Countdown

A couple months ago, Griffin started asking us how many days until vacation.  We would do our best to estimate the number of days, but Griffin always presses for exact answers.  {He often asks how many more minutes until we get somewhere or Daddy comes home or whatever.  He wants an exact number of minutes, even when I'm not sure how many minutes it'll take.}

I found an easy solution by putting an app on my phone.  The app is called "Countdown."  I just input the date that vacation is starting, and it automatically tells me how many more days until vacation.

So every couple days when Griffin would ask me, I could just bring up the app on my phone and tell him exactly.

Well, Nolan decided to add another countdown on my phone's app.

 
That's right.  Nolan started a countdown to his 18th birthday.

So every time I look on my phone to see how long until our family vacation, I see a harsh reminder that my days of raising Nolan are literally numbered.

Can you believe I only have 4,000 more days until my oldest son is an adult?!

It's a good reminder for a girl like me, who tends to get stuck in survival mode.  Each day with my kids is a fragile gift.  I can't just survive these days.  I have to make the most of them. 

Pretty soon our vacation will be over and the countdown to Nolan's birthday is going to start with 3,000 rather than 4,000.  Every day that number will go down. 

I thought we'd never sleep through the night.  I thought we'd never be done with diapers.  I thought my kids would be home with me all day everyday forever.  The hard stuff passes, but so does the good. 

Whether you know it or not, you're on a countdown too.  I hope you make each day count!

Jessica