That First Star

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Have you every watched the stars come out at night? Like, really watched them appear in the sky?

Andrew, Alex and I were playing outside after nap time (around 4:30) and, apparently, the sun sets at 5... (oh, I'm sorry Weather Channel 4:42 pm) Interesting. Gotta love the time change, right?

Well, the sun was just giving off it's last light of day and the boys were quite interested in the changing sky.

We never really played outside too late in the dark, but, like I said...I was only a little after 5. Crazy.

Andrew asked where the stars were since the moon was out and now the sun was pretty much gone. Since dinner was already in the oven, I grabbed the picnic blanket and flipped it over the the warmer side. It was getting COLD!

First, a wonderful thing happened: Both my boys snuggled up with me as we laid there in the grass waiting for the stars to come out. 

Next, a most magical thing began to happen: The stars started peeking out one by one. It was very slow at first. But that first star was the most beautiful of all. Andrew found it and showed Alex where to look. Alex saw it and then giggled up a storm which made all three of us burst of laughing even more.

They were so excited to see that first one that they laid there with me for about 30 more minutes until our hands were frozen (and it was about time for Jason to be home and dinner to be ready). We watched stars peeking out, twinkle here and there, hide again, and come back with more friends from the sky. We watched airplanes turn on their headlights. And we watched the moon move slowly across the sky in our backyard. It was all so wonderful.

But it was that first star that twinkled just enough that made everything we go through every single day worth it. Because one day they are going to be grown up...and it is all going to happen "in a twinkle of an eye."