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This weekend was ballet recital. If you know Avery, I need not explain her temperament. She is hot or cold. She can, on occasion, "cry" without producing a single tear. I have actually offered her a quarter if she could squeeze out a real tear during a recent "crying" spell. Couldn't do it. (She ended up laughing, though)
Things work a lot better if it's her idea. Don't push her. On the flip side, she is incredibly maternal, nurturing, and usually unselfish.
However, she will not, for the life of her, do any part of her ballet dance at home. Not for anybody. Not for Grandma, not for me, not for her sister. But when the theater curtain is pulled back, she becomes a smiling, radiant performer. It's amazing. She's just beautiful to watch. I guess I might be a little partial but oh well.
Reese was a competitive gymnast for the first time this year. Gymnastics is a sport that requires a LOT of time from day one. As a first grader, she spent three and a half hours in the gym every week and if she continues, starting in June, will be in the gym about six hours a week. Needless to say, we are in a dilemma about what to do with her. She likes it, is good at it, and absolutely loves competitions. But is it worth the time? She would enjoy several different things at this point. We have four children and want to preserve our family life. People say, "As long as you have quality time together, that's all that matters."
BUT. You can't have quality without quantity. We need wisdom on this decision.
Jake is easy. He's settling in to golf lessons. Loves it and has a knack for it. He'll play flag football in the fall like last year.
I have a very wise friend. I used to babysit her children and she once told me, "Stacey, enjoy these few years when your children are babies, toddlers, and young children. Right now it's physically exhausting, but when they get older, and start making their own choices, you will be emotionally exhausted."
I am finding those words to be true already. My children, Jake and Reese in particular, are taking little, tiny baby steps towards independence. I can't force their attitudes. I can't make them want to choose the right thing. I can't tell them, "Be kind!" when they're at a friend's house. ~~~I can't force their hearts.~~~ That truth scares me a little. So begins my own choice to trust the One who made them. They are His and He will be faithful.
You know how people say when you're lying on your death bed, you won't be thinking how you wish you'd worked more? I know I won't wish I had been busier or spent more time running around crazy. I want to focus my time and energy on my family, which is the main thing God has put in my hands to do for the next few years. Seasons will change, there will be time for other things later but until then, I want to make the most of these years. I spent the last couple weeks so incredibly busy, I felt like I was barely present for my kids. (Physically or emotionally) I intend to avoid that being a regular occurrence.
Yesterday was unusually cool so last night, Brad, the kids and I got the fire pit out in the back yard, grilled chicken and burgers, and ate by the fire. The kids loved it. And it was nothing more than time. Avery said, "Thanks for letting us have the funnest night ever." It made me want to hurry up our plan to go camping. There's some good family bonding that comes from camping. Trust me. I know. We grew up camping and I could tell some hilarious, and some not so hilarious stories. But every memory camping is a memorable one. No tv, no computers, no cell phones, just time.
Yep. We've got to go camping.
~Little girls become big girls awfully fast~
~stacey
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~~~~~~~ Of course I don't mean perfect perfect-but as a father to me, there couldn't be a better one on the planet. 
They were on sale and the guy I live with happens to really like turkey hunting and sales.