Confession:

I love the 1-year-old phase.

Our youngest is 1 and such a joy to be around. He’s still so cuddly, finds such joy in the smallest things, is learning new things every day, and smiles at every little thing his big brother and sister do.

I love the 3-year-old phase.

Our only girl is 3. She has a flair for the dramatic, but she is very forthright with her feelings. “I’m having a hard time.” “I just miss my daddy when he’s at the Fire House.” “I’m a princess.” “God made me beautiful.” She is quick to be a helper and loves snuggling with her brothers and playing both princess and superhero.

I love the 6-year-old phase.

Our oldest is 6 and starting to try and overcome some of his fears. He rode a pony last weekend after going through a phase of not wanting to be in close proximity to certain animals. He has big, big dreams. He is always up at the crack of dawn and is so enthusiastic about whatever the day will hold. He loves to help and notices every little detail.

Each phase is both hard and beautiful.

Each phase has both obstacles and blessings.

Each phase has both things we will miss and things we are thankful to move beyond.

Each phase requires utter dependence on Christ.

Each phase brings different levels of emotional and physical fatigue for parents.

I often get caught up in ages and stages and milestones and check marks.

I often fall to my feelings and want so badly to hold on to the idea of having tiny babies forever.

But, the reality is, the most beautiful stages are the ones our children are in.

However, right now, I’m thrilled that ours are still tiny enough to snuggle and light up when we walk into the room. They kiss us goodbye when we drop them off and they light up our world like fireflies swarming a dark summer night’s sky.

May we never forget to look for the things we love about the stage our children are in. Hold on to those.

Regardless of how tall and independent they grow — they’ll always be our babies.

🚒🖤❤️ Fire Wife Chronicles: lizzychristian.com