6 years ago I watched my lil man proudly hold his head high during tummy time. I was so excited b/c he had recently learned to roll over. He was growing up so fast and I was thrilled with all he was learning and doing.
I had no idea that in just 6 short years he’d be at Cup Scout camp with Daddy learning a whole slew of new things. 
I was so excited for my son and my husband yesterday as they got to spend the day together at camp.
It’s been so fun to watch their bond grow over the past 6 years.
Our third born has literally been on the fast track since birth. I swear she was born holding her head up and eagerly chasing after her older 2 siblings, not wanting to be left out for even a second. She was clearly not meant to be the “baby” of the family.
Most of the time when my kids celebrate a birthday, I find myself reflecting on how quickly time passes and marveling at how could they be so old so fast.
Not so with her.
Scott and I joke that maybe we got her birth date wrong b/c it just feels like she’s been three for months already. Finally the big day arrived. And what better way to celebrate then by having her friends and family join her at the park for a picnic and swimming on the hottest day of the year. We had a heat index of 110! But it didn’t spoil her fun in the least!
Happy Birthday sweet girl! Thank you for bringing so much joy and laughter into our lives.
When I told you of the never ending science lessons going on at the circus this summer, I was excited about my children getting to watch the baby birds grow until they were old enough to fly from the nest. We learned that Daddy Robins help Mommy’s feed their babies, as we saw both the Mom and Dad at the nest at the same time. By day 3 we even started seeing their little beaks peak out over the top of the nest in our “Robin cam.” I was surprised to see how often the Momma left the nest to find food for her little ones. It seemed she would no sooner arrive at the nest and feed her little babes, that she was off again hunting for food.
Sadly, on Thursday morning when I turned on the “Robin cam” I didn’t see any activity in the nest. Hoping the Momma had just left for awhile, I silently kept an eye on the camera as I went about tidying the house. I never saw the Momma bird return to the nest. I never saw the little beaks peaking over the top. After a few hours with no signs of life, I called Scott to mention my suspicion.
The kids hadn’t picked up on it and I hadn’t yet voiced my concerns.
Scott had me go out with the mirror to check the nest.
It was empty.
We were both so sad. He said I could wait till he got home to tell the kids and I did. I just knew he’d be better at telling them than I would.
Before they went to bed last night, we sat them down. Scott carefully explained “the circle of life.” He didn’t make what we suspect was a cat or raccoon out to be evil or bad, like I am sure I would have done.
My son took it the hardest, as I suspected he would. We were all looking forward to watching them grow and learn to fly.
This was def not the lesson I was excited to teach them this summer. But, it seems it was the lesson they were meant to be taught. I do hope we have the opportunity of watching baby birds grow again in our yard, next time hoping they make it till they can safely fly away on their own.
I can’t believe my little guy is 3 weeks old already. I feel like he is growing up so fast! We’re settling into a routine of sorts here at the circus. We ventured out this week to a friends house for a play date and to gymnastics…even had some friends over a few times. I was reminded of how good it is to fellowship with friends and to let the kids play with their buddies. It had been a while. I am so thankful we had our baby in the summer as we have 3 months to play and take it easy and settle into a rhythm and routine before school starts in the fall. (We do need to do some work over the summer and I plan to hit the books next week with the crew, but it will be at a more relaxed pace than in the school year).
I actually can’t believe the 4th of July is around the corner, summer always seems to slide quickly by once the 4th hits. Our calendar is filling up already (4 kids has a way of doing that to a calendar). August is going to be here in the blink of an eye!
Here’s a few pictures of our sweet growing babe from last week and this. They don’t really fit a theme, but this Momma just felt the urge to share some pics of her baby boy!
Last night he seemed to find his hands, he kept waving them out back and forth almost like he was trying to figure out what they were and what they did. I love that! He’s also getting much stronger with his neck… he holds it up longer now. Friends have commented on how he looks so much like a boy these days… I fear he is quickly growing out of his newborn status…
6 years ago, I was also carrying a baby in my belly. (In fact, this picture was taken exactly 6 yrs ago to the date).
The nursery was prepped, the hospital bag had long been packed. I was basically sitting around waiting to have a baby. I do not recommend going with that strategy… what a long week of waiting that was. Now I try to plan things right up to and past the due date, so I am not in that hurry up and wait mode.
I had no idea how my world was going to change in the next week. You think you know, you think your ready, but until that moment arrives and you’re holding that precious new life in your arms, you just don’t know. 
Even though my son slept like a log that first night, I barely slept at all. You know how babies hit that deep sleep, and you can’t wake them for anything, shortly after being born? I know wisdom would have had me sleeping while he slept, but I just kept staring at him. Wondering what he’d be like when he grew up. What would he like to do? What would we play? I just kept staring at him. My heart was full to overflowing with gratitude and happiness. Scott and I kept singing him songs and praying and pondering this new little person in our arms.
I can’t believe 6 years have come and gone already. His personality and gifting have really started to shine through. We’ve passed infancy, toddlerhood and preschool. He’s almost a first grader! He’s a big brother (3 times over). He has a real and passionate relationship with God. He loves baseball and fishing. He’s a deep thinker and has an amazing memory. He’s one of the most thoughtful and patient little guys I’ve ever met. He is detail oriented and loves to draw and color. He is not a risk taker. He is literal and sees the world in black and white with no room for grey.
6 years have come and gone and I still find myself overwhelmed with gratitude and thanksgiving. I still ponder his future and wonder about the man he will become. I still can’t believe that I have the privilege of being his mom. 
So much has changed, and yet so much is still very much the same.
For more flashback fun, visit here.
The other day my son told me he wanted to make all of us breakfast the next morning.
The only problem with this very sweet gesture was that it was the end of the month and we were at the “creative” stage of the month/meal plan.
Bread? No
Milk? No
Cereal? No
Not much available for a 5 yr old to fix, so I convinced him to wait till after I went grocery shopping on Monday.
Tuesday morning we woke, and stayed in bed per his request (didn’t really take much convincing since we aren’t exactly early risers).
A little after 7 we saw him race down the hallway (like a child on Christmas morning).
I had poured milk and orange juice into glasses the night before (per his request) so that he could do it himself. He ran to the bedroom once to have me open the jelly (without looking). And then when he was almost ready, we peeked around the corner and saw this.
“toast for Daddy”
don’t forget the cereal Dad. (brimming with milk)
He made Mommy chocolate Ovaltine
He even made both girls their breakfast as well.
When I asked him what prompted this gesture of love, he told me that they talked the other day at his tutorial about how if your mom was sick, you could help her out by making breakfast for her. He said, “I thought, why wait till your sick to do it!”
Scott had a meeting he had to rush to get to at work, and we had schoolwork to get done before a well check up at the pediatrician’s office and our field trip that afternoon.
But we sat and waited while he jellied our toast, poured our cereal, and stirred our milk. 
And as I watched him serve with joy and excitement, I was reminded of the privilege it is to serve one’s family.
May we always find it a joy to serve.
6 years ago I watched my lil man proudly hold his head high during tummy time. I was so excited b/c he had recently learned to roll over. He was growing up so fast and I was thrilled with all he was learning and doing. 
