Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to our dear family and friends!  What a joyous season this is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  This year more than ever, Chad and I get to experience the magic of Christmas through the eyes of our children, and we are soaking up every minute.   Our 2010 Christmas theme has been "spend less...stress less...enjoy more", so in an effort to keep with this theme, I made the decision to do something I NEVER thought I would do....send an electronic Christmas card!  I also thought I would NEVER drive a mini-van or have a fake Christmas tree, and now I happily have both, so I guess I should stop saying 'never!'

This past year has been quite eventful and has just flown by...all of you who told us that time would continue to speed up as our kids got bigger were right!  We are entering our 10th year of marriage, which we can hardly believe.  This past November, we had our 5th anniversary of living in CA and serving at Peoples Church.  Chad is still overseeing the high school department, and this past summer he took on a new and exciting challenge of also overseeing the college department.  We have really enjoyed the college students, and spending time with them takes us back to our roots of campus ministry at PLU!  I have now been in my current profession of "Mommy and Homemaker" for nearly 7 years, and we wouldn't have it any other way.  Every year being home with our kids is a gift and a privilege, and it is humbling to know that God has entrusted to me this awesome responsibility of investing in the lives of these little, precious people. 

Rees, at 5 1/2,  continues to love and excel in his kindergarten class, and we could not have asked for a more incredible kindergarten teacher!  Mrs. Witters is her name, and she calls her class the "Witters Critters." He has made some great friends and loves show and tell, playing in the sandbox, singing songs, and having computer time in the classroom.  Rees continues to amaze us with the level of creativity in is brain.  He really has the mind of an engineer!  In fact, the other day I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up, and he responded simply "a builder." Well that sounds just about right!  If I need help with Legos or puzzles, it's Rees I go to when Chad's not home :) He also loves soccer, riding his 2-wheeler or Razor, wrestling with Daddy, doing flips on the trampoline, and having friends over to play.  His new favorite show is America's Funniest Videos (which the boys just call "AFV"), and there is nothing more hilarious than watching him watch that show!  His face turns bright red from laughing so hard, his eyes water, and he has an ongoing commentary of "Oh dear... oh know... this is not going to be good!" 


Cole, our sweet little boy, is 3 1/2 and he has grown up so much in this past year.  He got his first big boy haircut, and I will forever miss those blond curls.  He and Rees still share a room, which now has a Hawaiian/surfing theme and bunk beds.  The boys are inseparable, and Cole is sad everyday when Rees has to go to school.  Cole is quite the helper around the house - he loves helping Mommy bake, cook, clean, and organize and he is right by Daddy's side, screwdriver in hand, anytime something needs to be fixed.  He is naturally talented at many things, but especially loves baseball (you have to duck after pitching to him or you'll get your head taken off), football, basketball, and drumming. A keen eye will find little dents around our house where our 'little drummer boy' has been :)  He also has a goofy side to him and is always doing funny faces, voices, or dances.  Cole will be officially starting preschool this January, although we have been doing "school" together at home since August.  He recently learned how to write his name and count to 30!  


Selah Belle, our baby, is now 21 months old going on about 6!  I have always been grateful that my kids have been relatively bald for their first 2 years of life because it gives them a "perpetual baby" look. Well, all of a sudden Selah's hair started growing like crazy, and she is looking more and more like a little girl these days (sniff sniff).  We are still blown away that she, like big brother Rees, has strawberry blond hair! That must've been one strong gene they got from their Great-Grandpa Red!  Over Thanksgiving break, Selah began potty-training herself (at 20 months), and is still doing a great job.  Hard to believe that 6 years of diapers in this house may be coming to an end soon.  Selah is so full of life and brings so much joy to our family.  She is the caboose of Rees and Cole and is right in the middle of whatever they're doing.  Before nap or bedtime, she calls for each of them to come give her a kiss and a high five! She loves dancing, playing dress-up, accessorizing herself, caring for her baby dolls, getting on and off the trampoline by herself, and playing in the mud.  Her big grin, deep belly laugh, and many expressions have won over the hearts of everyone in our family!

 We thought we'd take advantage of writing an e-letter and share the highlights of our year in pictures.  So here it goes!

JANUARY 

We celebrated our 8th anniversary in Disneyland with our baby girl.  There is just nothing like being in Disneyland at Christmastime - truly the 'happiest place on earth!'

 FEBRUARY

 The boys have grown to become best friends in 2010. Here they are playing parachute on the trampoline.  They got the trampoline last Christmas and STILL go on it almost everyday.
 

