Summer Highlights: A Birthday Season Full of Milestones

The boys started back to school yesterday!  And you know what that means?  It’s catch up time!  For the blog, for my house, for the yard, and for a thousand other things that got placed on a back burner over summer!  I’m not even sure where to start! 

But before I get lost in the work that awaits,  I need to stop and catch my breath.  And reflect on a few milestones that came and went over the summer. God did some cool things in the area of growing my boys, and I feel like I hardly had a chance to acknowledge His hand.

So, for the next few howeverlongs, I want to just reflect. 

And then I’ll get to work.  I promise!

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A Birthday Season Full of Milestones

My little guy turned eight a few weeks ago.  It’s not a particularly significant number in itself.  But I’m realizing that significant things have been going on in his heart. 

I see it in the little things he says and does.    

For example, if we are sitting down to watch a program, he’ll often wander in with a bowl of fishies to share with the family.  Even when he’s not hungry himself. 

Or if we’re outside working, he shows up with several glasses of iced tea.  All on his own.

And yesterday morning, before he went to his new 2nd grade room, he helped the new little boy on his bus get to his kindergarten room.

He’s not perfect.  But I see God’s hand on his heart.

Here’s another example.  For his birthday, he had been asking for a particular LEGO submarine which was no longer in production. 

While I watched EBay for a good deal, I picked up some MATCHBOX things, just in case.  I knew they weren’t really what he wanted.   But when he opened them, he didn’t pout or frown.  Instead, he  expressed genuine thankfulness.

Later that night, he got to open the LEGO model I found at the last minute.  

Seeing the surprise and joy on his face made me realize just how much he had wanted this set.  It also made me appreciate all the more how gracious he had been that morning. 

He’s growing up.  Sniff, sniff.   :)

But the thing that has given me the greatest joy, is this.To any onlooker, this seems like a simple child-hood milestone of learning to go underwater.

But I know better.

Several times over the last few months, he has brought up wanting to be baptized.  Each time, we talked about what that meant and how he would need to be ok with going under the water.

The subject again came up while we were caring for a neighbor’s pool and swimming, of course. 

And something clicked inside him. 

For a week straight, he worked on getting his head all the way under the surface.  Not so he could show his brothers he could do it.  But because he didn’t want to miss another baptismal service because he wasn’t ready! 

He even had me do practice “dunks” without the goggles so he could make sure he’ll be ok! Lol!

Tell me that’s not COOL!!!

I LOVE seeing him grow!  I love even more that God is working in his heart.