Friday Five - I miss my boys

I tend to write about Elli a lot on here. She consumes much of my time. And she's here. They aren't. I know all too well I only have 2 years before preschool and only three short years before she is gone all day long too. :( Then I'll miss her like I miss them. This house is not a home without them all here and I'm homesick.

So Friday Five is five photos of the boys.

Here's my baby boy Zack. He's enjoying first grade this year. And he's also pumped about playing flag football for the first time this fall. His first (of three) games was last night and he was awesome. Zack has changed so incredibly much since he started kindergarten last year. Gone is the baby in my baby boy. He is "old for his class" and it seems to me that he is old for his years too. I'm sure part of that is having two older brothers that he wants to do everything just like them. He gets frustrated when he doesn't understand why he can't go somewhere without me or stay up later like they can. I'd give anything to do his babyhood and toddler years over again. To take the time to enjoy him, because I miss him so incredibly much now that he's gone to school. I miss him, but mostly, I miss the little boy that he was that he isn't any more.

family vacations rock!

never do my boys bond so much

and have so much fun together

making memories

spending quality and quantity time together

Our trip to Colorado this past August was great for that.

They loved it.

My beautiful Luke... yes I do call my son beautiful. I can't help it. He is. He doesn't mind. In fact, I think he likes it. Luke has grown up so much lately. I think he might be taller than Cole in a few years. Luke has been complicated since he started school. He had a rough go of it in kindergarten, which was shocking to us all because he had loved preschool and done so well and had always been the brave do anything go anywhere happy go lucky Luke. But gone was that boy once he went to school. With a whole lot of love and work and even more grace, we got through some hard times. So very hard. And I'm starting to see him coming out of his shell again. That makes me so happy to see him happy. For others to see him happy because for a couple years there, not many people got to see that beautiful spirit of his shining through his smile. This summer Luke made me so proud the way I could see his compassion for others. He truly is beautiful inside and out.

Cole is my oldest and easiest child. He wasn't always. He was quite ornery as a toddler! He likes to hear me tell stories about those days. Cole makes me so proud to be his mom. I don't know what I did to be blessed with such an amazing son but I am so very grateful. He's reaching the awkward teen years soon and I am cautiously optimistic that we won't have a hard time getting through those. He has totally thrived since starting school 8 years ago. (8!!!) I've thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow into himself. He is confident in who he is and Whose he is. He really is such a good kid. He is helpful around the house and when he looks at Elli with those deep blue eyes and I see the love just spilling out of him, I melt. Oh Cole, you make my heart sing.

I am so blessed!!!