Front yard Friday nights.

This week has been filled with muddy floors, spilled milk, missing school papers, and a note from the teacher.  A mystery stain on the rug, rained out baseball games, make up football games, guitar lessons and multiplication practice.  Work, school, dinners on the run, and lots of life in the fast lane.  But I love Friday evenings because I get to be still. And it usually means togetherness - even if it involves TV or the XBOX.  And if it means pizza for dinner?  It's good because we're at home.

Tonight I enjoyed being still in the front yard with a friend.  Sitting in lawn chairs, talking, listening to our kids play, and just doing nothing for a while.  One of God's sweetest gifts to me is the quiet of the neighborhood when it seems the rest of the world is just so fast and busy.      

Ethan has gotten his first invitation to a boy girl event.  Kind of a blind date for a 12 year old, actually.  He doesn't know the girls, his friend does.  And Ethan's the invited tag along tomorrow afternoon.  When I asked him if he was interested, he was a little disappointed to find out it didn't involve paintball.  But he's agreed to go.  Pizza and movie = good.  Afternoon with friends = good.  Girls he doesn't know = no comment.  But he didn't object. And knowing Ethan, he'll smell like half a bottle of cologne for the occasion. 

I remember when Christopher was about 4, he wanted to marry me.   He also wanted to marry the waitress at the pizza place.  A heart torn in different directions, I suppose.  So is mine.   I love watching them grow.  And at the same time, I hate watching them grow up.  And I wish I could just push the pause button or rewind and do some things over.  Or just slow down and watch it all more carefully.  And take a million pictures.  And listen to their little voices before they change too much. 

How many more front yard Friday nights do we have together?  I'm hoping for lots.