November 2024

We’re living in a season of change

Experiencing something new has become a way of life for the Gail family. With four young kids, we're always in a season of transition, whether it’s mastering a new skill or figuring out how to meet everyone’s needs. This Halloween was extra special because it was the first time all four of our kids were able to walk up to each door and collect the many forms of sugar—or as I like to call it, “gasoline on the fire.”

Pumpkin Patch Gail Crew 2024…can you find them all??

I won’t sugarcoat it; this stage of life has been tough. The twins just turned two, and Elle and Benson are now three and five. We’re learning daily how to meet not only their physical needs but also their emotional and mental ones. But in the midst of the chaos, it’s incredible to watch their personalities unfold. Every so often, Shelbs and I exchange a glance when things are actually going smoothly. Halloween was one of those rare nights when everything just clicked, helped along by having friends with us to diffuse any sibling squabbles that might pop up. Watching our kids embrace the joy of trick-or-treating was pure happiness for us.

This year, we went with a bee theme: Benson and I dressed as beekeepers, Shelbs and Elle were our bees, and Brix and Brady were jars of honey. There’s a certain bittersweetness, though, in seeing how fast they’re growing up. Just recently, we moved the twins into transitional crib beds on the floor—not by choice, but out of necessity after they started launching themselves from their cribs. Twin boys are definitely not for the faint of heart. While I was changing out the crib hardware, it struck me that we don’t have cribs in the house anymore. That’s a milestone in itself, and while there’s relief, there’s also a twinge of sadness as we close the “baby chapter.”

I don’t miss the endless nights, the bottle-washing, the ten-diaper days, but I do miss those quiet early mornings holding their sleeping faces close. Parenthood is an endless learning process, filled with more failures than victories, but somehow, we keep showing up and trying again. It’s no wonder they say parenting is one of the hardest things we do—the love you feel for this exhausting, thankless, critical job is nothing short of extraordinary.