MARCH

Rees celebrating his 5th birthday with his preschool class!

  Selah Belle turned 1 on March 19th and had a very PINK birthday party. 

Chad's Grandpa Bobby passed away in March after a 10 month battle with Leukemia.  We were so blessed that our whole family was able to travel to Minnesota for his funeral.  Here is Grandma Lenore being presented with an American flag to honor Bobby for his service in the military. 
 

APRIL

Cole turned 3!  He had a "blue basketball pizza party" to be sure he covered all his favorite things!
 

  We had our 4th annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt!  This was the first year that it was COLD, but the kids had fun.  The babies, Selah and Isaac, were right in the middle of the action.

MAY

Chad's parents drove down to CA and we all took a trip together to the beaches of Carlsbad and Legoland.  It was the perfect 'kid-friendly' vacation.
 

JUNE

Sisters and babies! Selah and I took a trip to spend Father's Day in WA with my family.  Tiffany and Johnny hosted a great BBQ, and between all the crawling babies and puppies, it was a total zoo - just how we like it!

 

I will be forever grateful that my Papa was able to celebrate Father's Day with us because this ended up being the last time I would see him this side of heaven.

JULY

We had a wonderful Yosemite vacation with my sister Sarah, her husband Isaac, and their boys Ben and Eli.  Our days were spent swimming, hiking, and chasing the babies!

Rees, Cole, and Ben are such good buddies, despite living 900 miles from each other.  It is so fun seeing them play together.

AUGUST

  Rees started KINDERGARTEN!  We are so proud of our first-born!  This was a milestone day for our whole family.

SEPTEMBER

Cole played his first season of soccer. He was a little shy at first, but once he warmed up he did great!  He even scored a few goals.

Rees played his second season of soccer, and was thrilled to be on the "red" team - his favorite color!  Like Cole, it took a couple weeks to warm up, but by the end of the season he was running around and scored some goals too!

OCTOBER

My Papa died suddenly of a heart attack while attending Sunday Mass - his favorite place to be.  His funeral was bittersweet, a time to mourn his passing, but also a quality time with family remembering his life.  My dad was presented with this American flag after a very moving ceremony, performed in honor of Papa's service in the Navy.

Rees's first field trip was to the pumpkin patch!  It ended up being a fun family outing.

NOVEMBER

We traveled to WA for Thanksgiving this year and had a nice surprise of SNOW! The kids had so much fun with their grandparents and cousins.  From left to right: Rees, Ben, Rachel, and Cole.

With 9 grandkids under 7 and 4 who are about 20 months old, our gatherings have a 'kids' table' AND a 'baby table!' Here are Zachary, Eli, Selah, and Adele getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner and my mom's special birthday celebration.

Johnson Family (minus Chris who was working) - Grandma Lenore flew in from Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving which was such a blessing for all of us!  We also got to meet our newest nephew, Corban James!

DECEMBER

 

  December in our house has been all about Christmas baking, crafts, and decorating! Here is the gingerbread house that the kids ate...I mean built :)

 

Here's Chad after running 26.2 miles!  He decided to attempt this feat about a week before doing it, and I never doubted that he would finish.  Oh, and he didn't train for this and has been telling me for years that he's not a runner. He has kind of "ticked off" all the true runners who have aspired for years to run a marathon and have yet to do it (like me, haha!) It's not fair!  But I am still so proud and so impressed by his accomplishment!

Reesy Bear, looking quite dapper in his first Christmas program.  His class sang two songs, complete with hand motions.  Talk about CUTE!

Reesy lost his first tooth!  In fact, he pulled it out all by himself with tweezers!  He is one brave boy.  There is nothing cuter than a toothless, freckle-faced little boy. 

Well, there you have it!   What a year it has been.  Looking back reminds us that through the highs and lows of this year, God has been so good to us. Our hearts are filled with joy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. 

God bless all of our family and friends!  Click below to see a special video that we hope brings you some Christmas JOY!

 

Fall Is Here.......YAY!!!

I just love fall.  The candles, the crockpot, the pumpkin spice latte, and of course FOOTBALL!  I cannot even express how thrilled I was for October 1st to arrive....and for rain and cool temps to follow close behind, it doesn't get any better for this Seattle girl!  Seriously, September felt like the month that would never end.  Having grown up in the Northwest my entire life, my body expects a change of seasons when September rolls around, so triple digits, humidity, and head-to-toe sunscreen everyday got really old this September! 

