Watching Them Grow! (Play music "In My Arms" by Plumb)

Bella and cousin Alex hanging out, watching "Cars."

Max started doing the "army crawl" about 3 weeks ago, he is now getting up on his knees. It won't be long now before he is crawling! He is growing up so fast!

"Bella please don't help your brother play so much!" Sometimes she forgets she is bigger than him (for now)!

Max and his older sissies, Chelsey and Sydney

I don't know why Fall makes me so melancholy, maybe it is the beginning of the school year, or just the change in the air. Leaves change color, children get older, it is a landmark of life. I sit and watch my children, all so different in their own way. They are growing up so fast, to me this is bittersweet. It is fun to watch them become individuals with their own unique personalities but it's hard when they don't need you for the little things anymore. My old boss told me a long time ago, "When you are young it seems as if your life drags on. When you graduate from high school, it gains momentum, but after you have children, your life is over." At first I thought this was funny, but now I see it from a different perspective. I watch Chelsey as she goes about her life, she is so beautiful and such a hard worker. She has so much integrity and compassion. It is so wonderful seeing her become the woman she is destined to be. She makes me so proud and I love her with all my heart. Several years ago Troy told me that Sydney was going to be one of those girls who kicks a guy to the curb if he pisses her off. How could he have known? Sydney is adorable and fun. She is my buddy. She told me "I love it when we hang out, just you and me." She also said "I want to have a sleepover at Grandma's." How many 16 years-olds say such a thing! I enjoy her so much and love spending time with her. She is such an amazing girl and I really appreciate all her help with the babies. My wish is that I could just hold my children in my arms forever and never let them go. They have to be able to spread their wings and fly, but sometimes it is so hard to toss them in the air. I remember a saying:

"Children are like grains of sand, if you hold onto them too tightly,

they will slip through your fingers. If you hold them lovingly in

the palm of your hand, they will stay there forever."

As much as we want to protect our children, we have to be able to let them learn from their mistakes. We can shield them as much as possible but we also must be able to let go and let them fall, experiences will mold them into the individuals they will become. The blessing for me at this time in my life is to be the parent of several different ages and mentalities of children. Bella is tricky, she thinks and acts like the older kids, she is too smart for her own good. However, I am always mindful that she is still a baby. Parenting at this level is more of a challenge than I could ever imagine, but I am learning so much. They grow up so fast, and we can't do anything to stop it. Nothing could be more difficult but more rewarding than this!

P.S. Thank you all for your kind words regarding my blog. It is such a pleasure for me to be able to do this for all of you so you can be a part of our life. We love you!