“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” Psalms 127:3
About a minute ago, I was stumbling out of Costco carrying a giant box of Huggies the size of a chesterfield. A small herd of children gleefully followed along in the reckless way that diaper-age toddlers do as Ana semi-herded them in the direction of our minivan. Those kids were mine and audibly eager to eat again, and consequently, fill up my newfound treasure with a vengeance. Back then diapers were a central figure in virtually everything we did and we thought we would never see the end of them.
But that day did come, about a half minute later, and now the girls want high-heels and nail polish and necklaces. They won’t leave the bedroom in the mornings until they have assembled the perfect wardrobe for the day and once dressed and accessorized they present themselves so Ana and I can gasp and tell them how cute they are.
I have no idea where the time went, but our daughters are cute little girls racing madly toward beautiful.
All three of our kids went through some stuff just before moving from Las Vegas to Florida. It was very hard as it triggered past experiences for them. The move represented instability, and it’s taken some time to adjust. Ana home schools our children, and they are so blessed to have that. She is a great teacher, and they learn the basics as well as things we believe they need to know to do well in life. We decided to give them a break from school as it was hard for them to focus. Instead, we spent time together exploring, learning by seeing and experiencing and bonded even stronger as a family.
Once they were in a good place, daily school resumed, and they took to it like fish to water again.
Last week Cadence read her first book, cover to cover, on her own. She had done it first in school then came to my room to read it for me. I sat and listened and just watched my little girl. I don’t know how to describe the feelings. She is so precious, even her most subtle gesture is captivating and sweet. She is so full of life and love, so perfect in every way. Our job is to raise her, yet I don’t want moments like these to end. There will be many books to come, but this one is incredibly special to me.
I thanked God and marveled at his handiwork, then thanked him again for the honor of being parents to three precious children he gave us to care for and love.
