Lent- Day 13

37. The list- I was cleaning up the message center today and Kaden's to-do list from this weekend re-surfaced.  What strikes me about this list (besides the literacy coach's writing lessons, haha), was what Kaden was really asking for.  The list reads- "Look at riding lawn mowers, clean the garage, play outside with my sisters, work in the garage, eat breakfast, lunch, dinner."  Clearly he is concerned about eating, haha!  However, the rest of the list screams one thing to me- time with family.  He knew he wanted to look at lawnmowers and work in the garage with his daddy, and he loves spending time with his sisters.  What he was craving was time.  Time spent with family.  Not busy activities to fill our day.  Not little tasks that "have" to get done on our to-do lists.  But, time.  This was God's reminder to me that our kids want us.  They don't want us to fill their schedules with activities to keep them busy, they don't need us to buy their happiness or entertain them from thing to thing.  They want us.  Our attention.  Time spent, one-on-one time, family time.  At the end of the day, this is what I want my kids to remember.  I want them to remember the time I took to play.  The time I took to laugh, create, read, relax, imagine.  Not the stuff I bought them or places I busied myself taking them to.

38. Brother's hugs- I wish I had been able to capture this moment on camera.  Maya was upset after her nap because she bumped her head on the chair.  Right as she started crying, Kaden walked in the door from the bus.  She immediately ran to him, he put his arms around her, and she buried her head into his shoulder.  He comforted her, rubbed her head, and helped wipe her tears.  It was precious.  It was one of those moments when you stop and remind yourself that maybe you are doing something right as a parent.  I hope that he never stops being the protective, loving brother that he is to his sisters.

39. Sisterly love- I guess my kids were just in a loving mood today.  They love to hug each other, comfort each other, play together, and fight with each other :).  I love how this picture shows their character.  This is completely their pose, 100%.  I told them to stand by the wall so I could take their picture and this is what I got.  It warms my heart.  I love seeing their relationship with each other grow, their love for each other deepen, and their smiles bring cheer to each other during the tearful times.