Smiles all around

I am so out of the habit of updating - to the point that I'm awkward in doing so.

However, it's been too long and too many terrific and wonderful, worthy of posting about things have happened.

First and freshest on the list is last night, April 12, 2010. While Avery and I were doing our nighttime snuggle, she started asking questions about heaven. She's now nearly 5 1/2 and I began to try and answer as best I could her questions. Without expectation on my part, she asked if she could pray and ask Jesus to live inside her heart.

And we did.

How precious! I have now had the singular pleasure in life to pray that prayer with both of my children. Knowing fully that each in their own way has absolute assurance of their place in God's heart.

There are moments in motherhood that you can really only dream about and pray for - this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of moments.

It's hard to follow that, but in other news...

Jaron is competing today in his first ever TRIYS competition. He is so nervous! He kept telling me that his tummy was weird. Butterflies! :) No, it's not funny - and he'll probably remember today as one of the scariest days in his young life but still I can't help but grin when I reflect on his nervousness and grown-upness this morning as I sent him out the door.

I hope he's proud of all he's accomplished in first grade - I sure am proud of him!

Also, I am coming off of a very busy Easter and Lenten Season. So I took yesterday and today off, just to be me and to play catch up. It's been amazing!

I wish I had the perspective seven years ago that I have now, to appreciate each day as a stay-at-home mom. What an amazing gift it was! I did enjoy it, but not as greedily as I do now. I'll just soak as much of it in as I can for these two days.

When I get back to work it's time to hit the trails hard and prepare for one hot crazy summer! VBS, Camps, Mission work, and all that comes with it!

Chris is doing really well with the fire department. He seems to have found in this profession a perfect fit. Everyone should be so content and feel as fortunate as him.

Chris and I see that change is on the horizon for us and our approach to this change is tentative - hoping, no praying, that we have heard God's voice and not imposed our wills into the decisions we are now facing.

It's difficult to imagine having any further upset in our delicately balanced world, but it's no small urging that I have been feeling lately. So yesterday, I took the first steps toward getting into graduate school.

There are some very real changes that this life course would dictate, so we're weighing that and all that it brings very carefully right now. Prayers are appreciated.

Guess that just about brings us all up to speed.