university students

living on campus is a different kind of experience. sophie was telling me yesterday how much she loves our upstairs. seeing as how we don't have an upstairs i questioned her on the subject. it came out that she considers the whole building her house. our backyard is bigger than any we will ever have again. our community is larger than most. and our food bill is higher than the majority of moms feeding normal families, i feed at least two other boys on a regular weekly schedule who i am sure are not feed during the days and nights they are not here. our door is knocked on multiple times during the day and our couches, which are able to hold up to eight people, are often full. there are nights, like a few ago, when i as a mother i would like to go out and share with the two boys throwing garbage up at the window a few over from ours, that living in community looks a little more like respect and a little less of what they were up too. there are days when our girls see firetrucks on the road and they become confused because it is obvious that firetrucks work at night, and at our house. some students forget that children are sponges and as they climb one of the higher trees on campus sophie and penny point and ask to do the same thing. others seem to be amazed that sophie is only three as her vocabulary far exceeds her age...i suppose this is what happens when you interact with university students everyday and understand them to be your friends.

i can not complain about being here, there are many joys, many differences, much excitement. school is coming to a close, which means exams and home goings. lots of garbage being tossed, rooms being vacuumed and bathtubs being cleaned, most for the first time.

today i cried. a van pulled up to the side of one of the dorm buildings and a mom jumped out before the van could come to a complete stop. her daughter was running across the lawn. when they were close enough she threw her arms around her mom and all i could hear was the mom laughing and crying at the same time. scott noticed that i was watching and with a twinkle in his eye he said, is that you and your girls one day cor...i was crying. i think i followed the girls around like an insane person for the rest of the morning, afraid to miss out on their growing and learning. there are days when i almost dream of time alone for scott and i, and then there are times like today when i can't imagine these beautiful girls not under my feet all day long. to be so excited to see each other again means that you missed them with an ache in your heart. is that what this is all about. as a mom as a dad, we ache for our kids. will i cry when they go to kindergarten for the first day, the second day. will i make them sick so they stay home with me. they are my whole time, day, life right now. there is not a moment during the day when i don't know where they are because for the most part they are hanging off me. and i love it. i can be frustrated by it. it can be all consuming. i am not an individual anymore because of it. i dream, but those look a little different right now. and i love it. just so my girls know, i will most likely be that mom who cries when we drop you off and sobs when we pick you up from university. to my soon to be university students; wash your face before bed. be so kind to all those you meet. study hard, but remember it's not the end of the world. fall in love, just a little. wash your bed sheets a least once a month. take good notes, don't play on the computer during class time. find time to play. have a picnic with your friends outside. always have respect for your teachers. call home daily. find a good church. clean your bathtub and sinks. remember that i love you, that your dad loves you with all our heart. our hearts ache without you here, we miss you. thank you for being the beautiful girls that you are, your hearts are lovely. please do some laundry before you come home. you are blessed little treasures to your family. we thank the Lord for you every day. we love you.

mom and dad.