Did you miss me, Crayola?

Okay, I've officially been a stepmother for 102 days. There's been trauma, laughing, screaming, joy, crying, learning, growing, sickness, singing, hugging, hurting and loads of love.

There are a number of "first time" experiences I've shared with my 2 little boys including learning to swing on their own (and jumping out of the swing!), losing a first tooth, riding a bike with training wheels, reading, mastering small puzzles, learning (the hard way) they will not always win.... The list goes on and on.

I feel like I've traveled back decades as I sit on the floor and play Trouble, build towers with alphabet blocks, color pictures of bunnies and other cute creatures with crayons (my artwork above), play "z-e-b-r-a" with a basketball ("h-o-r-s-e" of a different color), race hotwheel cars around the house on my hands and knees, and eat chunks of cookie dough.

It's been wonderful....

There's nothing like the smiles on those little faces to make me realize that I can make a difference. I can teach and I can play, I can discipline and I can imagine, and can love and I can learn, I can tease and I can comfort.

I never had children of my own, but in recent years I have second guessed that decision many times. I have a nephew that helped me learn to crawl on the floor and giggle again in my 40's. Someday I will tell him that the moments I shared with him helped me know that when a loving man and his 2 little boys came into my life God was giving me another chance.