Side by Side

Spring always makes me a little nostalgic. Outdoors, everything starts to grow again, so it's fun to think back to the past and consider how things have changed.  I also find myself wanting to take more pictures in the spring because of how nature explodes with color and how the sunlight sticks around into the evenings to illuminate everything.So, in celebration of spring, sunlight, and all of the photos I've taken over the years, here are some side by side shots for easy comparison.

I went to the Mother-Son dance with Barrett today at his school.  Having a dance with boys is just a little different than having one with girls.  This one isn't time lapse, but it is still interesting to see the contrast of dress clothes and hockey jerseys.



Tripper has grown a lot over the past 5 months since he came to our home.  Here's the proof.

Now it's time to start some real time travel.  Flash back to 2013, our first spring in the house on Harwood.  We had just planted the tree in the front yard, and had little other landscaping to speak of.  We've come a long way for sure!

Now, we can't have a side by side without doing some comparison of the children.  So, here goes.  A photo of each child on their second birthday doing what every two year old loves to do...eating cake! 

I've got one more to bring it home.  Today, we went to the park for a bit and the kids rode their bikes.  It was fun to watch Fletcher ride the same trike that used to be Barrett's.  Hilariously enough, he rides it the same way using his feet to scoot it along instead of peddling.

 

I love watching my children make new memories. I also love that those memories sometimes remind me of days gone by.  Life is good!

Friends are Good for the Soul

Life sometimes gets away from me.  I get so caught up in all of my to dos that I don't slow down enough to enjoy the ride.  As I've gotten older, I have come to treasure my friendships more and more.  That's not to say I didn't care about my friends previously.  It's just that I now have more experience with the heartbreak, loss, and defeat that life can bring and a greater appreciation for how my friends have helped me through those times.  I have firsthand experience with those unexpected curve-balls that life too often throws.  And, in all of those moments, it was the people around me that brought me through.  It was the phone calls where I mostly sobbed and they just listened.  It is the encouraging scripture-filled texts.  It is the hand-made thought-felt cards I received in the mail. 

This weekend I got to spend almost 3 full days with a group of amazing women with whom I have that kind of friendship.  We converged in Chicago from all over the country.  There were 10 of us in total. A few from our group couldn't make it, but they were there in spirit. I have loved and appreciated them since we all met nearly 17 years ago, but for some reason, the longer I know them, the more I am struck by just how amazing they are.  The are each unique and beautiful in their own way.  We are all are so different, yet we come together time and again, and each time we grow closer both as individuals and as a group.  

The time we have together never seems long enough.  I always wish I had more time to visit with them and hear about all of the joys and struggles in their life.  I want to be there more to encourage and support them each day.  Yet, I know that I will return home to my husband and children.  I will go to work, run my children to all of their activities, and make sure my family is fed and cared for.  I will get caught up in all of the running, working, and other to-doing.  I will probably not call those wonderful women as often as I should.  But I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.  And, when they need me, I will be there.  And when I need them, they'll be there.  It won't be every day, every week, or even every month.  But that doesn't matter.  What matters is the bond we have and the love we share. 

*Top picture is this weekend, and bottom picture is our trip to NYC during fall of 2009. 

Big Boy Bed

Today marks yet another milestone in Fletcher's young life.  We converted the crib into a toddler bed.  Tonight, for the first time, he is sleeping in a big boy bed that he can get in and out of as he pleases.  (Queue wailing and gnashing of teeth because I can't even pretend we still have a baby in the house). Fletcher was very distraught at first when he saw his dad take the side off of his crib.  But, once his siblings showed him that he could climb in it himself, he was all about it.

My three children sat in Fletcher's bed together and read books before bedtime to help him feel more comfortable in his converted bed.  He loves sitting in Barrett's bed reading, so this seemed like a natural way to help the transition. I also love seeing the three of them read together.  Not only are they all getting along for 10-15 minutes straight, but they are also doing something that is good for them.  It is seriously one of my favorite things to watch.

We are now almost 1 hour past the first bedtime in the Big Boy Bed, and Fletcher is fast asleep in his bed and didn't get out of bed once after I tucked him in.  I can only hope that this continues to be the case.  I was almost afraid to write this post because I don't want to jinx it.  I'll report back in a couple of weeks to let you know if the first night was the exception or the rule.