Full Hearts and Full Calendars

Someday we'll look back on these years... and laugh.  I hope.  I'm pretty sure we'll miss it all, too.  The laundry (OH MY HEAVENS - five basketball players is a LOT of socks!).  The crockpot dinners every night.  The doing homework in the gym because there are always games.  The large amounts of coffee it takes to get to that next game.

The Coach and I finally fell into bed Saturday night after an extremely busy two days, only to have three of our older kids join us to catch up on the weekend...
I love it.  All of it.

Basketball games (14 last week).
Field trips (Oklahoma City Memorial Museum - can you believe I'd NEVER been?).
Homecoming for our Senior.  Such a special night.
More basketball and end of season tournaments for the two little girls.
Super Bowl parties for just us.  With a meal made from freezer and pantry items because the store sounded just. too. tiring.

I have found a whole new level of tired.  I'm sure I was tired with my babies (I don't remember that well, really.).  But I was younger, too.

Those baby days are special, but I think this may be my favorite time of all.

I miss Son (#1) being here - he's still in Brazil and headed back to Atlanta next week.  Next year, Daughter (#2) will be at college, too.  These big kids are so funny.  And smart.  And interesting.  I never expected parenting big kids to be so awesome.  Even if I'm more tired than I can ever remember.

I'm going along to a coaches clinic this weekend with my favorite coach of all.  He's working, I'm just... well... tagging along.  Which right now, may actually equal sleeping.  A lot.  And maybe a run or two.  And coffee.

Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

But the best place of all?  Right here with my troops.  Feeding their tummies and washing their basketball jerseys and listening to them laugh.  Hearing them ask the Coach questions about math homework and helping them proof-read their papers.  Reminding them over and over again to put their laundry away and pick up their shoes and stop throwing the nerf basketballs at each other instead of the goal hanging in the living room.  Eggs that need washed and floors that always need swept and please put the lid back on/close that cabinet/pick up your jacket off the floor.  Not to mention the endless stream of college letters and scholarship applications and calls from every school they've ever thought of, plus some.  And oh yeah, those thank you notes that we didn't finish from Christmas. Yikes!

By the way, I put out an SOS for crock pot recipes on Facebook the other day and the responses have been a huge blessing to our troops!  Go check them out.  Cream Cheese Chicken Chili is already going in the crockpot for tonight.

Things aren't perfect, here.  I never want to make it sounds like they are.  We are learning, like everyone else, to think of others and be responsible and show love when others don't.  But I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I hope this blog helps me remember these days better than I remember the baby days.

Here's a blurry picture of our troops on Friday night.  I probably had fingerprints on my phone lens.  Oh well.  Don't even ask about Son (#4).  I have no words.  Ha!

I love this girl just so much.

Happy Monday!