Stages...

We move through stages in our lives from beginning to end. This stage of life for us is all sorts of things. 

Fun. Crazy. Boring. Exciting. Happy. Tiring. Changing. Predictable. UNpredictable. Fullfilling. Perfect. 

Emersyn is perhaps at one of my MOST favorite stages for a little tiny human. The stage where she can sit up, play, laugh, interact, giggle, and NOT MOVE. :)

Radley is in the stage, admittedly, that sometimes drives me crazy. The EVERYTHING is silly stage. The I can make a game out of anything stage. The I don't want to listen stage. The I want to do it MY way stage. The I'm a little boy and everything is rough tough real stuff stage. 

But, he's also in a stage that I wouldn't miss for all the tea in China (I feel like Moms say stuff like that). The stage where he is a ball of energy. The stage where he finds comfort in Momma and Dad. The stage where he tries so hard to do something and looks to us for encouragement. The stage where the first thing he does in the morning is go give "sister" kisses. The stage of being potty trained! The stage of just loving life to the fullest. 

 Yes, life is just full of stages. It's a new stage for Ryan and I (who clearly are never in pictures anymore). A stage of balancing schedules. A stage of seeing each other from 6am-8am and 8:30pm-bedtime. A stage of catching kisses in the hall. A stage of date nights. A stage of learning. A stage of sharing. A stage of not buying ourselves new clothes so Emmy and Radley can have it all. A stage of learning about stages... 

...like teething. And walking. And running. And talking. And writing. And crying. And just enjoying each of these moments that pass us by in an instant. 

Of seeing Emmy in the same shirt that I wore when I was a baby. 

Of watching my kids grow up together. Happy. Healthy. 

Yes, friends. Life is full of stages. Stages that come and go and ones that we must hold on to. In our memories and in our hearts. So that when all the stages pass us by, we have something that stays with us forever. 

I ask that you each take a moment to say a prayer for Ryan and his mom, Fely. The surgery prior to Christmas exposed two more tumors on her liver which means that the cancer has spread. She is currently deciding on treatment options and we are here to support her in this new stage of her life. We feel your support and love and she will, too. For right now, she is holding on to the stage of being a "Lola" with grace and with love for these precious babies that bring her joy and a reason to fight for that next stage to come.