Thankful..

We had a crazy fun weekend around here. On Saturday, J had a double header with the first soccer game at 10am and the second at 5pm about 30 minutes from home. In between the games (which he ROCKED, by the way!) He made two header goals (For all you non-soccer fams out there, that means he actually made a goal by hitting the ball with his head!) and got nice and dirty. In between games, Mike and I thought it would be a fantastic idea to go clothes shopping for the kids..and WITH the kids. That was a painful event, with one 8 month old who was darn tired of sitting in her stroller and a 3 year old who desperately needed a nap while the 11 year old got veeery brand specific on us and had us running from store to store to look for the perfect outfits. We ended up having to leave before we were done because we were time crunched and he was super super picky. I thought only teenage girls acted like this! With this child, I find myself caught between getting irritated and trying to explain to him that his friends won't really be checking the tag on his skinny jeans for the brand, and also remembering what it's like to be in middle school and how I felt about what I wore. I digress...

Sunday, we were up with the sun thanks to one cute lil' baby girl - and then off for church and some fun up at Apple Hill. We head up there every Fall to pick apples, pick out pumpkins and enjoy all of the fun Fall festivities.. the kids especially look forward to warm apple donuts every year. This year, my incredible husband packed a picnic lunch for the family. We had lots of goodies and enjoyed our time together. Mike and I were talking about how we strive to make little trips like this - little memories for the kids to look back on when they're older. We want our kids to have traditions that they remember doing every year, like going to Apple Hill in the Fall or cutting down our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving.. playing cards together or having hot chocolate after school on rainy days. But this time we were laughing because of the simple struggle of getting to where we were going - dealing with the baby crying and the toddler screaming..sibling spats and missed exits off of the freeway... we parents work so hard to make sure our kids have these memories - and I saw so many other parents out there doing the same thing. It's so easy to get flustered in those little moments and to forget the big picture.. but it's all worth it. Every moment - even if you do have to clean up a diaper explosion in the backseat of your car. Mike and I regularly laugh in the middle of these moments and remind each other that SOMEDAY we will miss this and we'll retell the stories of when our kids were small.. and beg our adult children to let us come to Apple Hill with them and the grand kids for the day..

TODAY I am thankful for..

Brief moments of perspective - of seeing the bigger picture rather than getting wrapped up in the little messes of the day

Baby giggles and coos

Picnics in Apple Hill

Brothers loving on baby sister and each other

Children who openly praise Jesus

A husband who loves me even when I'm lacking sleep, makeup and sanity

Fires in the fireplace all day long

Sweaters, boots and coffee

Breakfast with friends

Baking sweet treats

New friends that strengthen and challenge my faith in Christ

Neighbors who love my kids as their own


HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!