Ready to for Fall

I don't know what it is about this time of year that makes me so anxious to pack up summer and store it away until next year. This year, in particular, has gone by extremely fast and sometimes I catch myself looking at the calendar to remind myself of all we've done, all we've lived for.  In twenty years or so, I'm sure I'll write about how I traveled to Hawaii and Paris, and show off fancy pictures of my new world travels, discovering a whole new world I know so little about.  But, this year, we've discovered far more than we ever thought we would.  About ourselves, our relationship with each other, about life and love and all it takes to sustain a happy/healthy household.  I'll tell you one thing: some days I would have paid good money for a step-by-step book on how to live, but I'll admit, it would have never truly taught me all I was meant to learn. 

When I begged my husband to put our house up for sale in January, he pretty much called me crazy.  We'd already tried it a few years prior and he just knew it would be a disaster trying to keep an already clean house spotless with three infants, two toddlers, and two full time jobs. But, something inside me said to just give it a try and I pleaded my case.  Before I could begin feeling the whirldwind of how hard it would be to sell our house, our house was under contract and I was frantically trying to find a new one! The only thing I could say about it was: it was meant to be.  It was our time to get a bigger house.  I felt like we deserved it.  I'd felt like I was getting rewarded for doing something good, something big.  I felt like I was being given a gift (that I had to pay for, of course) for trying to be a good person, a good mother, a good wife, a good Christian.

I still feel that way.  This year has been the year of surprises, gifts, and humbling experiences.  Kevin has held me as I cried, talked me out of madness, and reminded me to breathe in and out. All things that have molded my heart and chipped at my soul this year have made me cry, smile, laugh, cover my face with disbelief, and sigh with the fear of the unknown. In the blink of an eye, the sadness and fear of how our life was going to change with three new babies, turned into hope, happiness, and the feeling of accomplishment.  Our days go by so quickly and before I can yell for the kids (and Kevin!) to come inside for dinner, I'm sternly reminding Caroline to sit down in the bathtub, chasing Reagan across the room to put her pajamas on, and listening to Sadie laugh as I keep pulling the book she is chewing on out of her mouth. Lily Kate loves to dress up, brush her hair, and asks how she looks in her sparkly plastic shoes, while Landon is always looking for a bike riding buddy or someone to play soccer with. It's a busy life (organized chaos, as I sometimes refer to it!), but it's a life I could not imagine any other way.

But, I'm ready for fall.  Ready for the crisp air to remind me that we are entering a new season.  A new season of changes.   A new reason to embrace this season of life like I never have before.  A balance that brings us to the realization that we've "made it"...we've survived the first year of being parents to triplets and five children. Between preschool, birthday parties, dance, soccer, and weekend trips, our fall calendar is already full. I love the change this season brings...and the newness of watching our children grow and learn never gets old.

Labor day fun at Grandma & Grandpa's house! 

Lily Kate's last first day of preschool! And Landon entering the "three's" class!