These Two

14 and 17.  14 and 17 are the number of summers that I have left with my babies before they go off to college and explore the world on their own.  14 and 17 are the number of years that I have to teach them about Jesus before they walk into a college classroom and hear a professor tell them their beliefs are wrong.  14 and 17 are the number of years that I have to love them unconditionally, cherish every giggle, issue them grace when they fail and help pick them back up when they fall.  5,110 and 6,205 are the number of days... the number of mornings, Lord willing, that I will get to see their sweet faces when they wake up before they leave our home.  The number of nights I will get to snuggle in bed and read books with them, pray over them before they go to sleep, and hit my knees beside their beds and go before my Father on their behalf while they dream sweet dreams.  5,110 and 6,205 days until they spread their wings.  Time. Slow. Down.  I know those days will be gone in the blink of an eye.   

14 summers.  14 summers with that smile.  14 more years with this precious angel that God has given me to love before she is out on her own.  14 years to teach her she is a Daughter of the King, that He loves her immensely more than any man on this earth ever can, and that He will be the best friend she will ever have.  14 years to teach her to view herself through God's eyes and not the worlds.... to hold her head high when she is persecuted, and to praise Him through trials.  14 years to show her that beauty is only skin deep, and that her heart for Jesus is what really matters.  I've got 5,110 days (probably less, because she won't think it's cool anymore) to sing praise music with my sweet girl in the car and hear her voice harmonize with mine... and YIKES... it's fewer days than that because she will be driving herself around and she won't want me in the car with her!  5,110 days before she will venture off to college to decide what God has called her to do, and how she will choose to serve Him daily.  Ya'll.... That is no time.  None at all.  Not enough... but I'm going to make every effort to live every day to the fullest with her.  To tell her she is beautiful... she is loved... to cherish the little things and not sweat the small stuff... to make sure when she lays her head on her pillow at night that she knows that her Father in Heaven gave me one of my biggest blessings in life the day He gave me her.  I want to use that time to dance in the rain, make messes, and eat the cake batter off of the mixer whisks... to paint outside the lines, to dress like princesses and go out in public, to stay up late whispering when Daddy is traveling, eat doughnuts for dinner, and snuggle every chance I get.  Because at the end of the day, it is those things that will matter, and those things that she will cherish when she leaves our home and one day starts her own... and those memories are the things this mama will cling to when she ventures out on her own.  

17 summers.  17 summers with that sweet face, ya'll.  Oh this boy.... this boy and his precious spirit.  I could spend 17 years telling you the joy that he brings our home and it still wouldn't be enough.  We've got 17 years to teach him what it means to not just be a man, but a godly man.  To teach him to pursue holiness and purity in what he does, what he says, and how he says it.  17 years to teach him to make Jesus a priority in his life, and that standing up for the gospel and what you believe will always be worth it.  We have 17 years to instill in him a strong work ethic and pray that he learns to work hard, do your best, and be grateful for what you have.  I want him to know the ins and outs of manhood... changing a tire, fixing things around the house, and manning the grill... but more than that, I want him to know how to treat a lady.  Open car doors, pull out chairs, and use your manners.  Knowing how to do laundry should be thrown in the mix there too... his wife will thank me one day!!  I pray that Sterling will learn that though the world will tell him to be selfish, true joy is found in service and sacrifice.  My boy should know that real men cry... in fact, Jesus wept.  I want him to know how to laugh at his mistakes and learn from them, and that there is nothing wrong with showing weakness.... humility is a great thing.  At the end of the day, I want this boy to know how precious he is... that he is prayed for, and loved unconditionally, by his mama, his daddy, his sister... and Jesus!