May. The month of all busyness. Is it already here?
I swear we just put the Christmas decorations away yesterday and greeted 2019 with hopeful hearts and starry eyes. Yet, somehow, a few days ago, Andrew finished up his first year of college.
Where has the time gone? It has slipped away ever so quietly.
These days are still filled with hopeful hearts. They are packed with excitement and a touch of nervousness as Andrew finishes up his mission papers. Even though we have been through this before, it is no less exciting the second time around.
As we await one mission call and look forward to welcoming another Elder home in July after two years of dedicated service, we are feeling a range of emotions.
Excitement. Gratitude. Love. Joy. Anticipation. Hope. Sadness.
I did not expect the sadness. It stems from knowing how much Jordan loves serving the people of Hawaii. The past two years have been the best of his life, by his own admission, which means coming home will be bittersweet for him.
But joy overshadows sadness like the vibrant colors of a sunset paint the darkening sky with brilliance.
These days are a roller-coaster of teenage emotions. We never know what we will get from second to the next. It depends on a million different factors that change at the drop of a hat.
Teenagers are both hilarious and exhausting.
These days are filled with dust and noise. A newly remodeled bathroom and a fresh white coat of exterior paint will soon transform our home. At the moment, that means sharing a bathroom with all the kids and trying not to lose my marbles when there are socks and underwear covering the floor and globs of blue toothpaste in the sink EVERY TIME I walk in there.
Deep breaths. It will be worth it.
These days are splattered with puppy memories and a few tears at the passing of our sweet Bearded Collie, Sophie. The kids scarcely remember life without her lying nearby watching as they played. Nights are a little quieter now that she isn’t there to excitedly follow each one of them to bed, making sure they are tucked in and doing alright before drifting off to sleep.
These days are defined by early morning alarms and late-night chats with teens, causing me to wonder when I will ever catch up on my sleep. They are filled with carpools and music lessons and trying (but sometimes failing) to keep everybody on track. They are filled with concerts and awards ceremonies and a whole lot of asking why our schedule doesn’t feel any less busy, even though we no longer have all our kids at home.
These days are filled with wondering how everything will work out and if I have done enough. They are filled with questions like, “Why is my mesh strainer on my teenager’s desk?!?”
They are filled with attempts to savor each moment in between wanting to pull my hair out because kids can be exasperating.
These days are exhausting and messy and beautiful. But you know what the best part is? Having a front-row seat to the watch my kids grow into really great
Thank goodness for these tricky, chaotic, tiring, incredible days.
