Were Has the Time Gone,, Happy Birthday To my 6 YR OLD

I remember years ago as a child my father saying to me “Time stops for no on,,it marches on”.  I always thought that was just one of those things he said to get me to clean my room or do my homework.  In retrospect I know it was one of those life lessons he was teaching me.  Enjoy each moment because before you know it time has gone by.  In this instance I am again humbled at how fast my children are growing up.  Six years ago we were celebrating Thanksgiving and anxiously awaiting the New Year.  With the New Year referrals from South Korea would start up again and we were at the top of the list.  Six years latter we are celebrating his birthday, eating cake, having friends over and building the tons of Lego ships he received.  In the blink of an eye we went from anxiously awaiting word that we were parents to no longer having babies or even toddlers in the house.  We now have children and soon children in school full time.  I am reminded of my dad’s words “time marches on” soon it seems they will be gone.

We did have a wonderful celebration for his birthday.  With friends over from his class and family.  Cake (shaped like a Lego) ice cream and chips.  They played games and even in the cool afternoon went outside for some running around.  Kids are not as bothered by the cold as we are.   Jackets and shoes in place and they can play for hours in the outdoors. 

There is a bitter sweetness to his birthday as well (I experience on my daughters birthday as well).  There is a mother in another country that I am certain is sad on this day.  I wonder if his birth mom is grieving today.  I wonder if she knows how much he is loved.  How much we love her, even if we never meet her, she is part of our lives.  I pray for her today and everyday that she has comfort and has found joy and happiness in life.

We now head full force into the holiday season.  Its time to decorate the outdoors, cut down the tree and get ready for Christmas.  And yes it will be hear and gone in an instant as Dad said “time marches on”.  I will enjoy each moment with my children.  Drinking in there excitement for each season and each new thing.  When they are grown I will have all these memories to sustain me as they venture out to make there own lives.

Old fashioned fun

With all the toy re-calls I find myself worried about buying Christmas gifts and Birthday gifts.  I remember the excitement of my Christmas list and wondering what I would get.  Would I finally get the Barbie Van I had wanted for so long.  Here the same excitement as my kids look through magazines and view commercials.  My daughter will shreek with delight at any thing Dora and yell “AHNT DAT AHNT DAT” and for the first year actually letting us know exactly what appeals to her.  Yet each time I hear of a re-call I think oh, no she can’t I wont spend the money on that only to have to take it away.

Yesterday, though I was reminded that all this stuff, all the toys, electronics are not necessary.  I decided to call my grandmother long distance so I chose to sit on the bottom bunk of my son’s bed.  At that time it was the quietest place to chat with my grandma.  Well a 4 year old can find her Mama anywhere and soon found my “hiding place”.  Her eyes lit up and she turned and ran away.  Several minutes latter she returned with the sheets from her bed and started forming a tent.  I ended my phone call and helped her make a tent out of the bottom bunk with sheets.   She and I played for hours in the tent pretending to catch imaginary bugs and lizards, singing and giggling.  This evening as I type this I can hear the squeals and giggles of both as they are playing camping in today’s tent.

The fact is they realy don’t need all these imported toys the beep, flash, bang and zap to have a good time.  They spend more time these nice day’s outside on there bikes making up stories and racing games.  And yesterday I re-learned that all they realy need is a imagination and a few sheets to have a great indoor camping trip.  With there imagination the sky is the limit as to how much fun they can togeather.  And it is all lead and poison free!

Last Across the Finish Line but Still a Win

A win for Heart disese that is :-) We walked in the Atlanta Heart Walk this morning. I raised $275, not to shabby. But the real win was all of us getting up and to Piedmont Park by 9:00 to meet my team for the 3 mile walk. We had all these great plans about taking the wagon for the kids but in the end decided that they would want to walk. Well at first they didn’t so we carried them about the 1st half mile. Once the walkers sort of spread out then they wated to get down and walk. And those little guys walked the rest of the walk So we honestly were the last to cross the finish line. The ambulance and truck picking up the cones was right behind us  There may have been a few stargglers further back but as we crossed the line they kept yelling “here’s the last of the walkers you made it!”
Ofcourse my team was teasing me until they found out that Holly and Parker walked almost the entire way. A 4 yr old and 5 yr old can slow you down a bit
Here is a picture of my little Heart Walker’s in the park after the walk.