Five and ALIVE!

Today is Greyson’s 5th birthday!  Say what?!?!  That is us ⬆️ this morning at the Campus Corner having a Birthday Breakfast before the bus picks him up for school.  And well, increments of 5 seem to be such a great time to reflect, so I guess I will continue that trend and try to paint an update on our lives!

The last year has been pretty busy, no doubt.  It has been filled with the same things every family experiences.  Growth.  Concern.  Frustration.  Change.  Tough decisions.  And of course, lots of love.

In all honesty, I have found this to be our toughest year yet.  My wife and I have been greatly challenged in finding the best way to teach our children appropriate behavior.  We have struggled to find time and energy not only for them, but also ourselves.  Every day seems to be chaotic, at best.  I find that as I look back on a daily or weekly basis, I just don’t see much advancement with our ability to operate efficiently as a family.  There seems to be many more “stressful” times, days, evenings than happy ones.  It’s just a fact.  A fact of my perceived reality, anyway.

I do understand that it shouldn’t be about the million milestones we are expected to achieve.  I am so sick and tired of the pressure that we need to be somewhere, at sometime, that someone designated as appropriate.  Why can’t we just be.  Yes we will continue to push.  Yes we will continue to grow.  But on our watch.  On our terms.

And after saying all of that, I can’t help but to be completely and utterly honest with you about how I feel about our family…

We are FIVE (years old) and ALIVE!

Haha!  I say it funny, but I say it seriously too.  We are healthy, and warm, and our bellies are full.  We all grow so much each year, and it is easier to see it on days like today!  

A memory we created last night helped to put all of our hard work into perspective, so I would like to share it with you.

Last night Greyson opened some Birthday presents on the living room floor, sent from his Aunt in Arizona, while she witnessed through FaceTime of course.  The boys already were bathed.  I “Mohawked” Grant’s hair, which seems to fit his personality.  Both boys were in their long PJ’s as the nights are getting colder.  We have pumpkins on our front steps (which the squirrels have been chewing through to get to the seeds?!?!).  You can hear the laundry running downstairs, and the dishwasher in the kitchen.  Jet was licking his paws.  I had a cup of hot tea I was sipping on.  Erin had just got some chores done around the house which always makes her happier 😉!  Grant was literally like a shoe in the dryer;  Hot, frazzled, and bouncing all over the place with excitement that his brother was about to open these presents!  And Greyson, well… it was absolutely amazing (and I really do mean amazing) to see the young man that he has become.  The entire process (gift opening process), start to finish, was absolutely BEAUTIFUL to watch.  He was engaged.  He was truly excited.  He participated with such ease.  He was thankful, and thoughtful, and he was gladly sharing these presents he was opening with Grant Michael!  He opened a movie first, which he exclaimed, “It’s Angry Birds!”, followed by “I love the Angry Birds!  Grant, do YOU love the Angry Birds?!”.  Of course Grant screamed “YES” too!  Then he continued with the onslaught of toy dinosaurs all individually wrapped, opening one after the other, each time getting more excited for the next!  “It’s a Stegosaurus!”  (Yes, he really did name the Stegosaurus too!).  “It’s a giant bird!” He just kept going, and going, loving and living in this moment. Well, we were living in it too.  Like I have said before, we don’t get many of these (moments), but they always seem to happen at just the right time.

Maybe it is unfair I expect him to enjoy things the rest of us typically do.  The last thing I want for him to be, is in-authentic.  Him being him, well it doesn’t get any better.  But when I play it back in my head, his joy last night, that was authentic.  So, it puts my mind at ease, that we are doing the right things.

So even after just a half hour of what I think was perfection, it re-affirms the fact that we are doing what we need to be doing.  We are doing it right.  We are doing it right for Greyson, for Grant, for my wife, myself, and our sweet first boy Jet (6 year old Woodle)!

We are putting the time and energy in each and everyday, questioning that energy, and then reflecting every now and again to keep ourselves in check, moving on the right path forward. So if you happen to be a family that feels like you are struggling too, just keep pushing, and wait for those moments that will tell you everything you need to know…  

It is amazing to see him, hear him, and feel him on a daily basis.  To be able to be part of who he already his, and who he is becoming, is more than we could ever ask for.  Thank you G man for picking us as your parents, and your family.  We will always have your back.  

With more pride than we could have ever imagined…  Happy 5th Birthday, to our sweet boy.