School Days!

It sounds so cliche to say once again how quickly they grow up... and yet truer words... It is with both incredible pride and a pinch of sadness that I post these pictures of my precious children.

Our oldest, Tristan, is a freshman this year. Wow! Have I been homeschooling that long? I watch him with friends and the choices he makes. He isn't driven by peer pressure or approval. I see him at home with his brother and sisters and observe from my own communications with him how much he has grown up. I see the fruit of his short time in Mexico when he plays with kids he may not have before or when he thinks of ways to give to bless others. He is a very enjoyable young man to be around. He is very solid in who he is and is not easily shaken or swayed. God is evident in his decisions and the attitude with which he pursues life.

Next, sweet Gavin. His is a seventh grader this year. He has a style and personality all his own. He marches to the beat of his own drums, literally. He makes everyone feel good and comfortable when they are around him. Like his dad, he has an incredible way with kids. They all just love him. (Especially the little girls!) His friends love to laugh with him, we love to laugh at him! (and with him, he is seriously funny!) He has a brilliantly artistic mind. A true gift of God. I see this carried over into his spiritual gifting of being a giver. He comes up with very generous and creative ways to bless.

Little Miss Terin, who could ever forget. She leaves a positive and lasting impression on those she meets. She is spicy and spunky and yet so full of compassion it blows me away. She can go from giggling so hard she has tears of joy to a very serious concern for a friend or loved one. She carries you away with the beautiful music she so easily makes on her violin. Our beautiful young lady has huge aspirations of being a good Godly mother and wife. She soaks in the opportunities to learn about running a home, from errands out, to meal planning, to maintaining the appearance.

Finally, my baby girl Payton. Her smile truly comes from the sweetness that fills her heart to overflowing. I think this is where her little pentecostal side comes from. :0) She is a treasure of a friend, a gift of a daughter, and a jewel to her king. She loves to help dig in the dirt of the gardens, harvest the crop, and then prepare the yummy dinner with foods she has grown. And she will shock your pants off when she plays her trumpet. This tender hearted little girl blesses by with the privilege to be her mom.

I love to watch them all grow and yet every now and then, I get this twinge of sadness right in my heart at how big they have all gotten. It is the bittersweet life of a parent. We joy in their growth and accomplishments and mourn at how quickly it is all going by. I try to live in the land of now with only brief glances back. They have so much to look forward to and I want to be joyful and expectantly looking in the same direction that they are heading.