Little Buddies

We spent some time with our good friends, the Averys last week, and in the process, snapped a few sweet photos of their boys, Garrett (4 yrs.) and Nathan (2 yrs.), playing with Norah (6 mo). Its funny to think that someday they'll all be grown up and look back at these photos, and (hopefully) think, "Wow! We've been friends since we were babies!" I have a few precious photos like that from my own childhood, and something about seeing them always warms my heart. Maybe I'm just a sucker for nostalgic sentimentality, but whatever the reason they're special photos to me. I hope these will be just some of the first in a long line of "lifetime friends" that Norah can call her own. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with such an abundance of Godly friends with kids close to Norah's age.

Jason and I love Garrett and Nathan like they're our own family. And we feel the same way about so many of our other friend's kids. It's amazing to think that the relationships we have with these little children today are laying the foundation and framework for our mentoring relationships to them in the future. Today we're boucing them on our knee singing, "Ride a little horsey" and in the blink of an eye, we'll watch them go from thinking the opposite sex has cooties to blushing at the mere mention of their crush's name.

It drew to my mind the tremendous blessing, and responsibility we have, not only as parents, but as Christian examples to our children's friends. I pray that we will be able to maintain good relationships with Norah's peers as they grow up, and that we will be good examples to them, as we strive to do the same for our own daughter. Besides the confidence I have that Norah will have strong, Christian friendships, there is something incredibly comforting in knowing that Jason and I will have lots of support (and company) going through the joys and trials of raising a Godly daughter in a thorny world. I hope that in the years to come, our friends and we will be able to maintain a unified front and the "we're all in this together" spirit that we feel today. I hope that our friends will be as eager for us to "call out" their kids' dress code violations, poor music choice, or negative attitudes (if applicable) during their teenage years as they are for us to spank their 3 year old when we catch them doing a "No-no", today. (And I sincerly hope they'll be willing and comfortable to do the same for Norah, should she need it.)

For now though, I think I'll just enjoy our sweet kids the way that they are today. Innocent. Loving. And faithful without questioning. The photos below were of Nathan. He watched Norah drop her pacifier, and without even being prompted to do so, he gladly picked it up for her, and gently put it back in her mouth. I thought it was pretty precious that he's already taking good care of his "sister". (Even if 10 years from now he isn't too keen on the photos of him kissing her!)