Blessings

Elias playing at the park.

There is nothing like being overwhelmed to get you to enjoy the small things in life. I’m now embarking on my fourth week of being a working mom. The summer school program I’m working for is only five weeks long so I’m coming into the home stretch. Overall I’m really glad that I am still in the teaching game (even if it is only for five weeks), but it makes me wonder how people can do it all year round. Not only do I feel majorly behind on things like housework, but I just miss my son! So…I’ve had to really focus on enjoying the small moments which bring joy into my life.

One of the things I love most is when the wind blows Elias’ hair. When we go on evening family walks, this happens quite often. I don’t know why seeing his hair blow in the wind makes my heart overflow with such love. Pretty much every other time I’ve seen someone’s hair blow in the wind I’ve either laughed or not cared. But when it is Elias…it is something special. I think sometimes with babies it is easy to forget that they are real people. Elias will grow up and become a boy…an adolescent….a man….and an old man. Maybe now that his hair is growing in I am being reminded of that a little bit.

I love watching Elias studying his toys. He turns them around, feels them, tastes them, and bangs them together to see what they sound like. I just can’t imagine what is going on in his little brain. He is piecing the world together day by day.

Here we are in Sunriver over Fourth of July Weekend.

I love listening to Nathan and Elias together. Nathan does this thing called “strong boys”. It is like the stereotypical macho man behavior. He takes Elias in front of the mirror and flexes his muscles and says “strong boys” in a real loud, deep voice. Elias thinks it is so much fun. (I have been banned from doing this….it’s a daddy-son thing). Elias still also loves to watch for his daddy to walk home from work. They have such a good bond together.

Nathan is a blessing to me in so many ways too. He is a very involved Daddy and changes many diapers on nights and weekends. I love that he wants to spend time with Elias, and fights me for chances to be in the pool with him for baby and me class. Although there are now three dads who come to the class with their sons, Nathan didn’t care when he was the only man. He is a proud father.

I am blessed, too, to have parents who are so loving, and who are so excited to be grandparents. Elias is genuinely excited to see them. When I drop him off in the morning before work he smiles when they open the front door and lets out an excited squeal. I never have to worry if he will be cared for while I am gone.

Elias is crawling through a tunnel at Fort Rock Park in Sunriver.

I could go on and on. I love when Elias “talks” to the cats, and when he smiles at me, so proud to have stood up on his own. I loved it when my students mixed up the words “perseverance” and “patience” and a hilarious discussion ensued. I love it that there is actually a tomato growing on our plant.

Even though things are overwhelming, if I just stop for a few moments I can see how richly God has blessed me in this life. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I can pass this on. How can I make the world a better place? When my son grows up, I want to be able to tell him what I’ve done, and what I’ll hopefully still be doing. I want our family to be serving our community from the time Elias begins having memories. I want him to understand that he is blessed and that even he can make a difference in the life of someone else if he puts his mind to it.