Family Game Night

We have adopted Monday nights as our family game nights. Tonight was our fourth go at it! I love it so much and look forward to Monday nights. It has been such a great teaching tool for good sportsmanship, respecting others and just good 'ole fashion fun. Tonight we played Yahtzee Junior.
For the past year or so, I've had this yearning that another baby was needed in our family. It could be that a few people around me are having babies. It could be that at least every other year for the last 7 years, I've either been pregnant, or had a newborn. It could just be that I LOVE being pregnant and I love babies! But we made the choice along time ago that 3 was enough for us.. for various reasons. My main prayer has been for contentment and I've received it! (Thanks, God!) It's been so great to focus on the next stage of my life. To think about family vacations, to play family game night without a little person needing to be fed, to think about heading out to the beach for the day, without packing up the whole house. I love that my kids are so close in age, and that we are now ready to move on to bigger, more fun things as a family. I love our little family so very much!

God's presence

There are moments in time when I feel God's presence so powerfully. Tonight was one of those times. I've had a long weekend and the last thing on our long three days was to attend service tonight. My body ached, my kid's were whiny and I could find any excuse why not to go. Needless to say, we just went. It is at those times that God really shows his face and boy was His face bright tonight!
I'm very much a worship girl. I love singing, although I'm not very good at it! I feel closest to God when I'm singing to him. Tonight was no exception. I felt like it was just me and God. He was there and He LOVED that I was singing to Him... I could feel it!
I think about the Throne of God and how amazing that will be to enter his presence and sing amongst all the angels. WOW! It may be like 10 times the feeling that I experienced tonight.
God is powerful and I am so glad I have chosen to follow Him!

Strolling through time

I received a double stroller after the birth of Avery, nearly five years ago. We refer to this stroller as our jogging stroller or Disneyland stroller. This stroller has seen many walks around the blocks with two babies seated inside. Avery took her first walk when she was about 8 weeks old. Mason sat next to her, at the age of 2. Those babies grew as we took more walks around the block and more trips to Disneyland. When the third baby was born, we had to be creative because Mason was not yet old enough to keep up with Mommy on her walks or to walk the whole day at Disneyland. Jackson could usually be found strapped to my back or when he could sit up, we would squish all three in the two-man stroller. That stroller has been though a lot in the last 5 years. Many spills of apple juice and fruit snacks stuck to the seats. Fish crackers and cheese-its can be found in the basket underneath. 

As I took this stroller for a walk this afternoon, I thought back to my babies and how they have grown. Avery, 2 months shy of her 5th birthday sat next to Jackson, age 3 1/2. Their bodies took up most of the stroller tonight. I felt blessed as I looked at them and remembered their bald baby heads, sucking on their paci's and clutching their blankies. They have grown so much. God gave me a small gift tonight. He allowed me to slow down and remember how incredibly lucky I am to have three healthy beautiful children. I was reminded that time goes by so quick and this stroller will one day not be needed in our house. One of my goals this year is to savor every moment because those moments will soon be distant memories.