It's not every morning you wake up feeling blessed.

So when you do, you take it and savor it.

I feel blessed this morning.

(Side-note: Please excuse any use of the f-word (feelings), k?  It has it's place. Don't over analyze.)

Yesterday we celebrated my firstborn's 11th birthday.  The further we get into these double digits, the weirder it seems.  It's only up from here.  He'll be in the double digits for the rest of his life.  Those single digit years, you only get nine of them.  I wish I had savored them more, but I am excited, yes, excited, to savor the upcoming teen years. I'd probably choose to skip the awkward preteen years, but I've never heard of that happening.  So I'll try to savor those too.

Yesterday, I got to see some of the ladies I love most in the world.  My Lincoln girls.  I miss what we had there so much, but the Lord is so faithful to remind me: you'll be friends forever.   We have bonds that will never be broken, built on history together and the love of Christ.

And then I'm reminded that God is building new bonds in our new place.  History takes time.  The Lord subtracted nothing from our lives when He moved us.  He only planned to add to our lives.

The sun is shining bright when the weatherman predicted rain for days on end.

I'm listening to this new song by Casting Crowns and praying the Lord will make it true of my life:

To know Him and make Him known.

To live more than an ordinary life 

To do more than just survive

To thrive...

Knowing that the key is knowing Him and making Him known.  There is nothing ordinary about that. Walking with Jesus is the best thing going.  Joy unspeakable.

No wonder I'm feeling blessed this morning.

Seasons Change

Yesterday was this gorgeously sunny, yet slightly cool day. Not a cloud in the sky.

The oldest two got on their bikes and Josh and I got on our running shoes. We strapped Petite into the jogging stroller and we were off.  We ran/biked/strolled almost four miles.  Together. As a family.  Four out of five of us were sweaty.

This was the second time in just a few days.

And about the first two times in all these years of parenting that we were doing something like this.  All of us, exercising together.

It made me think of all the things we haven't been able to do with young children.  And I do mean the things *we*  haven't been able to do.  Just like yours, our family is very unique.  There are things yours can do happily that we cannot and vice versa.  In fact, our family motto is "Just because it's supposed to be fun, doesn't mean it is".  Things like parades.  Not fun for us.  Gardening. Not fun for us.  You may have had the littles out running with you when they were toddlers. You may have teenagers that still won't run with you.

Hey, you may not run. It's cool.

For us, this was nice.  A new season has come upon us.

We can leave the kiddos for short periods of time, alone.  I'm talking just running to the store around the corner, no more than thirty minutes, but wow is it nice!  No longer dragging all three kids into the store to get a gallon of milk and loaf of bread is- dare I say it?- priceless.

Having two out of three be able to secure themselves with seat belts- very nice.

Conversations are gradually getting deeper.

Tantrums are waning.

We can drive to Florida and back without potty stops every hour; without wailing children in the back seat.

Directions can be read and followed without the help of mom... sometimes.

I remember when Mister was still a baby. I thought he'd never learn to feed himself without making a mess.  And then the day came and went when he could.  And there was something else I was waiting for him to do on his own.

Brown-Eyed Girl has been slow to become an independent reader. But now she's reading on her own, improving by leaps and bounds every week.  She wasn't like her older brother in this, but she got there.

Everything really is a season.  Those things that are miserable to do right now because the kids aren't ready... they will probably get easier.  And if they don't, if they never enjoy parades, it just means you get to fill that time with something that is better and more fun for your family.

I know I should be saying to appreciate the season you're in, the diapers, or hormonal teenagers, or what have you. But you already know that.  I just mean to say that things change. Before you know it your kids are speeding past you on their bikes, no more training wheels.  And when you hug them you realize they need to start wearing deodorant.

And so begins another season.