Raising Little Lambs

Spring, glorious spring, peaked it's head forth today.  It was a beautiful day and the outdoors beckoned us.  Both my boys love playing outside.  My almost 3 year-old son can spend hours driving his cars around in his sand box or just laying digging in the dirt.  My 14 month-old son loves to run full throttle through the yard and try to maneuver up and down every possible step and ledge.  


As soon as we got outside I noticed something new in our neighbor's yard.  Our neighbor is a retired farmer who has a huge garden and a meadow with three sheep and several chickens.  Much to my delight I saw two lambs standing with their mother in the far pasture.  I was so excited I quickly gathered up the boys and we walked over to have a closer look.  


There is just something about newly born lambs.  They are so adorable!  They stuck closely to their mother's side and soon began to nurse.  As I sat there on the soft grass in the warm sunshine with my boys, watching the lambs, I was struck with the contrast they were to their mother.  Their mother had long dingy wool, was a bit fat and didn't look like anything special.  But these lambs were a stark comparison to her with pure white wool on spindly, shaky legs.  Isn't this how new life is?  These new beings born into our broken, imperfect world.  They come so beautiful, so full of life, yet so fragile.  They depend completely on their mother for their very life.  


As, I marveled over these things my oldest son pointed to the sheep poop and asked what it was.  He then went on to ask if the sheep go on the potty.  I explained that no they go poop in their meadow.  And his interest in the new lambs was soon lost and my youngest son took off running through the farmer's field.  But I couldn't resist dragging them back their a second time with my camera to get a few pictures of these little twin lambs.  Their is another sheep that is big and fat and our neighbor said will probably give birth in another week or so.  I am excited to watch these little lambs grow and run and jump in the meadow as I can only imagine lambs doing.  

It makes me want to take my "little lambs" in my arms and give them a squeeze.  I look forward to many more glorious spring days as I watch my kiddos romp around the yard and drink in the sunshine.  I realize I may not get a lot accomplished over the coming months with the majority of our time spent outdoors but I will work on the most important thing and that is raising my little lambs!