Fly On The Wall...

Melinda writing again. Recently I was over the Alexander house, taking care of Arbonne business, when it dawned on me what I was witnessing.. It was as if I was a fly on the wall, getting to listen and watch the interaction among the kids and MaryBeth. For all who wonder how the family is, I thought I'd give you a "fly's eye view" of this brief moment that I got to hang in the home.

Bruce was resting in his room, and MaryBeth was giving orders to Isaac & Pearce on getting their rooms ready for new beds that were arriving the next day. There was hustle and bustle going on upstairs, music playing, the boys playing while MBA fast-talked to them. It went something like this.

"Pearce, I need you to move your --- and clean behind it. Pearce, Isaac, Isaac, Pearce, boys! Your dad is resting, you need to be more quiet. Isaac, help Pearce move the -- so he can clean behind it. The beds are coming tomorrow so this must be done now..." All the while, MBA yells to me that she will be right down, which is not a problem because I am in no hurry.

As MaryBeth and I move to the table, the playing continues upstairs. Eventually, she calls for Isaac to come down. He's going in and out of sight while MBA calls out, "Isaac, I need your attention. Isaac, stop doing that. Isaac, Isaac, Isaac, come here." Any moment I wait for MaryBeth to get angry. Instead, as Isaac giddily walks to her, and places his chin just above the laptop so that he is within inches of MBA's face, MBA speaks slowly to him on what she needs from him. He shows his braces (smiles), blinks (as if batting his eye lashes) and says, "Yes, Mom.. I don't know why but it's very hard not to start laughing right now... Yes, Mom." And he goes back upstairs. Inside, I'm about to crack up, but I figure that would only encourage him. Guess what MaryBeth does... She snickers and we get down to business.

Spencer had been quietly reading in the corner of the room (so quietly that I had no idea he was there!) when MBA asked if he could go upstairs and help his brothers. Without hesitation, he responded warmly and was upstairs in a slow flash (if that makes sense). Soon after, Mikaela came down and greeted me, then checked the stove to see what was cooking. She lifted the lid, said, "Hmm, that smells good." When MaryBeth told her dinner would be ready soon, she kindly said, "I'm not really hungry."

The home is filled with love and joy. Yes, there are tears, but laughter is nearby. God's presence is strong there.

Mary Beth is a gem; she is quick to acknowledge God as the Sovereign I AM. She has some tough hats to wear, and counts on Him to provide what she needs to effectively wear each hat.

Below are some photos from my camera. Enjoy.

We call ourselves the Joyful group, after the first Women of Faith Conference we attended together.

My mom and Laura joined me to hear about the products in MBA's orange bag.

Some of the Arbonne samples that feel and smell so nice!

Way back in December, during the Emerald Bowl, I took a few pictures of Isaac, Pearce and Bruce, along with a bunch of friends, on the streets of San Francisco.