My girl graduated her preschool this May. As I look at my girl in her dress and her heels and I cannot believe that just five years ago she was a baby in my arms as we were preparing to move across the nation. She wouldn’t take a pacifier so I found myself driving down the road with my arm cramping from strange contortions as she nursed my pinky to go to sleep.
Now she is smart and sassy. Quick to learn and lead others in new games. I watched her invite her shy classmates to play and stand up to those who weren’t playing fair. She has an insatiable thirst for stories and spends her car rides now counting to 100, sounding and spelling new words and asking deep questions about life.
She is my first of five and now that we edge into the school years I know it will all go so fast as the next four go through life in sets of two. This precious time at home when my babies are young is quickly coming to a close.
Part of me is happy. I mean, I could probably calculate the number of diapers I’ve changed these last 5 years but it would terrify us all. Before we left Colorado I had 3 in diapers averaging 743 diapers a month. When we moved again we had 4 in diapers and I lost count. Now I’m down to two and if these girls are anything like their big sister they won’t be in them for long. Part of me is ready to embrace this new phase, but man, these days are precious.
The purity of this time of life… no pretensions, no masking of emotions. Never have I had to question who is sick, sad, mad or happy. It is written all over their unguarded expressions.
The future is a little scary to me. For now, I decide the level of activities we involve ourselves in. Yet, I know in the near future I will not hold them back from trying new things either. And where will that lead us? Track meets? Art shows? Dance competitions? A busy schedule full of life.
Esther is only the first to move on to school, but I find myself already beginning to grieve the close of this chapter. We maybe have a couple more years in this season and then it’s gone. Better to soak it in and appreciate it for all that it is.
Treasure the sloppy kisses, the chubby awkward run of toddlers and the sounds of my kids playing in the yard going down the slide for the hundredth time.
Pray for them
Father, let (Name’s) faith grow into maturity as “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – who through faith… were made strong out of weakness.” For your “grace is sufficient for [Name], [and your] power is made perfect in weakness.” In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. – Hebrews 11:32-34, 2 Corinthians 12:9
Prayers taken from the BiblicalPrayers mobile app. Download today on the App Store or Google Play store.
Venison Burgers
Last Fall I decided I was tired of paying an arm and a leg for healthy meat. So I shot a buck. That’s right. This Momma can bring home the proverbial bacon and fry it up too. So here is my recipe for a delicious venison burger:
- 1.5 lbs Ground Venison
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
Thaw the meat and mix it thoroughly with the above spices. Make into patties and poke a hole in the center of the burger (this prevents shrinking). Grill to perfection and enjoy it the way you like. I think this is really good with a slice of cheddar cheese melted on top with BBQ sauce and pickles. It is also very good as a blue cheese burger. Or a Swiss and mushroom burger. Well… it’s just a good burger.
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