves Me to our little girl when she's not quite tired yet.
A woman who does little things like buy a swing and hang it from a tree and then take our sweetie out almost everyday to "breathe in some fresh air."
A woman who gives us a bushel of pears because "she had too many" so now we have canned pears at our house too.
A woman who deals with my neurotic, overprotective mommy behavior daily--who didn't laugh in my face when I gave her the not 5 but 6 pages of notes on the first day she kept Natalee, including a full page of almost 20 emergency contact numbers and a print-out for baby CPR. Instead she said, "I bet I'll find this very handy in the next few days," and over the weekend she read it cover to cover.
A woman who has let us invade her house with jumping toys, a pack-n-play, blankies, bibs, bottles, and the like.
A woman who keeps a back-and-forth journal and writes what Natalee eats, how long she naps, and fun things she did throughout the day so I don't feel like such a horrible mommy for working full time.
A woman who has led her husband to fall in love with the blue-eyed blond baby who invades his home weekly...which has resulted in Natalee getting a mid-morning play-mate of Mr. Dean after breakfast and before his chores.
A woman who asked me first, out of consideration of my feelings, if it would be okay to take in another baby girl part-time.
A woman who feeds our girl down home cooking--everyday, twice a day.
A woman who doesn't try to take the place of anyone--she doesn't try to be a mommy, an auntie, or a grandma to Natalee...she doesn't try to invade "my" territory. She loves her position in Natalee's life and thanks us (can you believe it?...thanks she thanks us) for getting the opportunity to share in Natalee's growth!
A woman so humble, so full of Christ, so full of love...

And so, even through a rough and tumble week, we thank you, Lord, for bringing us our Lora Jean. We pray that you will wrap your arms around her and Dean and bless them as they have blessed us. And Lord God, we thank you that you have put our hearts at peace while we are away during the day striving to work for You & turn our jobs into our ministries--providing for more of your children.