Everything is a Season

I don't know where I first heard it, and I don't know how many times we have said it, but a recurring saying at our house is the simple fact that everything is a season. Its gotten Doug and I through sleepless newborn nights, stubborn toddlers and their tantrums, and the headaches of navigating new school years and schedules. When things seem too big or too hard or too heavy, we remind each other that everything is a season. This moment will pass, and we will make it through just fine. 

This saying isn't just great advice during the hard stuff. It also reminds us to slow down, pause for a second, soak in this little quirk, that little look and to just simply enjoy. Many times I have been stopped by an older couple or grandparent and I already know what they are going to say; enjoy it...because it passes too quickly. And to that I always promise that I am. No matter the season I am in. 

Today is the first day of October. My favorite month of the year and of course my favorite season, fall. I just think God did his best work when he made October. The skies are more blue, the air more crisp, the leaves more beautiful. But He made it much too short. October is packed with so much fun that I always want it to last forever. But it never does. Seasons change.

Just as October is my favorite season that I hope holds on a bit longer this year, our life as a whole right now feels the same way. I don't find myself saying everything is a season just to get by; I find myself saying it so that I remember to relish in it and to be glad for it. 

I would keep Emery Kayt eight forever.

I know I have said this for every kid at every age, but really eight is where it is at. She is old enough to be such a good helper to us and her brothers yet young enough to still well up with tears quickly when her feelings are hurt or worries seem too big. She is old enough to have her own opinions yet young enough to ask lots of questions. She is old enough to love school and her friends so much yet is young enough to still need tucked in and kissed every night. Eight is a sweet mix of old and new. No matter what, she is our silver-lining finder with a big heart for everyone she meets. And she still has the greatest laugh with a scrunched up nose to go with it. Em has actually been quarantined at home with Covid for the last 10 days (she feels great now minus her loss of smell), and Doug and I have been so proud of her upbeat attitude through all of it. I want to be just like Em when I grow up. She just keeps getting better with each season.

I would keep August Samuel six forever. 

I melted the very first moment I laid eyes on this boy, and I continue to be a puddle for him. He is so smart and witty and curious. He loves all things ball and boy but will always be my cleanest kid. He is rarely seen without tall socks or a mohawk and always, always has to dress for the part he is playing. While he worships Emery and says he doesn't like Bennett, he is the first one to invite his brother outside to play (and makes him dress for the part too). While he still swears he only loves me, he is his Daddy's shadow and asks him a million questions a day. His big brother connection with Theo has made him seem so much older and sweeter this year and even though he can go a hundred miles a minute, his good days far out way the bad. I am just a sucker for my oldest son. He keeps getting better and better with each season. 

I would keep Bennett Lee three (almost four) forever. 

Students at school ask me all the time if I have a favorite child; I always instantly tell them it is Bennett. Now I know you are not supposed to have a favorite (and I really don't), but there is just something so special about Bennett. Everyone loves him. His over-the-top, bubbly personality is contagious. His dimpled grin gets him out of any and all trouble. His animated stories and not so clear speech make him irresitable. He is our wild whirlwind with dirty feet and sticky hands. He is our rough-houser, our comedic relief, our tantrum thrower. Sometimes he counts as a big kid and sometimes he is one of our babies; forever trying to keep up, forever trying to stay little. Bennett Lee...I will forever whisper in his ear that he is my favorite. He just keeps getting better with each season. 

I would keep Theodore Douglas 11 months old (I refuse to say he is one) forever. 

Can you blame me? As October has been creeping closer, I have felt myself get more nostalgic by the day. Theo is proof that seasons change and change quickly. He is also proof that after a hard season there comes such a beautiful one. It feels like yesterday that we swaddled him tight and hoped for a few hours of sleep. It feels like yesterday that we watched with tears in our eyes as Emery, Auggie and Bennett smiled down on him for the first time. One minute I long for those days, and in the next I get so excited to see who this little boy is that has stolen all of our hearts and makes us better together everyday. He doesn't cuddle, he doesn't sit still and he doesn't love me the most, but I am obsessed with him. I would keep my forever baby a baby forever, but I will admit, he just keeps getting better each season.

I already knew I would keep this guy forever. And he definitely keeps getting better with each season.

Today is the first day of October. I am going to enjoy it.

And I am going to remind myself that everything is a season, so that I really, truly, deeply enjoy it.