Mothers Day 2014

Transitions. I don't think they are ever easy, but some are much harder than others. This past year has been probably the most intense of my life, thus far, and we are still right in the middle of it all. Our two oldest boys are now out of the house and have moved on. Ian is gone to Argentina for two years, while Aden graduates from high school in a few weeks and is living with his girlfriend. This leaves just Melanie and I at home with Apollo and Orion. The plus side to this is way less mess, our utilities are down nearly 45%, and our food bill is a 1/3 of what it used to be. The down side is that Apollo and Orion miss their big brothers. Plus we no longer have built in baby sitters or an extra set of hands when we need them.
  For Melanie, things run much deeper. She has been a mother for 20 years now and is looking at many more years of kids at home. I can't even imagine things from her perspective but I do try to be empathetic about it. I know that in a blink of an eye, Apollo and Orion will be as old as Ian and Aden are now, and Ian and Aden will possibly be a bit more mature, and have families of their own by then. Its kind of weird to think about them in that aspect, but I am excited to see the type of men that transform into.

  I think any mother must have a sense of pride when she watches her children succeed in life, even when there is only a small accomplishment. As a father, I know I am that way with my boys, but I wonder how different it must be for a mother since she is the one that carried them for nine months and then gave birth to them; something I can never experience.
  I am thankful for Melanie being the mother of my children. I love the parts of her that I see in them. I love the moments when my boys are learning from their mom. I love when they seek her comfort and affection. I love when Melanie does crafts or projects with them. There is just a different way that they act and interact with their mom than they do their dad and for this I am thankful.
Happy Mothers Day Melanie.

Called to serve

There are hallmark moments in our lives that involve change, new adventure, misfortune, etc. It is those moments that growth occurs whether intentional or unintentional.
 Ian, our oldest son has embraced all of that and set out on an adventure of his own. Its not like this was a spur of the moment decision on his part, he has planned and saved for this for a couple of years. So, why did he leave a disaster in his wake? Well we, as parents know why, but I want to know why maybe he couldn't just take some time and at least pack up some of the things that he values. Instead he left a path of destruction and left Melanie and I to pick up the pieces...and the mess. And no, he wasn't busy working or going to school, just procrastination and avoidance.
Yes, I am having a bit of fun at Ian's expense. The truth is, he is a great kid. I could not be prouder of him and the choices that he has made. I am envious of the adventure that he has just embarked on.  He has done something that I was not brave enough to do it at his age.
For what its worth, I see the divinity in Ian's calling. If you know Ian, he will spend all day  talking about fishing, guns, explosives  and more fishing. It is Ironic that he was called to serve in foreign country where he will need to learn a new language. It will take him a while to be able to talk about fishing, or guns non stop in Spanish, forcing him to focus on the language and the gospel.
   For the past 3 months, since his call arrived, we have had to drag Ian through every part of getting ready for his mission. It has been a bit of a challenge for us as parents, but that is who Ian is. Yes, it was a pain, but we knew going in to this that we would have to lead him through the process to get him ready.
 As it came closer to the time that Ian was scheduled to leave, Melanie and I both became concerned that something bad, could or would happen to Ian to keep him from going. We both had premonitions if you will, that maybe we should lock Ian in the house for the last week before he left. We discussed it a few times in the week prior to Ian leaving...Actually, we discussed taking his truck keys away. Wouldn't you know it, 3 days before he leaves, Ian has an accident on the freeway where he rear ends another vehicle. It could have been way worse and we are happy and feel blessed that nobody was hurt. Yet it is just one more mess left for us to clean up in his absence. Never mind that I already had the truck sold, was going to cancel his insurance this week and remove the vehicle from my policy. Its all material. I am sure it will make for a good story one day.

  As for Ian, we all miss him. Orion has handed me the phone and asked me to "Call Ian, right now." Apollo is trying to understand how long 2 years is and asks me how many days that is. They adore their brother and will miss him.  As for me, I am excited for the opportunity that has come his way. Buenos Aires, Argentina will be lucky to have Ian and I can't wait to see the man that returns two years from now.