So, let's just say I took "maternity leave" from the blog world. Apparently having a baby took a whole lot more work than I remembered. Let's just do a brief catch up of the past year and a half. Sweet Miles Ray entered the world January of 2011. He was welcomed with open arms from his big brothers, aunties, uncles & grandparents. He has been the easiest baby by far, and I think a lot of it has to do with our abundance of "experience" and maybe the Lord knowing what our family needed! Our other baby, Gunner, turned out to be a great addition too. Josh trained him pretty well, although he still goes through a spontaneous rebellion every now and then {hole digging or toy snatching}. He has done good with the boys but amazingly well with Miles, to my surprise and relief! He has been super gentle with him and pretty much let's Miles have his way with him... probably because of the plethora of snacks Miles feeds Gunner.
We took a road trip last summer to visit family and friends in Oregon, Washington & Idaho. It was quite the trip with 4 boys plus dog. We had so much fun, made plenty of memories along with life experiences. We saw so many beautiful landscapes, places that seemed no man had ever set foot. Just God & country. It was a trip we will never forget and look forward to doing it again this summer! We came home in time for our two oldest to start school, in 1st grade & Kindergarten. This year has flown by as they only have 2 weeks left!
In the fall I became an Auntie to my first niece! Aubrey came into the world and graced us with her beauty. She is seriously the most beautiful baby girl, and it's not because I'm a proud Auntie! She is loved by all, especially all her boy cousins :)
Christmas time was a blast and crazy busy. I take it the rest of our life will be crazy busy so I should just expect it right? We had fun visiting both sides of the family. That has always been a huge blessing to have both of our parents close by. It makes the holidays busy but I'm so grateful! We were able to stay in a cabin in Big Bear with the rest of the Ball clan after Christmas and it was a blast! Luckily there was just enough snow for the boys to play in & make a couple snowmen.
Then January rolled around again, and it was time to celebrate all the birthdays, including Miles' 1st! We had a month of sickness passed around our home more than once. We had another anniversary and Mitchell's 4th birthday. I always hear people say" enjoy these years"..."they grow up fast"... and seriously it's so true! I look at other women I know with grown children that are going away to college or getting married and find myself thinking they were in my place at one point going through life just like me. The older these little guys get the faster life blows by. I seriously can't imagine them getting bigger, growing facial hair and wearing clothes that just look too big for my babies ... and then leaving me!? So here I am sitting here, remembering how little they were when they were brand new, looking at pictures old and new, watching them grow before my eyes.. and enjoying every crazy moment.
This past year has been a year of growth for me. There have been life experiences I never expected, good and bad. Things that have led me to reach for the Lord more than ever. Things that have molded & shaped me into a stronger person. I can look back and say we did this, this, this and that... but what has impacted me most were the things that happened to me and my family. The things I didn't plan and expect. I just pray that I always keep life in perspective and can show my boys how to love God & love others. Because that's all that really matters in the end.
