August 15

Although I, like most parents, wish I could stop time now and again (or roll back the clock entirely because believe me, I'd do a whole lot if I could just bend time and space in that direction), I'm grateful that Abby, Isaac, and Brady are growing into kind, (mostly) well-adjusted human beings. And I'm also grateful that they're now old (and mature) enough that we can leave them to their own devices for a few hours on an odd evening here and there. And that's what we did tonight.

We began our evening with Brady's back to school night, where we got the updated what-happens-in-third-grade spiel from Abby's old third grade teacher, who Brady inherited and who I adore. (Seriously, as I sat there listening to her, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be there in that room again because she is just awesome.)

From there, we went to dinner at On the Border. After we finished our chips and salsa and tacos and beverages, we headed back out to the car, with one of us earning a piggy back ride. (We won't talk about the precise why behind said-ride. Just know that it involved lots of giggles and resulted in a great deal of amusement for both of us.)

So yeah, it can be hard to watch kids grow up and move on with life, but it's such a huge blessing, too. And given that today is the ninth anniversary of when we had the first indication that our family's life would go in a completely unexpected and horrifying direction --the fateful night when Logan's eye turned inward and we knew something was horribly wrong-- I'm just thankful for great teachers and air conditioners (because it's been HOT!) and dinners out and giggles and all of the good that I can ferret out of each new day. Oh, and that adults can have piggy back rides. That, too.