Running the Race

I remember the days when I had toddlers

 and would naively watch those mamas with busy, older children

with schedules filled with sports and activities

and in my head I would say,

 "Never, never will I run like a crazy lady."

Oh my.

Yeah. 

Fast forward ten years and I'm eating my words.

I am quickly learning the reality of

a family with multiple children 

in various activities and sports.

Todd and I desire for each of our children

to be well rounded kids,

to find something they love and

{hopefully} excel at it.

I truly believe involved, active kids are healthy kids.

Trying to balance their 'thing'

with high academics

and enough down time to teach character and bond as a family,

gets harder with each passing year.

Luke is running cross country and is almost an Eagle Scout.

Gracie, our most natural athlete,

 plays basketball, volleyball, and rides for a mounted drill team.

{She has also told me she wants to try out for soccer and be a cheerleader.}

Oh, for goodness sake!

Daniel is also a Scout and has just started lacrosse

and really wants to play football.

I long for those days when they all came home from school,

had a snack, did a smattering of homework,

and played out in the yard.

I think that is SO important for kids.

My hope is that one day we will see all this pay off.

My hope is that they will be excellent people.

My hope is that maybe there might be a bit of a scholarship down the line.

Who knows?

There are so many ways to raise kids these days-

so many options we never had when I was growing up.

Sports have taken on a whole new competitive edge that

I truly don't like.

But what is a mama to do?

My kids will be out in the world with all these other kids

someday and they need to be able to compete - on all levels.

We do our best to take it one year at time,

see what is best for each child, and encourage them on their path.

We hope for the best for the future.

We cherish the past.

And do our best to 

enjoy

 &

 savor

 today.