Thursday, December 15, 2011

These are the good old days...

...my little brother is not always going to want to call me a few times a week and talk to me for 20, 30 or more minutes.  Our conversations aren't anything earth shattering- mostly a blow-by-blow of his day, and lately, what I think he should buy different people for Christmas- but it's not always going to be "cool" to call his big sister.  I have lots of messages saved on my phone that say, "Leah, this is Isaac....I was just calling to chit-chat, so call me back!"  10 years from now, he'll probably have a different girl on speed dial, so I try to treasure the sweet innocence now.

...Eva's not always going to be a 7-year-old begging me to sit on the floor and play Strawberry Shortcakes. In fact, it doesn't seem like too long ago that I was the one who loved to play with those dolls.  Yesterday I helped her organize the toys in her bedroom- seeing the paper dolls, American girl dolls and art projects brought back a lot of memories.  She has a lot of mature characteristics, but can be super silly and little girlish at the same time.  She came over on Saturday and helped me bake peanut blossoms.  She got the giggles as she exaggerated my instructions to make all the cookies uniform in size.  I just love these two little guys.  Before I know it, they're going to be all grown up.

Is this the right size???
Oh, maybe if I make it a little bigger....
...and bigger...
How's this???
(Yes, she was having a silly afternoon!)

...even though it feels like I haven't quite found the perfect rhythm to keeping my house clean, laundry done and dinner on the table (it seems like once a week our house looks like it "threw up" the contents of its cabinets and closets), I know it's never going to be easier than now.  When we have kids and happy chaos someday, I'm sure there will be times that I'll look back fondly on how streamlined my days are now.


...I think one of the things that makes marriage great in the long run is when each spouse works to understand the other more fully, learning something new about the other every day.  As much as we loved each other when we got married, almost a year and a half later, our relationship is even closer than it was then.  I am so happy to have time with Nathan almost every day to just enjoy our marriage.  Whether we're actually working on a project together, hosting friends, or just tackling our individual to-do lists in the evenings, I'm grateful to have these days and years to study Nathan as a person.

4 comments:

busymama431 said...

Ha, ha...to cute about Isaac calling you just to "chit-chat" He might not grow out of that. :)

I remember thinking I had so much to do before any of the kids came...funny how perspectives change! You just learn to be super-duper efficient, hardly sit-down, multi-task, let-go of some of your cleanliness standards, and enjoy the process of organizing your life. :) I'm beginning to think that I can't let any part of my life be unorganized...otherwise chaos ensues. :)

Leisel Spafford said...

Siblings are so precious and sometimes it is too easy to take them for granted! It's wonderful that you are taking that time out of your busy schedule to build memories with them...They will always remember that! :)

God Bless,
~Leisel~

Vanderpolclan said...

While on the topic of husbands and wives, we just finished watching the DVD series of Love and Respect. In our minds, this should be a must see for all married couples.

I love the comments about Isaac. Too cute.

I have been following your family's blogs for quite a while and just like to say thanks for keeping us "in the loop" about your lives. It is a great example for our children. It is encouraging for them to read about godly relationships and family. So, thanks. And thanks to your sibblings, too.

Cindy

Vanderpolclan said...
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