These Happy Golden Years

 The other night I was assembling tacos onto plates for the younger kids while Olivia was dancing around beside the stove, happy with my last-minute choice for dinner options.  She chattered about how much she loves my tacos and then stopped and said "oh, you have a braid in your hair!" when she noticed I had pulled it back a little differently. 

"Yeah, I used to wear it like this a lot," I said, starting to feel a little prettier under her approving eye...

"You have a lot of gray hair" she continued.... "we should stand up when you come in the room, and sit down and stand back up, for all the gray hair you have!"  Her eyes twinkled.

So much for feeling young.  I pretended to be offended and she giggled.  I may be retracting my sponsorship of gray hair, though...

...Moving on...

We're not that Gray yet, right?

I'm in this really interesting season of life right now, and it's kind of golden.  On any given day, I will help with reading lessons and teeth brushing... and also help with Algebra and writing compositions.  

My older kids text me about what's on sale at Hobby Lobby this week (yes, while I'm sitting in the same room with them)... while my youngest kids still watch  endless episodes of Curious George.

Today I sat down with my older girls and discussed the logistics of an upcoming sweet-sixteen party... planned some yard work for my older sons... talked with an older daughter about reorganizing our dry food storage.... and then I  texted with a friend about drivers' Ed paperwork.

Always in the kitchen or the Garden

I also apprehended a sneaky 3-year-old who had pulled out every bin of activities he could reach... after he had peppered the living room floor with army men.  Then I played pretend with my youngest two, who ended up in a fit of giggles on the floor with me in the middle.

Ready for some Serious Shenanigans

When I have those moments - giggling on the floor with my 3-year-old and 6-year-old - I want to freeze time.  Because I remember when the teenagers and middles were this little and squishy and needed me so much.

Now they need me in different ways, and I love it just as much, ... but I can't help but feel that time is a thief.

I'm reminding myself that this season is golden because I get the best of both worlds.  I get the squishy and the almost-manly.  I get the giggles and the gathering on my bed long after bedtime for meaningful talks.  I get to admire the Lego creations... and later have my teenage son find me alone when I'm cooking and want to talk about relationships.  I don't take this for granted - not anymore.

Cleaning the waffler griddle... so he can eat the remnants 

My friend from college just posted about both her older daughters graduating this month.  I can't fathom it - I messaged her and asked if she was crying.  Affirmative.  How does this happen so quickly?  Time, you dirty bandit.

So much has happened since I walked away from this blog ten years ago, but darn it - 10 years didn't feel like much time at all.  And yet it was.  It was long enough for those awkward tooth-gap grins to turn into beautiful smiles... 

It was long enough for nap times to turn into quiet moments of book reading and then writing books of their own... 

It was long enough for squeaky giggles to turn into more refined conversations... 

And it was long enough for a string of little ducklings no higher than my elbow to blossom into young men and women who have now outgrown me.

I glance from them down to the younger ones I have left in my nest and I resolve to come up with the energy to make the most of the time I have with them too...

To enjoy them and find creative ways to teach them all throughout the day to follow after God with their whole heart. 

I guess basically this monologue is just a reminder to myself that even though my "work" is winding down with half my tribe - I probably still have just a few years left with them in our home - the truth is, with the other half of my tribe... we're just getting started. 

And every day I get to wake up and thank God for a new day, I'm here for it.  

What a blessed place to be.

Horsing around with my phone in Tractor Supply while I was buying chicken feed