Sunday Walk (Jordan River Parkway, Lehi, UT)

This one is giving me fits lately. Who knew that 3 years old would bring on the diva in her? This is so different from parenting little boys. One moment, she is sweetness itself, the next . . . and yet, even now when I look at this picture, my heart melts to butter and I want to run in and wake her up to hug her.


This one cracks me up all the time. He really is so funny. And sometimes it is so hard to be him: the third boy, the middle child, half the time grouped with the older kids, others he is stuck with the "babies". I really want and need to show him the attention he deserves and craves. Working on that.


This one is gobbling down books and building new creations with Legos and growing so tall this summer that I have to do a double-take sometimes at my little boy. Today he took every chance he got to tell me all about Robinson Crusoe. I love when he has a light in his eyes and excitement in his voice.


This one is careening toward his teenage years. He is so bright, so quick, and is so devastated when things do not go according to plan. I wonder how that will be coupled with the angst of being 13 or 15 years old. Why, oh, why, do they have to grow up?

This shot of him walking alone, ahead of the rest of us, reminds me that this experience of having all my ducks under our roof is temporary. Too soon, he'll break free, and the others will follow. And it makes me sad and grateful at the same time. Grateful that we've been given the gift of homeschooling and more time together as a family. It will all be over too soon, and they'll just come home to visit and have lives that don't revolve around our little home. And I know that I will miss them dreadfully then.


This one is the icing on our cake. She is perfect. And although I know she'll outgrow her perfection, I adore her just the same. We all do. Our kids may not always love having a preschooler in the house (who messes with their stuff or teases them incessantly,) but they always want a baby.


This one is one of the greatest blessings in my life. He is so constant, so loyal, so determined to do right. I am so grateful for a righteous, hardworking husband who loves me and our family. Men like him don't come along every day.


I am so blessed.

Post edit: By the way, I apologize if you see an ad with a burly man threatening your at risk teens below. I am working on getting Google AdSense to remove it. If they can't do that, I'll just pull advertising with them. It does not reflect the tone of my blog and is upsetting to me.