Suitcase parade

About a week ago we realized that with only four large suitcases we had to go shopping for more.  At a discount store we found lots of suitcases with nice small prices, and we happily let the kids choose the colors they wanted.  It was only as we were paying for nine suitcases that we realized we had to get them home.  Remember we have five children, two adults and only seven seats in our mini van.  Now might be a good time to mention that we also had a half dozen folding chairs riding in the back of the van.   Yeah, it was crazy.  But we are crazy, it's part of what makes us a family.  It only took us about 10 minutes to get the kids and suitcases loaded.  Three of the suitcases were a little larger than the others, so we packed a smaller one in each.  Only two fit in the back with the chairs.  One rode under the two year old's feet.  One went across the laps of the three oldest kids in the back row.  One more fit in the space between our four year old and the door.  The last suitcase rode on Paul's lap while Diane drove.  This is what that craziness looked like.

Managing to get the suitcases home is only half the story.  They also had to be packed.  We spent the next few days sorting and trying to organize the things we most want to take with us to Cambodia.  We were overwhelmed with the prospect of getting it all packed.  One at a time we started filling and weighing suitcases.  As we got them done we shuffled things around so that none were too heavy.  We also happily added things from the want pile when the need pile was all packed.  By the time we were finished we were looking at this.

I'm sure it will be fun to watch us make our way into and out of airports with all these bags and five children.   This is sure to be one of those stories we will look back at with laughter ten years from now.  It's good that we don't have to wait to laugh, because this sure has been a crazy week and I need a good laugh.

Proverbs 17:22a
A cheerful heart is good medicine...