We decided to not tell the boys what we were doing so it would be a surprise. Not only did we have a blast with our mud fight, but the Lord spoke to me in those moments and showed me just how much these picture perfectly portrayed what he's been teaching me about what it means to be a mom to all boys, a mom he has called to raise up warriors for Him. So here's a bit of what I learned....
Raising boys is Messy. My boys leave fingerprints, dirt, crumbs, and footprints in their trails as they whip through the house. They love to make a mess (and for the most part, I encourage it as long as it gets picked up by bedtime). They love to play in the dirt, mud, sand, grass, catch bugs and frogs, and also love to create with different art projects. Our house is messy as we play and learn and live in our home. It's taken me a while to get to the point where I was ok in not having my home look "good to me" standards when people come over. My home is lived in, it's lived in by boys, and I'd rather have my time spent on them than worry about the dust and dirt. Not that I don't love a good cleaning, because I do, but the pressure I put on myself to have my home look just-so was exhausting and I'm thankful that the Lord has taught me to let the mess go and just enjoy it. I've also been an emotional mess at times on this motherhood journey. Wondering if I'm a good enough mom for these boys, questioning if I can give enough attention to each son individually, wondering if I've got this parenting thing down right...and God has so much to teach me in how to raise these boys, but I know that He's right alongside me guiding my every step and word as I take on this journey He has laid before me. And I am thankful that God is there with me, even in the messy times.
Raising boys is Chaotic. There are times that my home is complete chaos. The noise level, the activity they are doing (like jumping off the coffee table pretending to fly like birds), and the disarray of my home...but the chaos is fun. "Controlled Chaos" is what I like to call it. We can have fun and be silly but within certain boundaries that we have set in our home and when out in public. I love the chaos that is my life right now. I'm sure it must look overwhelming to people when I go out to the grocery store with my crew of 3 (now 4) boys. I see the stares, hear the comments made in whispers or even to me like "wow, you've got your hands full", or "all boys, bless your heart", and many more (maybe another blogpost on that another day)...but I love my chaotic life. Sure, it's overwhelming at times, but I have a confidence in myself as a mom that the Lord has given me to handle it. It's not always easy, in fact, it's hard at times (ok, lots of the time) and it's chaotic, but its fun.
Raising boys is an Adventure. When we found out we were having our 4th boy, God said to me "Kelly, get ready, this is going to be an incredible adventure". And what an adventure it has been since having our first son in 2010. I'm pretty sure we have about 20 different adventures we take everyday. We might be going to the moon, having an animal park, pretending we are knights in a castle, just the other day we had King and his helper with a sword who would protect him. Whether the adventures are imaginary or the adventures we take as a family on a trip, or daily to different errands, we are loving every minute (mostly, lol). I can't wait to see how the adventure continues as these boys grow up into young men.
Raising boys has called me to cling closer to the Lord than I ever have before. Honestly, I have no clue how I'm going to raise these boys to become warriors for His Kingdom, but I do know that I can do it when my complete trust is in Him, the One who gave me this amazing gift of my 4 sons and my wonderful husband to go on this adventure with. We had so much fun doing this photo shoot. I loved the surprised look on the boys faces when we started throwing mud around...I loved just playing and having fun with them. These pictures certainly tell a story of our family, our joy we have in this journey the Lord has taken us on. The love I have for my amazing One that he has blessed me with, and the messy, chaotic, adventure we are on.