This fall has been busy, busy, busy for the Johnson family!  I feel like I've been saying "I'm in a busy season" for the past 6 years, and I'm finally realizing that this "season" is really just my life!  Rees continues to LOVE kindergarten and he has learned so much.  He is reading really well and has made remarkable improvements in his handwriting, using both upper case and lower case letters, and even writing sentences!  The first week of homework had me scared for the year because getting him to finish one page was like pulling teeth.  However, now after doing it a few weeks, he has become quite a "self-starter" and is able to finish it with very little help from me!  I am so proud of my hard working boy.  It's so cute because Cole, wanting to be in school soooooooo bad, sits down and does his "homework" with Rees.....I have leftover worksheets from Rees's preschool that keep Cole busy.  So he too has learned a lot - writing his name, recognizing letters and numbers, cutting with scissors, and coloring in the lines.  Oh, speaking of "pulling teeth", about 2 weeks ago, Rees asked me to check if he had any loose teeth.  Now he has been having me check periodically, and his teeth have been rock solid.  Well, that is up until this time....sure enough, he has 4 loose teeth!  This was quite an exciting discovery!  So, he has now been eating apples regularly and wiggling them every day.  I can't wait to share the news of the first one coming out.

This fall has also brought the start of SOCCER for both the boys!  This is Cole's first year playing, and seeing him in soccer shorts and shin guards is about the cutest thing ever.  As Uncle Jason and Aunt Kerry say,"serious cute overload!"  Rees got new shin guards this year and his first pair of real soccer cleats.  Cole is THRILLED to be borrowing cousin Ben's old soccer shoes.  Rees is on the red team (naturally) and Cole is on the green team.  Now we haven't really had the best luck with our boys trying to play team sports, so we really weren't sure how this season was going to pan out.  The first week was very challenging.  It was so hot outside, and although the boys did well in the warm-up, they both kind of freaked out and refused to participate once the "game" started.  We were bummed because we thought for sure this was just a phase that they would have grown out of by now!  Now I have to give the disclaimer so it doesn't appear that we are "forcing" our kids into sports.  Last year Rees said he didn't want to play, so he didn't play, and we were fine with that.  But this year both boys told us repeatedly that they wanted to play, and we made sure it was THEIR decision.  But with that decision comes the responsibility of being a team player and having a good attitude. We were able to get out of them that they felt scared during the game because "there are too many kids running around so crazy."  Talk about a relief to finally know the root of their refusal to participate!  So, we have spent the past 2 weeks talking with them about David and Daniel and how to overcome fear. We are amazed with how much they have changed!  They have both done a great job "being brave and playing tough" and they are finally realizing that it's a lot more fun to actually play instead of pout on the sidelines. They have both done some great kicks and even scored a couple goals.  We continually tell them that doing a good job isn't about scoring a lot of goals, but it's about having a good attitude and trying their best.  I am so proud of them....they are making the choice to play with a happy heart :)

Fall News in Selah's world is all about TALKING!!!  Seriously, on the day that Selah turned 18 months (September 19th), she began speaking in sentences!  Talk about a milestone.  I have stopped writing down her "new" words because there are just too many to keep up with.  Her comprehension has also increased in the past couple months.  In fact, on Sunday I was in my bathroom getting ready for church and I told Selah to go to the toyroom and tell the boys it's time to go.  Sure enough, she went toddling off and a few seconds later I heard her hollering "Les GOOOOOO!!!" I just cracked up!  She really does understand most of what we are saying.  Yesterday she ran to the door when she heard Chad and the boys coming back from school  and said, "I wan see Ees an Cole!"  A few words she has added to her vocabulary in the past couple days that I am not too thrilled about are "me," "mine," and "no."  I don't recall the boys learning these words until they were 2!  This girl may be sweet and cuddly, but she is also tough and can hold her own with two older brothers.  If they try to mess with her, she is not afraid to share her opinion!  She is becoming quite attached to Daddy these days and asks for him constantly.  Every time she sees him she puckers up and follows him around until she gets a kiss.  I'm pretty sure if she managed to say "Daddy, please buy me a pony" he might not be able to say no!  She has sure won her Daddy's heart :) Selah is also getting into dress-up, and it seems she is always finding something to use as a bracelet or necklace.  Just tonight I had to pry my hair rubberband "bracelet" off her arm before putting her to bed and she was NOT happy!  Last week I actually painted her toenails for the first time....again SERIOUS CUTE OVERLOAD!  She is so much fun and brings us endless joy!  The older she gets, the more she is really starting to look and sound like Cole.  They have the same eyebrow expressions, the same pouty eyes, and their cry even sounds the same.  We are starting to get them mixed up in pictures too!  It has been fun to see them become little buddies during these last few weeks as Rees has been gone at school. 

