* Here we go again *

Here we are again!  The start of a brand new year.  January 1st always feels so quiet and peaceful to me.  (Maybe it's because everyone is tired from staying up late on New Years Eve).  It's also the calm after the "Storm" and by storm I mean;  Thanksgiving, Christmas, cookie making, merry making, presents, shopping, cleaning, hosting, gathering and advent activities.  All the stuff that can make us feel so busy crazy yet so joyful at the same time. This is a big year for us.  This is an even year for my babes.  This year Sam will be turning 10 and Samara will be turning 8! I remember thinking when they were 1 and 3 (I can't wait until they are 8 and 10 because things will be so much easier).  In a way, a lot of things are easier.  Sam can pretty much feed himself and his sister, nobody is in diapers, everyone sleeps through the night unless we watch E.T (that's not a fun night).  As I think about how much "easier" it is these days I actually feel it's a lot harder.  Sam is asking tough questions that I don't always have answers to, Samara is stretching and turning into a tiny lady and they see and don't fully understand the world we live in.  Sam is looking more and more like a young man these days.  I know it's inevitable but now more than ever I have to be alert and prayed up.  I feel it, I sense it.  I know that the tough choices I will have to make as a mom will continue to get harder each year, each phase but I want to do it all with wisdom and with God's guidance.  Sometimes I say no to friendships, sometimes I say no to t.v shows or movies but everyday there's a new challenge of letting them grow yet keeping them innocent.  In so many ways they are still little, their hearts are full of love for Jesus, they love their family and they obey their parents.  They trust us, they don't always understand but they trust us.  I can still take them to the park, play board games, do puzzles and watch cartoons with them.  They still enjoy toys and whimsical fun family traditions.  I'm holding on for as long as I can to those things, knowing that before long it will be a new stage.  My sweet gifts, my precious treasures.  I pray the Lord help me to guide them and help them along this path of life and that their hearts remain pure and full of God's goodness.  I want to soak up their joyful smiles and laughter when they play, as I watch them interact and be little for as long as possible.