Lincoln turned five today and he couldn't be happier.
This morning I was brushing my teeth and Levi was on the bed waiting. Lincoln comes in and Levi says (lispily because his paci was still in his mouth), "Bruh-bruh is up. Bruh-bruh is up!" They hugged and held on for a minute (be still my heart!!) Levi told him "Happy Birthday!" Then Lincoln tells me that he has gotten taller as if he grew overnight. I agree that he has and we head upstairs.
The day is filled with play and pool and presents. Too much fun really because they are pooped out and cranky by the end of the night, but I wouldn't want it any other way. We grilled hotdogs and hamburgers, had watermelon and tater tots and topped it all off with chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and your choice of cookies and cream or chocolate ice cream. (No Arbonne 30 this week!)
At times I was sad when I reflected that Chad wasn't here for this, but I spent a lot of time in gratitude. In my dark mood, I was reminded that sometimes I can default to a heavy place, but all that is doing is stealing my joy. I have been waiting and planning for this vacation for months, why would I allow my mood in the moment take away from such a joyful and carefree time?
I was thankful for all that is in front of me. The simple things that come with a vacation at the beach: plenty of leisure, company, laughter, the list goes on and on. And today in particular, I was struck with and grateful for how much Lincoln is like his daddy. Yesterday we asked him how old he was and he said four. We said, "But you'll be five tomorrow!" And he said, "But today I'm four." If you know Chad, you know that's very much like him.
He's also so curious. Curious about the goings on around him (people, conversation, animals) and curious about what he is reading in a book (he loves nonfiction animal books). He is always consuming knowledge. He might be a trivia whiz like Chad. He's more energetic than Chad ever could be--another reason to be thankful. Chad's mom jokes that he has all of Chad's energy that he never could express. And he's a CHATTERBOX!! There are days that the conversation starts at 6am and doesn't stop until 8:30pm. Chad was never that chatty, but he could talk!
I know Chad would be so proud of who he is. He was always beaming about Lincoln. You know what I'm hands-down the most thankful for? When Lincoln and I pray at night, he thanks God for his Daddy. It almost always brings tears to my eyes. We have had some hard convos for a four/ five year old, but I do my best to speak on his level and I pray that he is receiving it with the right ears. One big lesson I learned from my parents is that it's best to talk about it (whatever "it" is) head-on, clear, frank and allow whatever questions to come. Sometimes I get stuck without an answer, but I just tell him that.
Thank you, God for five years of Lincoln. Five years of silliness. Five years of non-stop chatting (ok, maybe like 2 years of the non-stop chatting, but it feels like five. Ha ha!) Five years of love and bonding and adventure. I'm so proud of who he is and can't wait to see what next year will bring.
This morning I was brushing my teeth and Levi was on the bed waiting. Lincoln comes in and Levi says (lispily because his paci was still in his mouth), "Bruh-bruh is up. Bruh-bruh is up!" They hugged and held on for a minute (be still my heart!!) Levi told him "Happy Birthday!" Then Lincoln tells me that he has gotten taller as if he grew overnight. I agree that he has and we head upstairs.
The day is filled with play and pool and presents. Too much fun really because they are pooped out and cranky by the end of the night, but I wouldn't want it any other way. We grilled hotdogs and hamburgers, had watermelon and tater tots and topped it all off with chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and your choice of cookies and cream or chocolate ice cream. (No Arbonne 30 this week!)
At times I was sad when I reflected that Chad wasn't here for this, but I spent a lot of time in gratitude. In my dark mood, I was reminded that sometimes I can default to a heavy place, but all that is doing is stealing my joy. I have been waiting and planning for this vacation for months, why would I allow my mood in the moment take away from such a joyful and carefree time?
I was thankful for all that is in front of me. The simple things that come with a vacation at the beach: plenty of leisure, company, laughter, the list goes on and on. And today in particular, I was struck with and grateful for how much Lincoln is like his daddy. Yesterday we asked him how old he was and he said four. We said, "But you'll be five tomorrow!" And he said, "But today I'm four." If you know Chad, you know that's very much like him.
He's also so curious. Curious about the goings on around him (people, conversation, animals) and curious about what he is reading in a book (he loves nonfiction animal books). He is always consuming knowledge. He might be a trivia whiz like Chad. He's more energetic than Chad ever could be--another reason to be thankful. Chad's mom jokes that he has all of Chad's energy that he never could express. And he's a CHATTERBOX!! There are days that the conversation starts at 6am and doesn't stop until 8:30pm. Chad was never that chatty, but he could talk!
I know Chad would be so proud of who he is. He was always beaming about Lincoln. You know what I'm hands-down the most thankful for? When Lincoln and I pray at night, he thanks God for his Daddy. It almost always brings tears to my eyes. We have had some hard convos for a four/ five year old, but I do my best to speak on his level and I pray that he is receiving it with the right ears. One big lesson I learned from my parents is that it's best to talk about it (whatever "it" is) head-on, clear, frank and allow whatever questions to come. Sometimes I get stuck without an answer, but I just tell him that.
Thank you, God for five years of Lincoln. Five years of silliness. Five years of non-stop chatting (ok, maybe like 2 years of the non-stop chatting, but it feels like five. Ha ha!) Five years of love and bonding and adventure. I'm so proud of who he is and can't wait to see what next year will bring.
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