Well, that about sums up the latest with us!  We are eagerly awaiting a trip to WA in November for my Mom's birthday and for Thanksgiving and it can't seem to get here soon enough.  We are going to drive this time as airline tickets for 4 travelers is pretty much out of the question!  We are thankful that our kids are seasoned travelers...so what's 900 miles, right??!!

The Things Kids Do....

I wanted to share a couple hilarious pictures of the kiddos that I took recently.  Each of them speaks volumes about the stage of life our family is in....so fun, yet so unpredictable!  This first picture is of Cole sitting next to the exersaucer.  There are a few things you need to notice about this picture:
1)  the pile of toys on the floor next to him.
2)  the ribbons that used to be attaching the toys to the exersaucer. 
3)  the fact that the toys are no longer attached to the exersaucer.

Now, what you DON'T see in this picture is the pair of SCISSORS that Cole used to CUT every toy off of the exersaucer!  Even as I'm typing this I cannot believe he did this.  Rees came running in the house screaming "hurry, hurry, look what Coley did!" Well, when we hear that, we just never know what we're going to find.  Chad and I just stood in disbelief not knowing whether to laugh or cry.  We both just shook our heads and said we just can't believe the things kids do!  

We definitely learned our lesson that a 3 year old cannot be trusted alone with a pair of scissors or even a crayon for that matter!  We have found Cole's "scribbles" all around the house (praise God for the Magic Eraser).  Not long after the "scissors" incident,Cole announced to me that he had made a hook to hang his gold medal on.  I guess I should add that his "gold medal" is a plastic medal hanging on a red, white, and blue ribbon that Cole wears EVERY DAY!  Seriously, he puts it on the second he gets out of bed!  There is no particular sentiment attached to it, I just think he likes the idea of being a star :)  So back to the hook...he brought me in his room and showed me where he had taken a hammer and hammered a thumb tack right into the front of his wooden dresser!  Again, I just shook my head in disbelief of the things kids do.

The second picture is of my little princess Selah Belle.  She is 17 months old, and every day I am amazed at the things she does! I mean really, nobody taught her how to get ready to go shopping, she just knows!  It really is fascinating.  She has every detail covered....the shoes (although one vanished somewhere), the glasses, the purse, the cart, and the baby in the cart.  When I see her imitate me, I am reminded of the sobering thought she is observing and imitating everything I do!  Yes, this is totally cute, but is also a little scary.  The prayer that comes to mind is Lord, let me be the kind of Mommy that I want her to become.  What an awesome responsibility we have as parents to raise these little ones!  I want to challenge myself with this question everyday: Are my attitudes and behaviors ones that I want my children imitating?  Any area that I answer "no" is an area that I must bring before the Lord and allow him to change my heart and refine me.  This parenting thing is a journey, and as much as my children are a work in progress, I am a work in progress! Oh, and it's ok to laugh at the things kids do :)
 

BYE BYE BACK PAIN!

So it has now been 9 days since I got the epidural injection in my back and SI joints, and I am overjoyed by the pain relief I am experiencing!!!  The past couple days have been really good!!!  I still have some soreness which is not unusual, but I have dramatically increased range of motion, I can sit on the floor and play with the kids, unload the dishwasher without choking back tears, and sit at the table and eat with the family for the whole meal (usually half-way through I would have to head to the cushy chair to relieve the pain).  So all-in-all I can confidently say that IT'S WORKING!!!  I am also amazed at how much more energy I've had throughout the day.  My morning routine doesn't require 30 minutes of stretching in order to get moving :)

I am continuing to go to physical therapy, but now that I have the pain under control, they can be a lot more aggressive in treating the core causes of my back problems.  I am doing a rigorous glute, ab, and hip strengthening program which will help bring stability to my entire trunk.  I am at an incredible physical therapy office, and for the first time in 15 years I feel like I am receiving treatment that will actually bring me long-term relief.  I have learned so much through the experience of dealing with chronic pain, and boy what a battle it has been!  Through this whole journey God has taught me so much about relying on Him and He has been the source of my strength.  There are so many days I look back and wonder how in the world I survived not being able to move with 3 small children to take care of!  It is in those moments of complete helplessness and desperation that I see God's hand reaching down and carrying me through.  Yes, His words are true when He says He will never leave us or forsake us.  Thank  you Jesus for your faithfulness as I journeyed through this long dark tunnel.  YOU have been the Light at the end of the tunnel!

