from Veggie Tales to Switchfoot

It's no secret I love our boys.
And not only do I love them,
but I really, really like them.
Plain and simple, they're fun.
They constantly crack me up.
They're thoughtful and insightful.
They open up to me a whole new world
and introduce me to things and concepts
I'd otherwise not know.
I like the men they're becoming
and the individuals that they are.

As they've gotten older,
I've needed to learn to flex and grow
with their current interests.
This hasn't always been easy---
this putting away of childish things.
But somehow,
it's been unexpectedly rich and full and fun.

I was recently telling a friend that even with three teenagers in the house,
I love 98% of their music.
Each one of our boys is a music lover,
so there is never a shortage of music filling our home.
As their taste has changed and evolved over the years
(though its message, never),
my husband and I have discovered a whole new love and appreciation for more current bands
(though Steven Curtis Chapman and Casting Crowns will always hold first place in my musical heart).
I'm showing my age, aren't I?

Anyhow, because of our family's shared love for Switchfoot,
we were all pretty pumped when we learned they'd be performing at the big Christian music festival in our region.
Our oldest son went up with friends early in the day and staked out their front row position for 8 long hours.

But it paid off.
While my husband and I contentedly took our place among the "grandparent" seats,
our sons were gleefully up front in the mosh pit,
so close our firstborn was able to get these photos without a zoom.
Needless to say, he was flying high!
And I, for one, was quite pleased that,
thanks to our sons,
I knew and could sing along to every single song.
Yeah, it might be said that my husband and I even made the grandparent section cool.

Yes, time keeps moving on.
But different doesn't mean bad.
Each new season is full of so much promise and so many possibilities.
I'm learning to embrace it,
and yes, enjoy it.