On Friday May 13th, Randall had his wedding reception and it was such a blast from the past getting all the people Daniel use to be roommates with back together. During the time Daniel and I were getting to know each other, dating, and engaged, these were my peeps.
Well most of them. I hung out at their apartment All. The. Time. And even if half the time I was the annoying twitter-pated girl, who was always at their apartment, being loud, I know they all secretly loved having me there… Ask Josh, he loved having me there the most. 😉 Well… at least I know Daniel liked having me there. lol
Flash forward to five years later and it’s crazy sauce I tell you!
Everyone is getting married and having kids, which, not that it’s a race or anything, buuut Daniel and I are totally dominating. haha We did get a bit of a head start though.
I loved loved loved seeing everyone. And my kids who have been obsessed with baby Emma since they met her like a year ago, loved playing with their friend.
Not only did I get to spend some time with old friends but I also got thinking about the different times and seasons we have in our life. Like I said, Daniel and I got a bit of a head start getting married and having kids. So as I watched Kaitlyn and Katie chase their almost 2 year olds around the reception, I had total flashbacks to when Carter was almost two.
We would go to wedding receptions for friends and I felt like I could never be part of conversations that lasted longer than a few minutes because Carter wanted to go explore. So I’d follow him around and stay close enough that I could keep him from getting into too much trouble. But I was one of the first of our friends to have kids, so I also felt a little out of place chasing Carter around. Like I was sometimes missing out on other things.
Now, more than two years later Carter is 4! He so big and independent, it’s ridiculous. But he also is pretty good at listening and following directions. And luckily he keeps his younger brother Sammy out of trouble too. So this wedding reception, I found myself in a completely different place. I didn’t have to chase my kids around and make sure they were staying out of trouble. Obviously I still had to keep an eye on them, but it was way less hands on than just a couple years before.
I took this picture and isn’t it so cute! I love those two little girls, they are adorable! Seriously, so cute.
Anyways, it just all got me thinking about how much my life has changed in two years, and how lucky I got with these two goofballs.
We went to the park the other day and I sat on the grass and watched as the kids chased the birds. They got pretty far, but I didn’t worry because they know to stay out of the road, and would even run back to me on occasion and tell me about the things they saw or did.
It is a little crazy how fast things change. I felt like I would never be able to just let my kids play, without having to follow them around and keep them safe.I swear it was just yesterday I remember grabbing Sammy and running to try and catch up with Carter who was turning the corner on the sidewalk and not slowing down no matter how loud I yelled for him to wait. That day was the first time another mom stopped and offered me help. I was mortified to look like such a mess that someone would literally pull over and get out of their car to offer me help. But it was just the season of life I was in.
Then, in the blink of an eye it seemed, my kids grew up. Started listening. And my stress went way down. Now they run ahead, but when they get to where I cant see them they stop and wait. If I yell for them to come back they usually listen. Obviously they are still kids and we still have meltdowns and tantrums, but for the most part they are such good kids!
I promise I’m not some amazing parent who has it all figured out though, they just grew up. We entered a new season of life and if I’m being completely honest, it is my favorite time yet!
This is really such a fun season of life we’re in. The other day we made muffins and Carter wanted to peel the carrots while Sammy grated the zucchini! I mean, talk about grown-up.
Another day we planted the garden and the boys both were really helpful, which was not always the case when they were younger. 😉
Shoot Sammy even put himself down for a nap the other day because he was tired. Bless is adorable two year old heart.
I guess the point I’m getting at is that I love where we are in our life. And the thought of change scares me a little. We could be having a baby any day now and I find myself clinging to my practically independent kids and asking them why they keep growing!
I know the newborn stage will only be hard for a little while and the change will be good for our family, but its a little scary.
But then I think about how awesome my life is now, compared to 6 years ago, and how great my kids are and think, okay we can do this. It’s just another time and season and it’s gonna be great!
Growing-up 