Mom's working the basics

For those of you who didn't know, Chad taught me how to throw a football on our honeymoon.  Now, I have the privilege of imparting my 'skills' to my sons!  Actually, Cole came out of the womb with perfect form.  Now all he needs are some 'non-fragile' targets!

Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom....

As I embark into the land of blogging, I have been asking myself "What is the purpose for this blog?" Yes, I want it to be a place where I can share the latest on what new things the kiddos are doing and saying these days or what is going on with Chad and me, but I really want it to be more than just "news." I hope this can be a place where people can get a sneak peak into our home and our hearts. I pray that as I share the things God is teaching Chad and me through this wild adventure of Daddy-hood and Mommy-hood, our readers will find themselves saying things like, "I am so glad I'm not alone...I've felt that too...I've never thought of it that way before..." I can't make any promises that I will stay current on this blog considering the 3 children, slow internet, and an honary laptop....but I will do my best!!! And now, on with my musings....

For someone like me who thrives the best in environments which are:  1) predictable 2) controllable and 3) clean, motherhood can prove to cause me some trouble in these areas! Although I absolutely adore my kiddos and consider it an incredible privilege to be able to stay home with them, each child has caused my environment to be increasingly 1) unpredictable 2) uncontrollable and 3) messy.  I used to think I was a pretty "on top of it" person, and I was somewhat that way up until the 3rd child was born! Now many parents who had ventured down this road before me gave me fair warning about the 3rd child phenomenon, but I must confess I didn't take them seriously! Or maybe in my pride I just thought that somehow I would be exempt from living out their warnings. I thought "I've done this 2 times, what's one more?" Haha! Oh how naive I was! Over the past year and a half since Selah was born, I have become so keenly aware of just how little control I have over the circumstances of my life and just how weak I am apart from the Lord. With two kids I managed to keep the plates nicely spinning on each hand, but I only have 2 hands!!! I joke with my friends and family who are fellow nurses that I feel like my life is one constant state of triaging. I can't even count how many times in a day I have to tell myself out loud "just let it go...." Whether it's not freaking out when the boys pee on the dirt to turn it into mud, or Cole dumps over the 3rd cup of milk in a day, or Selah does her "swiper" move when I'm not looking and swishes a whole tray of lasagne over my freshly mopped floor, and on and on and on....God has been teaching me through all of these "moments" some big lessons on "perspective." In the grand scheme of life, these "messy inconveniences" are just not that big of a deal. I have friends and family members who have suffered deep losses in the past year, and I'm fretting about my grout looking dirty??? Talk about perspective....

Through this journey of Motherhood, God has been teaching me the principle of "little by little." I know that I shouldn't fret about the messes and disorginaztion I see around me, but on the flip-side I also know that I can't just let my house fall into complete disarray and chaos. So where is the balance? I'm still working on finding it, but I think I'm getting closer! When it comes to organizing, I have been practicing the "little by little" principle by going "drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard, and closet by closet." So instead of attempting to re-organize my entire house in a day and getting totally overwhelmed (there actually was a time in my life when I had the time and energy to do that!), I break it down into small, manageable projects. Ones that don't take more than 30-45 minutes to complete. That is about the max amount of time I can realistically devote to a project without being interrupted at this stage of my life! And the beautiful thing is that I get the satisfaction of actually finishing it! So far I have tackled 2 kitchen cupboards, 2 kitchen drawers, the laundry room shelves, 1 laundry room cupboard, and the linen closet (all in the course of about 2 weeks). Now here is where the true confession comes in: when I find myself in the course of the day with smoke coming out my ears because the kids have just dumped out all 12 Rubbermaid containers of toys, I can secretly escape to steal a look at one of my clean cupboards! I am not kidding, I actually do this...when I'm really stressed out, I just look at my neatly stacked pillow cases or my new set of Tupperware that has all matching pieces and just momentarily go to a happy place :) 

"Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you...They go from strength to strength, til each appears before God in Zion." Psalm 84:4,7

Week 1 Down + Surgery + a Birthday!!!

