Seasons

As many of my friends know, the fall is my FAVORITE season! I love all the colorful leaves, the fresh, crisp air, pumpkin spice lattes and warm cozy sweatshirts. I love everything about it. This fall, three of my four kids are in school. Elijah - my very thoughtful, funny and smarter then me already son is now a big old third grader. Hope - my confident, independent, affectionate, fashionista daughter is now a full day first grader. AND my sweet, hilarious, crazy little Lily-Aunna is a Kindergartner.... I get to spend all day with my very wild, full of life, dancing, singing Sunday girl. Man alive time is flying by at a such rapid pace! This is a new season of life for me.

 I have walked through many seasons in the past... Full time work - trying to balance a new marriage and crazy long hours in a demanding job and then... surprise! Oh, we are having a baby!!!  Full to the brim of ministry seasons, where my calendar is bursting at the seems with events, meetings, people that the Lord puts in my path...and more sweet people.  Social seasons where my life has been full of precious friends and my time with them kept me sane, full and blessed. Baby seasons and all the changing - feeding - no sleeping that comes with those precious little ones. Seasons of complete insanity with three children under the age of four moving across the world and into a tiny two bedroom apartment....
and many many more.... I have grown, matured, been stretched, got a few bumps and bruises along the way...but the memories, all the laughter, joys and experiences in each and every season are priceless and worth everything they may have cost.

This fall God spoke very clearly to my heart about what He is calling me to do this season. This season for me is ALL about family.  Lily and Sunday still need me for all their daily needs... picking out their clothes, getting them dressed, getting their snacks, brushing their hair and teeth, bathing, cleaning their room....they need lots of hugs, band aids, comfort and care...pretty much everything. Which is a true delight, I love that aspect of Mommy hood....they need me and I feel accomplished and fulfilled in my ability to provide for all of it!  But...with Elijah and Hope getting older my job as their mother is transitioning. They are pretty independent, capable and enjoy being able to do a lot for themselves... It's nice for me because they both like to help with the younger two and I love seeing them growing up to be such confident, thoughtful and capable little beings. I love how our relationships have changed, even though they don't need me to feed them and change their diapers, I am still the center of their world and they need me in a million other ways.

I have been given this precious window of time to help them build a firm foundation, to shape their character,  to teach them who God is and how our relationship with Him is life changing in the day to day things of this world....Oh what an honor and privilege that I am absolutely loving! We have had so many great times and conversations. I love hearing their thoughts and ideas, their struggles and desires to do what is right! It takes a lot of time and energy for all those conversations to happen throughout the day, but God has given such a desire and joy in spending that time with them, investing in their little beings and learning about their personalities, thoughts and ideas.

some words that are my hope and encouragement in parenting these little lives:
"For we (my kids) are his workmanship created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared before hand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

"I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you (my kids) will carry it out to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 

my desire is that each of them will be...
"....like a tree planted by streams of water that yeilds fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." Pslam 1:3

that they will know God's love and be filled with Him...
"...Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith -  that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

and that they would not just believe it, but walk in it and shine His light in how they live their every day lives.
"Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." Colossians 2:7

This is a little encouragement for me and my prayer for them! What I am investing in them now will grow in them and stay with them forever as they grow up to be the godly men and women God designed them to be!

This season has been a lot of hard work, four kids in four different stages is a lot to get a handle on. But, it is by far the most precious, most rewarding season yet. I live in continual prayer that the Lord will give me the wisdom I need to nurture, teach and guide my children as they are growing and becoming who God has made them to be. I feel so honored to be a part of His plan in their lives and will do my best to equip them to be confident, wise, loving, intellectual, lights in this world, even now when they are young. I am also just soaking up this precious time. I have already seen how fast they grow. I am gonna take all these sweet times and treasure them up, because I am well aware that this time is a gift.