Changing Seasons

When we were in the middle of the previous school year, I was feeling a little tired of constant activities. I love driving the kids to and from school and their extra activities. I love volunteering in their school. I love helping them with their homework. I love packing lunches. I love having them all sit at the breakfast bar in the mornings trying to wake up enough to actually eat breakfast. I love this season in our life. But I was feeling a bit worn and longing for a break.

The Lord gently brought to mind a time in our life when the kids were all tiny. When Hannah was born I had three children four and under. At the time I didn't think much of it. There were many trips to the commissary where some strangers would look at my kids and say, "Whew! You sure do have your hands full" or "You sure are busy." Honestly, it was easier taking the kids to the store then than it is now. I'm sure the people who made comments were noticing how close together the kids were. P.K. and I had planned to have them close together and were blessed to be able to do so.

Looking back, it is a wonder I was able to function. None of the kids were good sleepers in those days. From the time Rachel was born, it was probably at least five years before I got more than five hours of sleep on a regular basis. They didn't stay awake for long periods when they would wake up, but by the time I would get one back to sleep and finally get myself back to sleep someone else would wake up. My kids have always been early risers, so sleeping in after a busy night of bottles and waking children was not an option. At the time, it didn't seem so bad. I don't miss the lack of sleep, but I do miss that season. I probably spent way too much time wishing for them to be just a little bit older. Now they are, and I miss the season of them being so tiny.

If I had to do it all over again, I would still have them close together. It is so much fun now to play games or watch family movies. They all have different interests, but they are close enough in age that we can find things that everyone enjoys.

So now I try to sit back and enjoy the season we are in. Right now it is a season of homework and running kids to activities. It is a season of stuffed animals all over the living room. It is a season of sleepovers. It is a season of always talking about snakes. It is a season where the kids want us to tuck them in at night.

In a minute I'm going to blink and none of them will be remotely interested in stuffed animals. In a minute I'm going to blink and none of them will need me to help them with their homework. In a minute I'm going to blink and they will be driving and won't need me to take them to activities. In a minute I'm going to blink and it won't be cool to have their mom volunteering at their school. In a minute I'm going to blink and we are going to be watching them graduate from high school and college just a few years apart. In a minute I'm going to blink and this season will give way to the next.

We've completed another summer vacation and our baby is in kindergarten. The season of diaper bags, bottles, pacifiers, playdates with toddlers at the park and preschool are gone....the end to the days of coffee, conversation and playdates.

When I realized this, I knew the blog title no longer fit. Many of the new titles I considered would sooner or later not fit. Seasons in our home are constantly going to be changing. It hit me...Changing Seasons. The collage that is serving as the new blog header is a collection of some of my favorite family pictures from some of our seasons. I'll leave the actual blog address alone.

It is my prayer that we enjoy our changing seasons to the fullest.

Welcome to Changing Seasons...A place for me to record our family history.