Well, I am VERY happy to report that Rees had a wonderful first week of school, and he's off to a another great start this week! We are so proud of him! I think the thing that's helping ease this transition is the fact that he is SOOOOO excited and motivated to go to school. He is such an eager learner, and we know he will grow so much this year! He adores his teacher, Mrs. Witters, and we do too! We are car-pooling with our dear friends, the Bulls, and we just crack up hearing the kids' different reports of what they did at school. How clearly you can see the difference between boys and girls by simply asking Zoe what they did at school and then asking Rees the same question! Let's just say if I want all (or any) details, it's Zoe I must ask! Today Rees had his first "show and tell" and he proudly brought a baby Praying Mantis in his bug container! A funny story from yesterday (reported to me by Andi, she was the teacher helper for the day!) was that Mrs. Witters kept asking Rees why he wasn't raising his hand, and he very matter-of-factly reported, "I can't because I have my rollie-pollie in my hand." Well, instead of putting it outside like she suggested, he just shoved it in his pocket! Oh, boys and their bugs :)

Last Friday, I had a much-anticipated procedure done to (hopefully) alleviate the back pain that has plagued me for 16 years (and that is not an exaggeration...) It was done at a surgical center in Fresno, and let's just say I am so thankful that I was under anesthesia and have no memory of the procedure! The doctor did an epidural injection in my spine and two other injections in my right sacro-illiac joint. I made a small mistake and forgot to inform the anethesiologist that I am VERY sensitive and only require 1/2 doses of pretty much everything....well, turns out the entire lower half of my body was numb for hours! They made me stay for over an hour extra because I collapsed trying to get out of bed to leave. The nurses said they'd never see anyone stay that numb for so long. I was so grateful to have such a big strong husband who could carry me into the car then into the house! I slept the entire day and was VERY sore for a few days. I started feeling a little bit better yesterday and actually found myself doing some movements that I have not been able to do without pain for quite some time. I am very hopeful that I am on the right path for complete healing, and I praise God teaching me so much through this entire process!

Yesterday we had a very fun day celebrating Chad's 33rd birthday! I was reflecting recently that this birthday marks 10 years since we celebrated his birthday for the first time as a couple. It was his 23rd "golden" birthday a decade ago! What a remarkable 10 years it has been...our cups overflow with so many blessings and testimonies of God's goodness and faithfulness to us year after year! For this year's special day, we were sure to eat all of his favorite things over the past 2 days....Spaghetti Factory, Special K bars, and of course German Chocolate cake! The boys helped me bake it and decorate it. They were so cute about it! Rees wanted to make it in a star shape because "Daddy is a shining star for the whole world." Seriously, how sweet is that? We got to share it with our dear friends after dinner at Red Robin. All in all, it was a great day! I love my Chado :)

Hopping on the Bandwagon!

My big boy, already starting kindergarten!

Ok, I am totally going out on a limb here at starting a family blog!!! This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but "time" is hard to come by these days. And not to mention the fact that I'm the most computer savvy person out there...but I'll give it a try! I hope this can be a place where I can share our "family news" and stay more connected with our dear friends and family who are too far away!

This summer has been a complete whirlwind of travel and activity, and I can hardly believe that the end is nearing, in a mere 4 days that is. My sweet firstborn, Rees, will be starting KINDERGARTEN on Monday! It feels like such a landmark occasion, not only for his life, but for me in my motherhood journey and for our whole family. I know, I know, it may be "just kindergarten" but this milestone symbolizes so much more for me. There is part of me that feels a sense of relief, realizing that I survived the first 5 years of this wild journey into Motherhood. But there is also a feeling of sadness knowing that every year from here on out will be one more step towards independence and adulthood that my son will take. Over the past couple weeks, I have been so acutely aware of how much Rees is becoming his own person, complete with his own unique likes, dislikes, opinions, personality, quirks, and priorities. As newborns, infants, and even toddlers, these little ones feel so much like an extension of myself...they grow within me and then for the first couple years are attached to me in some way whether it's being nursed, carried, or cuddled. But little by little that begins to change and one day there's the realization, "Wow, this little body, this little boy is his OWN PERSON." And this person is so much different from myself and that's ok! My prayer for Rees over the past month has been "Lord, teach me how to parent and instruct this child of mine. Teach me how to speak to him in a way that connects with his heart." I have been amazed at how God has answered this prayer. He is showing me how to connect with his heart, how to validate his ideas, and how to release him to make his own choices, instead of controlling him (where appropriate of course). It brings such joy to my heart to to feel that heart connection with my little boy when so many times it just felt as if we would do nothing except butt heads! Thank you Lord for teaching me how to love this precious life that you created!