Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park

We arrived to our campsite excited and raring to go explore this incredible landscape. The boys and I immediately went for a walk while Stephen set up our tent with us ‘out of the way’. Jack and Felix ran around, climbing up on hoodoos and other types of sandstone formations with different names, having the time of their lives. To quote Felix, “this isn’t cool, it’s AWESOME!” And I was right there with them, having fun, playing and running around like I did when I was a kid.

It didn’t take long, however, for the trip to deteriorate into frustration on my part as we battled with 5 year old attitude and boundary-testing. I couldn’t figure it out. Were my expectations too high? Does the lack of structure of camping somehow give permission for the boys to push the limits? Are they just hitting some kind of phase? I could ask questions all day and never know for sure. But if there’s one thing that drives me to my knees in prayer, it’s not knowing how to be what my children need. My heart cries out to my Father, for He is good, and He is their perfect Father. He created those precious little hearts and He loves them fiercely. The prayer that I utter most frequently is this: “Lord, what do you want me to know right now?”

He listens. And He answers.

Jack loves to explore. He loves to run free and he wants to share what he’s found with everyone around him. He spurs others on; encouraging them and making them brave. He craves being the leader, and he wants to be trusted with responsibility. He loves to be silly and make others laugh. His heart is fearless.

Felix has a tender heart; one that needs to be cared for with slow time and attention. He is quick to forgive. He desires to do what is right, and to do it to the best of his ability. Like his mama, he is often lost in his own head and needs patient attention to be able to talk about what he’s thinking. When he’s in a particularly silly mood, his belly laugh goes on and on, and is my most favourite sound in the whole world.

It would be easy for me to simply post these pictures as some kind of grand post card from our vacation, and let everyone believe that our lives are so flawless and magical. But the reality is that life can be hard. Raising kids is the hardest job I’ve ever had, or could ever imagine doing. If you’re a parent reading this, I hope you know that I’m cheering you on. Keep on loving your kids. Keep on bringing your worries and struggles to the Father. And even if you have never before prayed, try asking God to tell you what He wants you to know about your situation, and see what happens.

Thanks for reading! I’m Carlin, and this is my personal blog where I post my adventures with my little family; my husband Stephen and twin boys Jack and Felix. If you’re looking for my Wedding & Lifestyle work, you can use this link back to the main site.  You can also follow along on Instagram – personal & professional.