no place like home.

This time last year, our family had just finished our third Christmas abroad and away from family.  In those three years, we celebrated many holidays, accomplishments, and birthdays as a family of four.  We made birthday cakes that would never make the boards of Pinterest, attempted gingerbread houses from homemade graham crackers, plastered adorned our Christmas tree with ornaments made by little hands, and feasted on a banquet of delicious foods with friends for Thanksgiving (minus the turkey.)  And while those were sweet, sweet times for our family (more memories than will fit on this page), as every holiday or special event, I still missed home.  Not the home that Jason and I created with our boys, but the one where I grew up.  The one I shared with a mama and a daddy and a brother.

Our family moved into that house more than twenty years ago.  Of all the houses we viewed, for a thirteen year old girl, this was THE ONE.  The clincher:  I had my own bathroom.  What more could it need?  I know every corner of it like the back of my hand.  The back door, though surely repainted through the years looks best when my daddy is standing on the other side watching for me to come home.  The kitchen has made many birthday meals, holiday meals, and typical weeknight meals, between the coming and going of busy teenagers.  I know the contents of almost every kitchen cabinet.  I can tell you which stair creaks and where to step if you find yourself sneaking up those stairs a little later than is allowed.



The room (that I still call mine) doesn't look the same as it once did.  Though it still holds my old bedroom furniture, the signs of a teenage girl are barely visible.  But if you open the drawers, the keepsakes are plentiful.  The stool in my bathroom is over twenty years of age, as well.  I've sat on it many mornings to fix my hair from junior high to college, including the dreaded 'teased bangs' phase.  The front yard still holds the tree that barely survived my batting practice in the sixth grade.  I thought it was the coolest thing to watch that bark fly off.  My daddy was not so impressed.



The backyard began as a large patch of grass, but it would soon hold a pool… the home of many summer memories.  I've also watched that same pool be filled with dirt, as the teenagers moved on.  I witnessed my brother marry his wife under the trees behind the house.  I've sat in that driveway a little longer than I should have with the boy that is now my husband.  And I've invited many friends through the years to enter that backdoor and experience the joy that lives inside those walls.

This year I've been back to that house three times already.  During one of those visits, we've had a chance to celebrate Jack's 11th birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Despite requiring a 14 hour trip in the car with four children, I wouldn't' trade those visits for anything in the world.  

As my parents age, somehow that house gets bigger.  Rooms that once belonged to a blond-haired boy and a brown-haired girl aren't visited quite as often.  The three and a half bathrooms are more than enough for the two people that still call it home.  And the stairs that we all once bounded up and down are traveled as little as possible.  

I fully anticipate that one day, I'll make my last trip to that house.  One day, my parents will find the perfect house for their current stage in life.  They'll pack up the stuff that fills those rooms and start fresh in a home that will fit them and their needs.  And together, we will all continue to make new memories in whatever place they find themselves.

But one thing is certain… though a house doesn't make a home, my heart is written on almost every wall in that house.  It's full of some of my best days and some of my worst.  And it's a part of me in every way.

One of my favorite things is that I've been able to take my children there.  They've sat in the same kitchen and ordered some of Gigi's specialties, they've celebrated holidays and other big events there, and they have made memories there that will always be a part of them.  I've watched Jack learn to wash cars with my daddy. I've watched Max curl up in the recliner with my mom and tell her he loves her for the hundredth time.  I've seen Gray roll over in their den for the first time and Maggie begin tackling the daunting task of walking, while my daddy stood on guard for the many times she'd fall.  And while I wait for that last time I visit the home of my childhood, I'll continue to treasure every meal we share at the table, every time I watch my children run through the sprinklers in the back yard, and every time my daddy waits for me in that back door.  There truly is no place like home.

"Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to."   --John Ed Pearce

five on friday.

1.  As I type this, it is 48 degrees in Kirksville.  FORTY EIGHT!!!!!  And by 4 AM, it will be 37 degrees.  I did not sign up for this.  Where is fall?

2.  My kids were probably the only children in the entire city that wore fleece lined boots, gloves, and toboggans today!  Don't judge us.  We are fragile.

