Multitude Mondays: Because I Can’t Keep Those Kids From Growing…
Over the weekend, my firstborn girl celebrated her twelfth birthday with a surprise breakfast date and strawberry pancakes.
Her big brother marked his fourteenth with half-a-dozen boys and seventy-two-pieces of pizza.
And her little brother raced at least one hundred circles around the house as he tried out his new kindergarten shoes.
Then I picked up my dog-eared copy of One Thousand Gifts and re-read Ann’s sage words:
I’ll count the candles on my children’s cakes, the toes on those kindergarten feet, the pizza and pancakes and tear-streaked prayers as gifts of grace. 
The Overflow: “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God.” –John 4:23, the Message
Counting all that makes life count…
1286. The girls’ tales from their “mountaintop” at camp
1287. Valentines for God hanging on the walls at camp.
1288. Six big boys in the basement laughing and playing (and Joshua right there in the mix!)
1289. Another birthday carpet-ball tournament.
1290. Lizzy’s best friend hiding in the van- waiting to be the birthday surprise date!
1291. The red tea pot set on the table for Hannah and friends- “Mommy and Me Having Tea”
1292. Grandpa John boating with the birthday boy and his friends
1293. Hannah’s heart tuned to Christ’s words
1294. A husband who pours himself out for us even when he’s totally exhausted
1295. Red, white and blue birthday streamers hanging from the 12 year old’s door.
1296. Hannah and I curled up in a blanket, star gazing in the front yard.
1297. The haunting hoot of our resident owl.
1298. Rain pooling in puddles on the brittle brown grass.
1299. Heart shaped cupcakes with sea blue frosting.
1300. A husband who listens to my dreams and dreams bigger still.
Linking again in community with Ann and these lovely grace seekers: l.l. for on, in, and around mondays, laura for playdates with god, ruth at the better mom, and jen for soli deo gloria
I hope you have enjoyed every minute of your summer and time with your children. I imagine it ended sooner than anyone wanted it too. I don’t know when you will be back, but of course you’ve been missed!! I want to invite you to my first-ever blog/linky party. It is called, RAW 10-minute Tuesdays and it starts for the first time this Monday at 7pm. There will be a prompt/whatever God puts on my heart and a place for others to link up. Hope you can join me…if not I so understand!
You are just too cute! Have fun in your flip-flops and with your kiddos. It whizzes by and I’m here to tell you!!! EXACTLY RIGHT! ENJOY your flip-flop time!!!!! 🙂
Our 20 y/o stated last night that he is moving out for the final time…(He online schooled his sophomore yr last year and is back to campus this year)…such sad words for a mama to hear from her baby…though really , that is what you WANT to hear. I’m so glad that I was home through it all~those school years…so blessed!
Yes, living in the moment slows time, just enough to enjoy it. I’ve she’d those same tears and will continue to do so for many years I’m sure. Enjoy your two weeks to the fullest!
I’m with you. Keeping it quiet as we focus on our next transition is wise. Look forward to hearing from you in a little while!
We just celebrated the big 12th birthday at our house this week, too! It’s so hard to face 12, because in our hometown, 12 means 6th GRADE and that means JUNIOR HIGH. I feel like the air has been sucked out of my lungs when I think about sending him off to junior high school! I’m just so glad God has given him to us. And… I am enjoying your blog.
Sage words, indeed. Plunge into each moment, sweet friend. They don’t wait unless we do :). Love to you in this passing of time.s
What nice kids! And what a blessing to have time spent with them! 😉 I can see how you’d want to savor every moment, even to make time stand still so you can stretch out every moment, every smile, and every memory with these lovely children.
Oh, where does time go? Thank you for that affirmation, that time slows in the moment…great reminder!
Found your blog via thebettermom.com. Beautiful post. Timely for me (no pun intended) as my husband and I prepare to bring home our first child via adoption. He is already two and I know I have missed so much, so I intend on drinking in every moment I have with him for the rest of these little years. Preparing my heart to relax and breathe deeply during the tough times so the good ones are all the more sweet. Thank you for this post and your important words.
It can be so challenging to be right there and only there. The siren call of “just a few more to-do’s” can be so alluring. The choice you are making will ripple forward in your children’s lives, and they will remember the time you took to be with them with fondness and laughter.
Enjoy these days and create loads of wonderful memories for you and your family!
This is profoundly beautiful. My oldest is running in those kindergarten shoes, and I see the years splashed out before me. This post encourages me not to lament or fear them, but to be fully present. Enjoy your break!
What a lovely list of thanks…Got God-bumps here as I read Ann’s words because I wrote today about paying attention…Blessings, Alicia 🙂
Precious! Five kids = so many joyful celebrations! And I agree with Jen – you look FAR too young to have a tween!
Good for you for taking time to focus on what matters. Enjoy it.
You look too young to have a tween!! I hope you get connected with Erin — your girl is the perfect age!
Beautiful list of blessings. Enjoy your break, Alicia, savor every moment.
Beautiful, Alicia. Always a pleasure to read your multitude mondays!
You’ve chosen the better thing, Alicia! I hope you enjoy splashing around in your life–full of beautiful children and the joy of the Lord! Great reminder to us all to fully enter the time’s swift current.
take off your shoes, indeed.
holy ground everywhere.
have a wonderful, earthy bloggy break! you will be missed!
These are soothing words to a mama who just dropped off her baby at college yesterday. The days went by so quickly, but they were good, especially when I’d remember to be all-present.
Now in this new season, I want to be all-present still–for God, my husband, my friends, me. Thanks for sharing this.
Oh Man!!! I wish we could have been there to shower Lizzy with birthday wishes!!
I’m sure the rest of you summer will be filled with just as much love as the rest of it…how can there be more?? You a superstar mom!!! 🙂