Family Talk {A little update on B}

Before school this morning, Brighton was on the couch with one of these.  The orange one, in fact, flipping through the pages of 2010-2011. Our family’s 2010-2011. I sat down beside him and he said, “I like looking at the pictures.”  He pointed at a few and laughed and as he saw a couple of his 3-D art creations, he promptly asked, “Where is that?”  I had to laugh and change the subject by pointing at a different picture wondering what wonderful new recycled life his Dallas Cowboy Stadium was enjoying.

I am so grateful for the technology that allows us to have those little books-- to be able to bind together stories and pictures and memories that we can thumb through from time to time and remember.  I forget so much.  And it’s all happening so fast.  Yesterday, Jeff was out of town so instead of dropping B by Jeff’s office at the end of his work day, he had to make a grocery run with me.  I only had a quick stop to make at Central Market to get tortillas.  If you know CM’s tortillas, you understand.  If you don’t, trust me.  It’s worth one stop for one thing.  And at that time of day they are usually warm.  And they were.  As soon as we got to the car, we opened up the little plastic bag and we watched the steam rise.  You have to have one while they are warm.  As B bit into his, he said something like, “What would this world be without warm tortillas?”  It may have been the only good moment we had together yesterday.  Seriously.  But you know, I’ll take it and I don’t want to forget it.  Yesterday, I was thankful for a rare common thought.

Both of the kids are really changing.... growing up is what I need to call it.  And face it.  Brighton, at 9, craves time with Jeff.  In fact, B thinks every second Jeff has off should revolve around him and what “fun” they are going to have together.  He cannot get enough of his dad.  They enjoy skeet shooting, the batting cages, fishing, eating breakfast out, getting hair cuts, throwing the baseball, playing PIG {short game of HORSE},  and baseball {or anything} on the Wii. We are thankful but at the same time trying to find a balance of Brighton simply joining in what Jeff is doing and doing the “fun” things Brighton wants to do-- and dealing with the responses that go along with that.  Our discussions with him are a little more involved because he so emotionally in tune that he asks about things are hard to explain or things that require a little more digging.  As he matures, he understands more and can put better words to how he sees things and feels things-- which can be really neat or really draining.  We must be firing on all cylinders to stay in it with him.  He’s good for us.

He dreams big.  His latest thing is, “I think God made me for football.”  I just love this about our boy.  He’s never played a day in his life, but he keeps saying this.  I see what’s coming.  He will play football because he is determined, just like a month ago when he was determined to sell lemonade.  We had flown in from Atlanta early one Wednesday morning and I needed to sleep before I left for work.  So while I slept, he sold $12 worth of lemonade in our front yard on a fairly busy street.  I knew nothing until I woke up.  As he gets older, I see him thinking up all sorts of opportunities, focusing on one and diving in.  And then another.  And then another.  His plans and dreams will only get bigger, possibly more disappointing or more successful.  As his parents we need to teach and model what it looks like to delight in the Lord, so B’s dreams line up with God’s dreams and so he gets to experience the desires of his heart.   {Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4}

When I woke him up this morning, I noticed how his pajamas were too snug.  His bed even looked too small.  He is wider than he used to be-- and taller.  He needs new school pants but I am holding out to the end of May, hoping his shorts from the fall can still be buttoned... comfortably.  He’s a perfect size but I am amazed at times, this big, heavy boy is mine.

And time is moving much too fast.