3.  We need a hot tub for survival.  Anybody?

4.  We'd buy our own, but these two are running up our grocery bill.

We are currently going through about $100 worth of formula EVERY WEEK.  Gray and Maggie- you can slow down on the drinking.  You are literally eating us out of house and hot tub.

5.  The good news is we are saving money on this new Walmart Savings Catcher thing.  If you haven't checked it out, you should.  You simply scan the barcode on your receipt and Walmart does the rest.  In a few days, they'll let you know if their competitors have lower prices on your items, and they return the difference to you in a savings card.  Can't beat that!  Now if I can increase my savings from $3.78 to $100 every week, I'll be in business!  Happy Friday!

five on friday.

1.  It's been a LONG week at the Marlin house.  One sick baby is tough.  Two sick babies is complete TORTURE!  We are finally on the up and up, but two nasty colds and a round of Fifths Disease just about did us in.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this isn't a sign of things to come this winter.

2.  We left our army of kids with a babysitter tonight.  She seemed unharmed and still breathing when we returned, but I'm sure this crew left a permanent mark on her!  We made a really uneducated guess on what to pay her, so it's likely we either paid her way too much or way too little.  What is the going rate for babysitting four kids these days?

3.  While the babysitter was wrangling our kids, we were out with some great friends enjoying a fabulous dinner and lots of laughter.  We also enjoyed their hot tub on a cool Missouri night.  This girl could get used to such a thing.  Anybody out there have a hot tub that they wanna send this way? We would take good care of it for you!

4.Tomorrow, our boys play in their first soccer games.  Jason is the coach of Jack's team and the assistant coach of Max's team.  They had ONE practice prior to tomorrow's games, and our little worrier, Jack, is a little apprehensive about the preparedness of his team.  He's been doing lots of extra practice on his own though to "help his team win."  The YMCA doesn't actually keep score, but I know three guys that will be counting goals!  May the best team win...

5.  And last but not least.... I got the bright idea to move some chairs to our front porch this week to make it feel a little more welcoming and home-y.  Today, I received a letter in our mailbox that stated I should "clear the approach to and exit from the mailbox on both sides" so that the carrier does not "fall of injure their self."



I'm D.Y.I.N.G. over this.  I'm generally a rule follower by nature, but I'm struggling with this one.  Is that chair really an "obstacle?"  Could someone really "fall or injure their self" on it?  I'm still on the fence about this.  I haven't decided what my course of action will be.  I like my chairs out there.  So I have three choices:  (1) Move the chairs, (2) move the mailbox, or (3) have my service suspended.   Decisions.  Decisions.

I'm closing this with nine minutes to spare.  The time seems to fly you're putting babies back to sleep a hundred times having fun!  Happy Friday.

five on friday.

1.  I have so much to tell you, but first... we've finally moved in to our first permanent home in quite a few months.  We still have a few boxes to go, but we are slowly settling in to life in Kirksville, Missouri.  We joined a church, bought car tags, have Missouri drivers' licenses, and attended a hometown football game tonight.  I guess you can call us Missourians!

2.  We are currently living in a home that one of our church members has GRACIOUSLY provided until we find a more permanent place.   If loaning us a house wasn't enough, our church members STOCKED it with everything we could possibly need.  Since we sold most of our household items prior to India, this was such a blessing.  Groceries, cleaning supplies, linens, diapers and wipes, and even toys for the boys.... we are so thankful for all those that pitched in on this effort!  We were blown away!


3.  The babies are growing.  They turned six months old nine days ago (huge sigh.)  They are changing daily, and watching them grow is so much fun.  Maggie continues to hold the lead on weight, and it's no surprise.  She can spot a bottle a mile away.  Here's a fun video of her trying to play, but something just keeps catching her eye.


I see a bottle. from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.

4.  A few years ago, my mom bought us these dinner time cards with questions on them.  We actually have the biblical version, but I think there are others.  We saved them until our boys were a little older, because some of the questions require some thought.  It's our boys' favorite part of dinner, and they keep us entertained.  Last night, we tackled, "If Jesus came to your house, what meal would you serve and what would you talk about?"  Max (in all seriousness) said, "BREAD AND WATER!"  We pull out all the stops, Jesus, so if you're ever in our neck of the woods, stop by for a prison meal!


