Well, our baby birds are gone!  And yes, we have one messy wreath and door to clean up!  Yesterday I mentioned to Kenny that I hadn’t seen the mama bird around much and hoped she hadn’t abandoned her babies.  He opened the front door and said, “The birds are gone, Jess.”  Really?  They grew up that quickly?  I couldn’t believe they were gone so soon and were now big birds flying around.  So, we are empty nesters.

Of course, the obvious parallel here is that we are raising OUR little baby birds, and soon they will leave and be flying around like big kids on their own.  Everyone tells you that the time your children are home is so short.  Enjoy every minute and cherish the memories you have with them.  That is sometimes difficult to do.  In the day to day of parenting, it often doesn’t feel like memories you want to cherish.  And, I hate to admit it, but sometimes we think about being empty nesters and dream about what that life will be like one day.  Of course, when we arrive there, we will miss our children terribly and wish we had heeded the advice of living in the moment with them and cherishing every memory.

In the mean time, we continue to seek God and His wisdom in knowing how to parent to the best of our ability.  We put aside our agendas and aim to live in the moment with our kids: playing together, eating together, and enjoying one another.  We strive to make memories together every day and work hard to be kind and loving to each other.  Lord, may you continue to give us patience, creativity, and perseverance in parenting our baby birds!