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!

To Everything There is an Opposite...

It has only been 5 days of taking a daily picture. And although they may not be gallery worthy, I am learning so much already.  It is interesting to spend time looking for those things that are photo worthy.  So far it seems to be the normal everyday things that I feel compelled to capture.
This is making me realize that life is pretty darn good! Yes I have messes, nights of very little sleep, dishes in my sink, daily tantrums- the kids too, scheduling conflicts, runny noses to wipe, mountains of laundry, repair man who don't show up, toilets that break, little ones running fevers and Christmas decorations needing to be put away... that is just this week!
But mixed up in all of this... chaos is so much joy.  Joy in the snuggles, the giggles, the little successes of each day.  Watching the wonder in the eyes of a little one discovering the sparkles in the snow, discovering that all of our hard work is paying off and that the children really do love each other as we witness them serving one another, loving the little moments of peace that come when we need them most.  
I believe that there is so much truth in the need for balance and opposites. We have to have the mess to appreciate the tidy, the tantrum to enjoy the smiles, crowds to love the solitude, noise to notice the quiet.
Today I am enjoy some time alone as the children and dear husband are all off on their various adventures. The house is quiet, I am sitting down to eat my breakfast! It wasn't that long ago that this was a regular occurrence and my heart yearned for a bit more purpose, my arms ached to be a bit more full.  Because I had those days, I can love today, I can feel gratitude for all of it! Yes, life is good!

I hope you have time to enjoy the opposites in your day... I hear the children coming home, I know I will!!