beautiful

there's a saying something like "life is not about the number of breaths we take, but about the moments that take our breath away"

this statement holds a lot of truth. my life is punctuated by those amazing, breathless moments; meeting the love of my life, getting married, giving birth to a precious son, and another beautiful bouncing baby boy, and again to my captivating daughter. such profound events, overwhelmingly important.

however, every day leading up to meeting brad shaped me and guided me so when the schoonvelds invited me on a blind date with a farmer i accepted the invitation and fell hopelessly in love with the dashing young man. lots of the days before brad were significant and moving. lots were mundane and filled with work and school. but each one held great weight in that god used it to make me me and my life what it is today.

so though my breath caught on my wedding day as i walked towards a new life shared with brad, there were so many days and dates preceding that day i hold captive in my memory so when i became a bride it was with great joy and excitement and anticipation.

perhaps that is why i always wish to add more to that quote when i see it hanging in someones house or posted on facebook. i do not want to discredit the beauty and importance of all the in between type days when i was newly married and learning to be a wife and share a life. and you just cannot have a baby every day. trust me, i only had a baby on three days in my life, and that was enough. wow. but that does not make the days spent with those fabulous children less significant.

my days now are typically pretty exempt from life changing events, though they still abound in these growing little lives around me. and though we get to experience glorious weekends at waterparks that give us the fun of anticpation and memories a plenty, most of our weekends we are at home. and that is so happy and so fulfilling.

having coffee with a sweet neighbor while our boys run back and forth through her kitchen and ayla jo cheers them on brings me such satisfaction, such peace and happiness. bundling the boys to assist brad with getting some pigs in is exciting and bonding and special. brushing baby blue's ever growing hair and taking in the slight scent of baby still left there causes my heart to overflow with gratitude for that moment.

the truth is, i probs wont remember how cupcake wore her white patent leather shoes all day, refusing to remove them even for a nap. i will most likely forget that bear lost his flipping car 4 times before 2pm today, necessitating 4 hunts, and 4 victorious discoveries. i wont recall maxers studious face as he signed his name proudly on valentine after valentine in preperation for school tomorrow. nonetheless, each of those minute occurences made me so thankful for each one, reminded me of how blessed i am by these babes, and how loved i am by a heavenly father who gifted me today, and all that it holds.

and maybe embracing and experiencing the every day makes the big days even more meaningful. loving and experiencing life daily with the littles feeds the desire and delight when we get to experience something uniquely special with them. these are the days of building the foundations of relationship and learning and education. let us not discredit them.

what a privelege and what a responsibility.

may i live every day with the wonder and excitement of knowing this day is yours lord.