The time has come!  Today marks the end of over ten years that a precious piece of furniture has lived in my house.

I can remember back to 1999 when Brian and I were dedicatedly choosing this item, ordering it, putting it together and anxiously awaiting the moment it would be filled.  I remember bringing Addie home from the hospital and her first night with us when we got NO sleep as she lay in a cradle in our room.  Brian’s mom said to us the next morning “I think she needs to be in her own room”, and so this precious furniture was filled for the first time.  My heart skipped a beat the day we moved Addie to a big girl bed @ 18 months because Emma was coming to join us soon, I even cried.  Then it came time to move Emma, Isabelle was on her way.  Isabelle got to stay a little longer than the first two, but she as well had to move out…Owen was coming!  Three years after Owen’s arrival and ten years after 2000 the day has come, the crib is coming down.

I am not going to hide the fact that I stood in the hallway in tears bidding farewell to this dear furniture that represents for us a huge milestone and time of change.  My babies are grown and a new era is on the move!  I am thankful for my friend Kelly, whose words on FB this morning brought great encouragement and direction “there are wonderful days ahead”.  How true this is!!

I say farewell to our wonderful crib and the years of having a baby in our home.  I am not positive what the Lord has in store for us, but for now the chapter is closing and a new page is turning.  A new page filled with bunk beds, soccer games, summer camp, pool memberships, late night talks, personalized ipod mixes, and much more is now living in my home.  WELCOME!  May I soak it in and enjoy every moment before I walk our children to their dorm room and once again find myself crying in the hallway!