Growth

Greg is working a 48 hour shift at the firehouse this weekend. I ran errands all day yesterday, and since I was close to the station I decided to go see him for a little bit. On the weekends they don't have any training so we were able to visit and we washed the Trailblazer together. It feels so good to have the car clean, it's been several months since it has had the attention that it deserves.

The boys that I used to watch live just a few blocks from Greg's station so I dropped by for a visit. I've been able to see them every few months since I stopped working for them, and it has been incredible to see how much they change between visits. They are all so much bigger now and joking about different things. It's also fun to notice how they haven't changed, most notably the personalities that were evident from the very first day I met them are only becoming stronger and stronger.

Of course, they still think that they can all fit on my lap at once....which was never really possible and between my belly and them being half my height each, sitting on my lap ended more like being wedged between me and the table. :)

My visit to with the boys made me think on how much I have grown, how I have changed, and how I haven't changed. There aren't many people my age having babies around here and I get a lot of comments and questions about whether or not I am done with high school. Between comments like that and the kids I watch now constantly asking me why I chose to marry so young I sometimes, actually most times, it makes me feel like I made a bad choice to start having kids now.

Then I realize that even before I was watching the boys I knew that I wanted to have kids earlier rather than later. I thought out my decision...and I am trusting that my husband and GOD know what they are doing.

• It's healthier and less risky for me to have kids younger
• It's healthier and less risky for the kids to have them when I am younger
• Our children will not only benefit from having all of their "basic needs" met, but they will also have two loving parents who will have the energy to spend time with them and invest in them
• Our children will benefit from being able to grow and experience life alongside their parents instead of their parents deciding that they are "done now" and can take care of kids
• I won't be in my 60's when my kids are graduating high school

My core values haven't changed much, I think since I was at least seven.....well, with the exception that I have decided that 200 children is just way too many for one family.