graduations!!



Our Ryan Graduating from High School


                                             Our Megan graduating from College

As I look over these two pictures an old but true saying comes to mind - "where has the time gone???" When the kids were little - the days were soooooo looonnnngggg!!

But it seems like the day Cam and I watched all 4 of them jump out of the minivan on their own accord (it was stopped - honest!) The time has just flown by!

There are so many things I wish I could relive with them - long walks, missions trips, baptisms, ice cream cones, night time prayers, last days of school, first day of school, bon fires, friends, text messages, dinner time,crafting, notes in lunch boxes (even in mine). The list could go on and on.

I just hope I enjoyed the moment! Cam and I are both working at this. We have the type of brains that are always one step ahead - preparing for the next "thing". And we are learning to "be right where we are".

And that also means not living in the past. It is easy (believe me) to get all senitimental and want to put each kid back in diapers and a playpen - but just imagine how ridiculous that would be. I want them to grow and be who God has them to be. And they don't need two parents holding them back!

So if you have little ones, big ones or middle sized ones (kids that is) - enjoy where you are. Every day is a gift - open it, look at it, use it, savor it - doing so makes sensibility to me!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

School is done, two graduations and parties have been thrown and we are in full on summer mode!! I love Summer - not just because I don't have to go to work every day (score one for the teachers!!) But I am one of those crazy parents that likes having my kids home. I like the pace, the fresh food, outdoor living and most of all, I like the trips!!

Cam is leaving today for a missions trip to Peru - he is visiting the church we went to last summer. When he gets home next week we leave with our youth group and 3 kids to go to Creation Festival.

3 years ago or maybe it was 4, I volunteered to cook for this event. My dear friend Janet sat me down and gave me all her insight into how to succeed at feeding 40 teenagers and not poisoning anyone - at least not seriously poisoning them!

We came up with menu plans, shopping lists and checklist. I then laminated them and tucked them into my "Creation Folder". Everyone summer, I whip out this folder, call my friend Anne and go shopping. We have  followed the same meal plan every year - with a few tweaks. This year I got a late start - I only pulled out the folder yesterday, but you know what, it was fine since everything was all there for me - I scanned over the meals, looked at the checklist and looked through the bins of cooking supplies to see what I needed to restock.

Now, don't get me wrong, it is work, but it is "known" work. I know just what to expect, how to expect it and when. If I reworked this trip every year I would only create more work for myself - and lets face it - all a kid wants to do is shove some food down them and get to the next concert!

I got to thinking how sometimes I make things harder than they have to be - change is good, but the tried and true is good too. If something is working, why mess with it. We eat basically the same 14 meals, over and over. We have a little cleaning routine in the house. There is a place for most items so everyone knows where to put something back. At school we follow a schedule everyday and if it is going to be different, we go over the changes so the kids know what to expect. Why should home be any different. Getting into a pattern is not a bad thing and the time and energy you save make cents and sensibility!