Not Zero Anymore!

So . . . birthdays still seem to be a challenging thing for Nathan to grasp.  No matter what the birth certificate says, he declared today that it could not be Carleigh's real birthday because there was no cake.  (Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad mom since the cake is coming on Saturday -- a mere 3 days after the real day.)

Still, there was one thing of which he was confident.  She's not zero anymore!

It's amazing what all has been packed into her 12 months of being zero.   And even more amazing to think about what will be in the months ahead.

I wonder how many people often feel like big zeros.  I know I definitely have days when I look around and think that's about what I amount to.  Days when I get to the end and look around to see that I didn't manage to get the dishes washed, there are Cheerios scattered all over the kitchen floor, and so many other unfinished things that I wonder how we ever survived when I was working outside the home.  Days when I feel like I've lost patience with the kids much more often than I should have.  Days when I've taken David for granted.  And even more unfortunately I've taken God for granted.

So on this day when Carleigh is technically no longer zero, I will learn from her.  After all, being a zero is a great place to start learning and start being thankful for all the little things.  It's when you're in awe of everyone and everything.  When you laugh and squeal with delight without worrying that you're being too loud.  When it's OK to cry no matter who is watching.  When you put one foot in front of the other, take a few steps, fall down, and then get right back up and try again.  When people are by far more important than things.  And when you're always yourself because you don't know any other way to be.

I'm so glad God loves me and always sees the potential in zeros.

Are we there yet?

When we decided to head to Boone for the day today, it had been almost 4 months since our last visit.  For some reason we had not considered the number of times we would hear "Are we there yet?" from Nathan -- which was interspersed with his declaration that he didn't see Boone or the bulldozers or the big rocks that are currently a tell-tale sign of Boone's proximity.  As we drove into town, we were reminded of the things we miss about our first home -- from the double-decker Wendy's to the opening day of trout season (David misses that much more than I do).  Crazy as it may seem, we even miss the Boone Mall that by most people's standards could barely even be called a mall.

With all the visiting of friends who we love and miss, it was the ride back down the mountain that was most familiar.  I say that not because of the terrain between Boone and Lowell, but because of Nathan.  By this time, David and I should know better than to expect a quiet ride anywhere no matter how tired one or both kids may indicate they are.  One of our most memorable trips was a late night ride back to Boone when a 1 1/2 year old Nathan exclaimed, "Tractor say bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb" about 10 times a minute for 2 hours straight.  I am ever amazed by his ability to talk incessantly.  Anyone who wants to know how to pray without ceasing simply needs to be around Nathan for a long distance drive.  Tonight we heard that dinosaurs have tails and dragons have tails and the dragons on Dragon Tales are nice.  Why aren't we home yet?  I'm tired of riding.  Carleigh's crying.  She's going to make herself throw up.  Carleigh stopped crying.  Carleigh is tired and hungry.  Carleigh is tired.  Why is Carleigh tired?  Who lives in our old house now?  And on and on and on.  We really should keep a tape recorder with us at all times.

I take these moments to do two things.  Number 1.  I apologize to David because he married me without me warning him how I was as a child.  Nathan may look like his daddy, but he sure does act like his momma a lot of the time.  Number 2.  I treasure them in my heart.   I wonder if this is what it was like for Mary when it says in Scripture that she treasured things about Jesus in her heart.  I'm sure the day will come when we have teenagers and our backseat is quiet and we wish Nathan and Carleigh would share with us what is going on in their heads.  I hope David will always be able to say as he did tonight half-way down the mountain, "We sure do have fun, don't we!?"

So I will relish these trips and remember that much of the joy is in the journey and not simply the anticipated destination.  And I will be ever thankful that the Lord has given me my husband and children with whom to  journey.