Our Aweful Beautiful Life

We already mentioned that our fall was filled with lots of football, but when we weren't on the field, we were in the field. Not the football field, but the farm fields. If my kids hearts are full, then there is surely a tractor or cow nearby. And quite possibly nothing tops Double Grandpa Day, when Grandpa Kent harvests the Reynolds farms crops and hauls grain to Co-Alliance to Grandpa Brad. We probably drive our Grandpa's nuts on this day, but think of all the memories these kids hearts are being filled with. We are so lucky to be able to enjoy this season with family. It's our very favorite.

As I type that title to this blog post, I'm thinking it's probably a recurring post title. Fall is truly our favorite though. Kids are back to school, which means our life is back to routine. Colton plays football. Emmalyn chose to join the Cheer Squad for football. Keaton started school. It's HARVEST time, which is all of our favorite. It's cooling off, yet still warm in the sunshine. It smells good. We shut off the A/C and open the windows. Life is GOOD in the fall. This fall -- it was EXTRA good. Last year in football, Colton got to play quite a bit, but there was a feeling of newness....not really "getting" it. (Dude, no offense either, because Mom still doesn't get it....I just cheer when I see your number (or socks) heading in a positive direction!). This year...Colton, this year, you GET IT. Do you know how fun that is? You understand the game, and your role in the game. You were a BOSS on that field and it was a FUN season. You are blessed with s...

One would think that once school starts back up, we would fall into a routine and get life going again. Morning routines. Evening routines. Weekends that were a touch slower than summertime. I suppose One wouldn't know the Stockment family. We seem to know one speed.....on the go! This is a good and bad thing, but boy are we filling up our memory banks and enjoying our time together. Some late August/September highlights: Prophetstown Camping Keaton Adenoids Surgery Labor Day Camping Football/Cheer Apple Popcorn Festival Emmalyn's Hardware removal surgery Did you catch that? Two surgeries for two children in two months. This year has been a ZINGER. Oh ya, and two camping trips in back to back weekends. And football/cheer every weekend from 9/9 on....add in some 2nd and 4th grade homework, the purchase of Colton's 2018 Steer and some unexpected stitches for Emmalyn (3 days before surgery on her arm...ya....she needs to be wrapped in bubble wrap) it's been a bus...

As quickly as our summer came, event after event, it quickly went out the door, and the kids back to school. It's bizarre sometimes to think that we already have a 2nd and 4th grader. I can remember playing those games when Em was first born -- trying to figure out their spaces. "So let's see, when Colton's in 1st grade, she'll be in preschool. And when he's in 2nd, she'll start K. Then before you know it, they'll be in 2nd & 4th, and 4th and 6th"...............and let me reiterate the key words here -- BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. I can remember so fondly the days when Em was first born. Colton at such a FUN age, and Em so sweet and round and new. Looking back, life was "hard" in that season, adjusting to two kids. In reality, I see how easy those times were. Diapers, puke & crying were my biggest worries. Now we've got a 4, 7 & 9 year old, and we're working hard at making them good people. In this season, that is the hard wor...

Now that we've officially passed into Fall, I can say with certainty that this summer KICKED OUR BUTTS. We had a jam-packed summer planned -- typical Baseball season for Colton, first time playing Softball for Emmalyn, withholding Keaton from t-ball to make our lives just a little easier for one more year, Colton's 1st year of 4-H and a trip to Dauphin Island. It was going to be a GREAT summer. I even worked with my boss to accommodate Friday's off so i could be home with the kids more. We were going to try out having a "nanny" at the house all summer so the kids could do VBS and Camp T and sports camps and swimming and just allow our kids to actually BE KIDS this summer. It was going to be amazing. Ain't it funny how life changes You wake up, ain't nothing the same and life changes You can't stop it, just hop on the train and You never know what's gonna happen You make your plans and you hear god laughing Life changes, and I wouldn't ch...