5.  The weather in Missouri has been so pleasant since we've arrived, but there were a few hot days this week.  A fellow church member posted this photo of his home last winter in response to some of the negativity about the warm weather.  I felt a very cold chill run down my spine.  Our family is going to FREEZE!

In the meantime, we intend to bask in the warmth and enjoy the weekend!  Happy Friday.

five on friday.

1.  We arrived back in the United States about two weeks ago.  These people were waiting on us when we arrived in Atlanta.



I was thrilled to see my parents, but this girl made my day!  Sometimes you get lucky enough to find a friendship that is deeper than time zones and distance!



2.  The boys changed quite a bit in those three years that we were gone.  It's bittersweet.


3.  In fact, THIS BOY turned 11 last week.   This week, I had to get his approval for the clothes I bought him.  What happened to the days when I bought it, laid it out for him to wear it, and he loved it!  Time, stand still!



And to make matters worse, THEY turned four months old last week.  Why is it that in the same breath I want them to grow up and learn new and exciting things, yet I want them still be those 4 and 5 pound babies that I first saw on February 20th?





4.  This morning, I had a cystocopy done to check my bladder.  And PRAISE THE LORD, I got a clean bill of health, which means no cancer this time!  I'll keep being scanned every 3 months, but every good report makes the cancer less likely to return!

5.  Tonight, Jason and I went on a "date."  We had two babies in tow, ate dinner, and finished off the hot date with a trip to Kroger, only to walk the aisles!  We are a sad case of missionaries that have missed American food.  Don't judge us!  Who knows what sort of exciting things we will get into next week!  Happy Friday!

five on friday.

1.  This happened on Wednesday.  It currently has a protective screen cover on it to prevent shards of glass from sticking in my face or fingertips.  Jason says, "It really isn't that bad."  Liar, liar. Pants on fire.



2.  My boys have been participating in random photo ops (as per their choice) for three years now, but it never ceases to be the weirdest thing to me.  Why would someone want a random picture of my children that they don't even know?  Crazy.  This guy got lucky-  Max doesn't give his photo away easily!




3.  We are having a yard sale tomorrow.  I'd be willing to bet that it will be the first one ever held in Bhopal.  Our plan is to start the packing process after the sale.

4.  Did I mention that we are leaving in 10 days?  Words like excited, elated, and ecstatic come to mind!  Now if those bags would just pack themselves.  I'm already praying that the "packing Nazi," otherwise known as Jason, and I can agree on what is important to take home and what is not... in other words, I need him to agree with everything I say!  That's fair, right?

5.  And some random pictures for your Friday...

Sweet eyelashes...



I need more hands...



A serious discussion with Daddy...



And two more...





The End.  Happy Friday!

if she were still alive.

If she were still alive, I'd ask her how surprised she was when she delivered, not one, but two babies some 67 years ago.

I'd ask her how she managed her six and three-year-old boys while taking care of those two baby boys.

I'd want to know if they always slept together or had separate rooms.

I'd ask her if she had to give up making homemade biscuits for a season until her life settled down a bit.

I'd ask her how she got it all done and still had time to shower each day.

I'd want to know her tips for getting them to sleep at the same time and how to soothe them when they cry simultaneously.

I'd ask her how she raised them together, yet loved them as individuals and encouraged them to be unique.

I'd call her often with stories that only a mother of twins could understand.

I'd want to sit at her table for big slice of her 15-layer chocolate cake, while she told me her stories of raising children.

I'd tell her how I always wanted to be "the one" that had the next set of twins in the family.

I'd have called her on that day when I first saw those two tiny blobs on the screen.

I'd ask her if she could see any "Dasher" in Maggie and Gray.

And I'd tell her how proud I am that one of "her twins" is my daddy.



My grandmother died almost 5 years, ago, but oh, how many questions I'd have if she were still alive.  As a small girl, I still remember her wondering which grandchild might have twins one day.  I NEVER imagined it would me be, but what a special bond I have with her.  I've wished a thousand times she could hold them just once.  So grateful that she was still alive to meet Jack and Max.  She was one in a million!