CHANGE

People ask me how things are going with our kids.  I am not always sure what to say because there are so many ways I could respond.  I will say that (now that the holidays are over) things do seem to be settling down a bit.  We are all getting into a routine and getting used to the NEW normal.  Sometimes I even forget what the OLD normal looked liked.  I think that we WERE very busy with life.  That part hasn't changed.  It's our focus that has changed.  We have six schedules to worry about instead of three.   Add in the two that don't live at home and that means a lot of running here and there and everywhere.  Basketball, wrestling, church, school, friends, an occasional trip to Target, homework, dentist and doctor appointments, lunch dates with Lindsay and Kristin, visits to Grandpa and Grandma, and planning a wedding!  These are the things that keep us hoppin'.  I really don't think that we are busier than anyone else.  EVERYONE is busy, it seems.  It is just that our busy has changed.  

Here are a few little things that have changed...

*Bread never molds at our house.

*Bananas never get brown.

*The washing machine is going...constantly.

*Bedtime has dramatically changed.  No more "What Not to Wear" before bed!

*Lots of Disney Movies for us. (Lots of sleeping for some of us during movies! Some things    never change!)

*So much talk about Star Wars, Jedi Knights and light sabers!

*Stinky boy socks!!!

*Ripped out knees in pants.

*Morning checklist: hat, gloves, snow pants, snow boots, completed homework, snacks!

*Lots of bandaids.

*I regularly drink coffee in the morning!  THAT is a change!

*Allen and I are in constant communication about schedule changes, strategies for parenting and discipline issues. (And I thought we communicated well before our addition!)

*I am learning to let go of the things that I can't control.

*We are hanging on tight to the things that mean most to us.

One thing that is continuing to change is our relationships.  Bonding takes a long time and trust takes (maybe) even longer.  I think that we are all learning to read each other better.  When is Dad joking? When does Mom really mean it?!   Is he/she in a bad mood or just thinking about something?  Was that disrespectful or am I not understanding a cultural way of communicating?  Is this ok??  Communication is very complicated for any family, but I do feel like we are beginning to understand and appreciate each other.  I am excited to think of all we might learn in the next year.  I'm also excited to think of how we might change in the next year.  I'm not sure how God is changing us, but I do know something good is happening.  At the very least, it has become necessary to think a little less about ourselves and a little more about the others in this group of people we call...family.  That is change that we all should constantly be working toward.