how are the kids?

I love this question.  I love that other people care about my kids and want to know how they're doing.  I think that's great, so thanks for asking.

I thought that this picture sums up our kids and their personalities pretty well, so let's have a look:

Start with Jason, in the back of the cardboard box boat.  He's pretending to be a gondola oarsman.  He's calm, steady, steering the girls through the water.  He is reliable, quiet and thinking, moving forward with confidence.  Despite the quiet confidence, I know thinkers like Jason need people to check in on them once in a while and ask if there's anything they need to talk about.  We've been playing board games with Jason after the girls go to bed and this gives him a lot of time to talk to us.

Take a look at Cameron.  Somehow, though the movie is older than she and not appropriate for her age, she is doing the "king of the world" move from Titanic.  Our middle child is in need of constant attention, always putting herself front and center, wanting to be a part of everyone's business.  She is all about the drama, act first, think later.  She approaches obstacles with either determined enthusiasm or determined pessimism, with her there is no middle ground.  Despite all that and because of all that, we love her fiercely and are always on the alert as to how we can help her through the big move.  She and I have great dates at Starbucks where she loves to drink a kid's hot chocolate and pretend it's coffee.

And now in the middle of the boat is sweet Hayden.  That is exactly where she wants to be at all times.  She wants to be in the center of a group hug, or sitting between her siblings.  She is anxious for everyone to stick together and she doesn't want anyone left behind.   On most days Hayden can be found walking around the house, sending and receiving pretend texts on her play cell phone.  She loves to communicate although her siblings would call it being a chatterbox.

So that's how the kids are doing.  I'm pretty impressed with their attitudes as we pack boxes and explain that they won't be seeing some things for a few weeks.  They are handling the disorganization and plugging away at their schoolwork.  Thank you to everyone who thinks of the kids in their prayers.  We can tell that they are covered and we are grateful.