It's the time of year when I cook as much as possible on the grill so I don't have to turn on the oven and heat up the house because we refuse to turn on the air conditioner just yet.
It's the time of year when the boys wake up at 5:45 and barrel down the stairs for the day. They see the sun shining through their window and know that they need to get in gear.
It's the time of year when we do get an occasional evening to see Wesley and spend some time as a family fishing together.
It's the time of year when we spend lots of time in the garden and flower beds and I try to incorporate science and life lessons in here and there.
It's a very fulfilling life, a very tough life and hopefully one day a very rewarding life. When things get too hard sometimes Wesley and I will sit at the supper table long after the dishes have been put away and make sure we are still on the same page with our goals. We make sure that 'not raising little assholes' is at the top of our list, followed by a bevy of other things. We try to find the balance between providing a nice life for the kiddos and creating little monsters that don't understand what work is. We want them to realize food doesn't just come from a grocery store, money doesn't grow on trees and hard work is worth it. I don't know that we always get that balance correct, but I hope the majority of the time this is the case.
I appreciate so many things about these kiddos.
I love that they enjoy simple things in life. We went on vacation and the thing they enjoyed the most was paddle boating as a family on the lake each morning, not the flashing lights and hoopla found everywhere else.
I love that they enjoy hard work. They LIVE to work calves and help me in the wood shop. Kenyon jumped in the alleyway to push baby calves one day, got kicked several times and was so proud to show me the bruises from his hard work.
I love that they are content to play for hours outside. They can make their own entertainment without screen time.
I love that they enjoy grocery shopping with me and are starting to understand coupons and sales, or at least understand that they are of major importance to our family. This has lead to several conversations about price as well as value.
I love the big picture, hard questions that Kenyon is starting to ask.... most of the time. Sometimes I find myself tiptoeing as delicately as possible. Still answering the question but in a roundabout way. Not much gets by him and therefore he's got THOUSANDS of questions that need answered. Every. Single. Day.
I read a quote once that really stuck with me. If you raise your kids then one day you'll be able to enjoy and spoil your grandkids. If you spoil your children you'll end up raising your grandkids. This part of our lives is absolutely exhausting, but we keep this quote in the forefront of our minds and tell ourselves that someday it will all be worth it. Not saying it's a guarantee, but at least we're trying to build a strong foundation for the long haul.
