Dedicated To My Two Little Turks

You know, crossing into 40 was a little shocking to me. I had thought about it for awhile, so it wasn't like I suddenly couldn't believe that this was the "40 birthday." But I guess I just don't feel that old. I feel like I blinked and my little 21 inch firstborn baby grew into a basketball player. I think another reason why I don't feel like a middle-ager yet is that I still have little kids. I am loving having older kids now. Everything is certainly easier (Well, almost everything. There is the new thing of 7th grade!). I love that I get to see them play sports. I love being a silent witness as they begin to make their own choices to follow God's voice. But it is so nice that I still have little hands to hold, too. I suspect that one day I'll look back and realize this was the absolute best time of my life. Big kids and little kids. All at once. A house full of kids. I am so blessed. When I had been away for my 40th birthday weekend, then reconnected with the family to head to church Sunday morning, Big Ben and Sweet Cheeks could not get enough of me. We always sit on the front row. They were like little balls of silly puddy stuck to me all during church! I took these pictures of them recently and decided to write a blog post with them.

As you can see from the picture above and below, we've found a fun little place at the mall to play in these harsh winter months. We head there with special friends. The mommies drink coffee and ask how we can pray for each other. The little ones dive in to play. This is an interesting play area. It's a big cushioned bowl with pillows inside. You can run around the outside. You can fall in and not get hurt. You can zoom little cars down into the pit. Evidently Big Ben thought it was like a swimming pool. Every picture I took of him that day, his cheeks were blown up with air.

Here's Sweet Cheeks right after I got back from my weekend away. (Well, actually, this is not how she looked. I forgot to take a picture of her hair that morning which her father did. This is after I pulled it into a ponytail during one of the hymns.) We always eat at this place. She always orders chicken drumsticks. She eats them to the bone. They look like magpies have gotten ahold of them.

My little guy was a little full of himself. What's new?

I thought he looked so handsome that day in his Campbell tartan. I even let him have a cup of tea.

And then here is one of Sweet Cheeks practicing her spelling words. On the fridge. Why? Because she can, I guess.

I love you, little Turks. Thanks for keeping  me young! Leave me a comment. What keeps you young?