Bottling Up Time

Having Josiah gone all last week at Speech Camp was a vivid reminder for me of how quickly time is passing--as if I needed another reminder about that!  I keep thinking, "Three more years.  We've got three more years together as a family before Josiah goes off to college and our little family circle stretches wide and gets gaps in it.  Lord, help me treasure these next three years so that when that transition comes, I won't have regrets about the way I spent this time!"

I find myself looking from Josiah to Benjamin, remembering when my firstborn was toddling around on unsteady legs, and picturing my lastborn becoming a big strong teenager capable of going out into the world on his own.  It all goes so fast.

And so, to slow it down a little, I pulled out my camera today (just the poor-quality one on my cell phone, but at least it takes pictures that can record a memory) and froze some moments in time.  Moments like...

...after a family reunion this afternoon, we dropped by and visited my mother.  She especially perked up at the sight of Moriah...

...and hugged her and hugged her.

My mother was fairly alert today--more so than she is sometimes--and she even tried to tell me something (although she sadly had to stop after just a few words).  Seeing her beautiful smile did my heart good.

After that, we came home, and some of us got to have much-needed naps.  

 Benjamin was still wearing his name tag from the reunion...

 ...and was holding a truck, of course.  :)

This evening, we gathered with some friends from our church to eat together and pray, and the kids got to enjoy some time to play outside in the beautiful evening air.

 Watching Benjamin (and the others) climb in and out and up and down on this "ark" made me wonder what Noah and his family did with their Ark after the Flood.  Did Noah's grandchildren use it as a huge playhouse?  Wouldn't that have been fun to explore?!  :)

One of Benjamin's favorite things to do is play in our minivan.  

 It must make him feel powerful.  ;-)

It won't be too long until Benjamin's biggest brother is driving this thing, for real!

This evening at home, I was watching Benjamin walk around in the yard and remembering how it wasn't so long ago that he scooted, rather than walked--and how it wasn't long ago that he did NOT like being on the grass!  Things have changed.  ;-)

In years to come, I want to remember these moments.  I want to see what it was like to watch Benjamin slightly stagger and stumble as he walked across the yard in his toddlerish way.  I want to recall how Josiah and David played catch in the cool of the evening as the sky darkened.  I want to be reminded of the sweetness of this season of life and parenting.

But what's more, I want to know then that as I experience this now, I am aware of how precious it is...

...and I give thanks for it.