Change!

And once again our lives are changing!  
I actually love change. Too long in one "spot" seems to leave me dreaming of something new! Maybe that is why we have moved around so much.
This time we are not moving away. It is our children who are making all of the changes!

Leaving for the MTC! 

We have just arrived home from dropping our dear son, Nathan, off in Provo Utah at the Mission Training Center. He will be there for a few weeks before heading off to Halifax where he will serve a two year mission for our church. Although we have been planning this for years, it was still hard to drop him off and drive away.  I am grateful for emails and happy news that he is doing well and not homesick at all!

Saying good bye

Our dear Mackenzie is starting the countdown for high school graduation. She is making summer plans that don't include anything on my big brown paper summer calendar that I make every year. Instead she is planning her own adventures with her friends. Then she will be off to college and maybe a mission of her own!
I am excited to see her branch out and explore her world. This is what I have been working on their whole lives~ getting them ready to make it on their own,  But boy oh boy, it is hard to be left behind. I wonder and hope that I have given them the tools they will need to be happy and successful!

It could be 3 1/2 years before they see each other again!
 Glad to know they will miss each other!!

Even our dear Jacob is making plans without me and is excited for his own adventures.  He will be 16 in a few weeks and is planning his first date with a sweet girl. They will be double dating with his dear sister and her date.  He was very clear with us that a double date with mom and dad is just NOT cool!! Whaat???

There are always many changes with the "Littles". Our five year old is finished with preschool and getting ready for kindergarten. He is need of a bigger bike and we are even talking about taking off the training wheels! Our 2 and 3 year old are working on mastering the potty. Their favorite words these days are "Me do it" and "I do it myself"! 

All of these changes are wonderful, positive, exciting and expected.  I am grateful to be the mom and to have a front row seat to watching it all unfold!
I will still take out the big roll of brown paper, draw on some calendars, make some plans, fill in the days and go on my own adventures with whoever will come with with me. Maybe some geocaching, a trip to the zoo, swimming lessons and a hike in the mountains!  We will continue to make more memories but I will always cherish the memories of years gone by!

He didn't even look back!!
Love this guy!

 I hope you enjoy the changes of your day!  I plan to!

On the Lord's Errand!

It is Sunday.  Most Sunday's find me sitting with my dear family in a pew at church, usually struggling to keep our little brood quiet and together.
But today I am home with Jacob and one of the Littles who are not feeling well. The house is quiet because everyone is cozed into their beds for a needed rest.
As an attempt to make my Sabbath day a bit more spiritual, I have been watching some wonderful videos on lds.org. Usually I love to do this. I find it helps motivate me to do better, to strive to follow God's plan for me.  But as I began to watch On the Lord's Errand , I couldn't help but wonder if I am following the path that the Lord has set out for me? Am I doing enough? Am I on the Lord's Errand?  
Just at that moment I glanced over at a plate sitting on the table next to me, with the left over bits of a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich.  I couldn't help remembering being in the hospital just after Jacob was born. He was only in the hospital for 11 days, so short compared to some little ones who come into this world fighting to be here. But they were the longest 11 days of my life.  
I had 2 other little ones waiting for me at home and although I knew they were being well cared for, I remember yearning to be back home, in my kitchen doing something "normal" like making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!  

I have made many sandwiches since that day and I am so grateful to have done so!  It is mundane and repetitive, but it is filling the needs of my dear sweet family! 
No, I am not out serving all of my neighbours everyday, I do not hold a "big important" calling in my church right now where I am asked to sacrifice tons of my time and energy.   

But, I am a Mom! I get to help raise these sweet, amazing little ones into amazing, talented, productive big people!!  
It is so easy to forget that the service we provide in our own homes is just as important- maybe even more important then the  service we provide outside of our homes.  It doesn't often get much recognition, and I am pretty sure no one will be asking to make a video of my life, but that is not what matters.

What matters is that I AM living the life that the Lord wants me to live. I am right where He wants me to be. I know that He is aware of me and my little family. I know that He cares about what I am doing because He helps me on a daily basis. I am grateful for the path that I am on and I am grateful for all of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I have had the privilege to make in my life, and the reminder they are to me that I am enough!!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!  I am!