This is the other man in my life that just so happens to look an awful lot like my husband. As I was walking out the door this morning to go on a date with his daddy, he promptly reminded me that I had not read him his favorite book yet! We sat, we read, and we laughed. He is 100% boy and I love it! My favorite thing he says repeatedly is, “Mommy, I wuv you. I so happy.” With a big smile I reply, “I so love you and I am so happy you are here.” He then says, “Yea, this is our home.” I agree and say, “It is our home.” He replies so sweetly, “Yea, and this is our famlee and you are my mommy and I jus wuv you.”
I love the joy he brings to our home and the love he gives away so freely. God continues to bless me with the little moments like these… and that may just be the best 15 minutes spent investing in the heart of this little guy today.
This is my mini-me. She is a joyful girl and since she was old enough to walk, she would skip everywhere we went. She is naturally a lover of people and loves giant hugs. She challenges us in ways we never would have received anywhere else on this earth. She is intense on presenting Truth and merciful when justice is served. She loves to spend time with the ones she cherishes most and we can not get enough of her contagious laugh. If you asked her how she enjoys creating memories, she would say, “It doesn’t matter as long as we are all together.” Now that’s contentment! Praise the Lord for her! Speaking of togetherness, on this particular day, daddy took this girl on a little date. Not only do we purpose to do things as a family, but it is important to take individual time getting to know their heart. You can create beautiful memories together, even if it’s 1 hour set aside purposed to bring joy into the relationship.
Spending time with them is so important if you want to keep their heart. If your time with them isn’t spent in joy, they will not see the joy in serving Christ. That can be easier said than done at times. Some things that help me is emphasizing on is the buddy system. Having 11 children, I have had to come up with creative ways to help them build their relationships with one another and make it meaningful. For instance, our 6 year old is getting ready to have a birthday this fall. He loves camping, apple pie, and playing soccer. His older sister is on his buddy team and she is always keeping an ear to the ground when it comes to surprising him. Jason is also very creative and comes up with ideas they could make each other for birthday gifts. Last week, he found this really cool lantern that he bought for $3 at a thrift store. His plan is to rig it up to where it has electricity, a flickering bulb, and a switch. It will be a sweet little reminder each time he goes to turn his lamp on that the people in his life care about his smile and the joy it brings when we think of others before ourselves.
After an afternoon of running through the sprinklers, we snapped beans together on the porch. It was getting close to the time when daddy would be coming home for supper and instead of me going at it alone in the kitchen, it became a great conversation piece of working together to get the job done. What sweet fellowship you can have with your children to shape their character and to be the people that God needs them to be when you just simply spend time on a hot afternoon snapping beans on the porch.
Jason and I are truly living out the best days of our lives. The best news is your days can be what you make them. I remember being so unsure of myself that I could juggle all of what had been entrusted to me. My problem was my lack of faith, not necessarily how well I could nurture or love them. I didn’t understand then what I do now. Mothers are doing so much more than we even realize or give our God credit for. We really are the tools that help shape their lives and their hearts. The best ways to nurture those relationships are being right there in the kitchen with them cooking dinner, folding the family’s laundry together, singing together, simply doing life together.
When they are grown, I will miss the days of when they were young, the innocence and curiosity of a small child, sharing our baby’s births with them, and those sweet conversations that I wish I could bottle. On the flip side, I know that my grandchildren will be the next generation to come and my role will be different. There will be a different kind of sweetness to it. Whatever the memory you are making today, build those relationships. Nurture those weaknesses so they become their strengths some day. Time spent making memories is something you will never look back upon and say you regretted doing.
Natalie