Grandparents Day!

Today is Grandparents Day!  At other phases of life that wouldn't have meant as much to me as it does now.  I've been acutely aware over the last two years of how thankful I am that Luke and Amelia have two sets of people that adore them and invest in them.  When I was pregnant my mom advocated for my kids, finding out everything she could about pre-term labor and treatment options.  When the babies were just home from NICU, Tim and Marsha took shifts with us so that we could get some sleep and they would stay up until 1am with the babes.  This weekend my parents watched the kids for a day so that Scott and I could go hiking (there's not much we miss about pre-kid life, but good hikes are one of them and we loved the chance to get out together).  I am so thankful for all of their willingness to pour themselves into the lives of my children.  Luke and Amelia don't realize yet what a blessing it is to be surrounded by so many adults that love them ... but someday they will.  They even have two Great-Grandmas that love them, pray for them and support them however they can.  What a blessing grandparents are!  The daily grind of parenting can be hard ... the disciplining (oh yes, the time-out chair is frequently visited at our home these days), chores, lack of sleep ... But that challenges are shared by the people that love us and lovingly choose to invest in our children.  The difficulties are small compared to the amazing JOY that these two bring to our home.  Singing, dancing, kissing, snuggling ... JOY.  Thankful tonight for the Grandparents in our lives!