#willmercarchronicles

Written September 19, 2019 • Empty seat. I dropped my oldest at the airport again this afternoon for a college recruiting trip. She has been riding shotgun for the last handful of years, until she got her own license. Every once in awhile she still needs her mom to drive her. • College is coming and each day gets her closer to knowing where she will start her next chapter in life; her first chapter apart from us. The empty seat and it’s quietness speak volumes to me today, as I pull away from the terminal. I soaked in her time riding shotgun, and we spent so many meaningful hours in the car together, but no matter how present I have been, the reality of her next chapter looms. Joy and sweet surrender, reflection of the past and a steady glance towards the future. Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps forward….and to think what her actual baby steps have become ❤️. #willmercarchronicles #emmaisamaze
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Written today: March 20th, 2020
Being home this past week ALL together, has given us precious times as 7. Days are numbered and amidst the uncertainty of future timelines, we are grateful for these slow days of spending time in each other’s space (most of the time). Soaking it in and thankful for this concentrated togetherness ❤️. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-AfDnthep7/?igshid=1uo5gnxqi51u1

This is classic Willmer. I think we were driving back from Utah and had more potty training, road-side potty stops than Mr. Willmer could take! He was done and so was Addie. This is such a good glimpse into why Titus is my quiet middle child (and also good at proving skateboards come in handy - even in the car), EMMA is my first and most comfortable in front of a camera, Addie is my justice fighter and the twins are supreme at pushing everyone’s last nerve, but their own 😬! What on earth! .. Titus’ ear plugging, the twins motor boat sounds (in unison and surround sound), Addie’s fake smile when she thinks I’m taking a picture of her and prolific tattling on Gwenyth (aka The Drink Thief), Emma being unphased by it all, and Brian’s “just get me home before I lose it” look, bring laughter, a huge smile to my face and an audible “Yes! We’ve made it this far!” to my mouth. Sometimes life feels like it moves too fast and sometimes it feels like it isn’t moving at all and is in a stiff standstill. The backseat of my car very rarely has all 5 Willmer kids anymore, they still have the same personalities, but the sounds coming from the back are just as comical and occasionally aggravating. #honesty Blessed chapter after blessed chapter. There is “A time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). God orders the story line and numbers the pages. So wether you are mourning or dancing today, weeping or laughing, in a time of gain or loss, God will see you through to the day you can shout, “Yes! We’ve made it this far!” Roll down the windows and take a deep breath of fresh air (make sure everyone has a drink 😂). Soak in all that this day in time offers. #willmercarchronicles https://www.instagram.com/p/BppizZ6AjeG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1r9b17j1tdrzi

Sweet 16 means the ushering in of a new season in our household. This girl and I have logged a lot of miles together. In Kansas, we drove close to 180 miles a day to swim and school. It was utter craziness, but I cherished it. Not too many moms have their teenager in the passenger seat for that many hours a day! We laughed, played music (she kept me up to date with the latest hits and I kept her up to date on worship songs 😇) and together we sang both styles - loudly. Sometimes we argued, felt misunderstood and had our share of silent miles. We stayed educated on politics through talk radio and drove our way through the 2016 Presidential election. We talked about history and Jesus and swimming. We prayed more in the car together than anywhere else. We listened to Chemistry lessons on YouTube, the Spoken Words from Chris Webb and Janette Ikz, researched dresses for Proms and Homecomings, and talked friends and boys. Being her driver, gave me the front seat to so many of her special life moments. I got to be the first person to see her leave and arrive for all her days of school, after she was asked to prom, or scored poorly on a math test, or was made fun of at school. Feeling those emotions happened together in the car. I’ll never forget her face or seeing her run towards my car after she finished her first AP test. Together we rode with rejoicing and we drove out the tears. Our car has been a beautiful container of memories and emotions. I have loved having her ride shotgun all these years. I will miss her pretty face, sharp mind, and her silly sense of humor next to me. Sometimes the best of motherhood is in the mundane. Yesterday, on her birthday, she got her second license, this time a California one. Drive carefully EMMA Grace! I can’t wait to ride shotgun with you and play loud music from the 1980’s 🕺🏻. #brake!brake! **The videos at the end are classic #willmercarchronicles #titus #handcuffsasacupholder 😂 (at Huntington Beach, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoeniOfAWn-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1odm1omdmvqmg

Nehemiah said something really funny right before I took this picture. I was going to share it with you, but #becauseim40 I can't remember what it was. I feel like it was something about BB guns in heaven, his muscles, or who he should make "his girl" at school. It was clever and funny, full of personality and completely unfiltered. #willmercarchronicles

Yesterday Brian made the bold move to have Emma drive us on the real roads. He also decided to brave the passenger seat, while I opted to sit with the twins in the backseat. His famous first words, pointed at me as he got into the car, "Watch and learn." As we pulled into the garage, he ended with these infamous & emphatic words, "Brake! Brake!" I laughed so hard, I snorted. #watchingandlearning ... In all seriousness, he is the better new driver helper. I cannot keep my mouth shut from the back seat or my legs from stress kicking the passenger seat. I am not cut out for this. at. all. I told Brian, out of the 75 hours Emma has to log, 70 of them will be with him. My 5 hours will be the culmination of 150 drives from our street entrance to our driveway, with me stress speaking #brakebrake ! every single ride. #willmercarchronicles

My kids can't wait to tell their rule-breaking dad about how close their rule-following mom got them to going to jail 😳. It's been real. ✌🏼️ out KC. #getawayvehicle #willmercarchronicles

Today we were all in the car listening to my, I mean "our", favorite new radio station when Willson Philips came on. Now if you are a true child of the 80's, then you and your two best friends undoubtedly had a lip sync dance, complete with special hand motions to this song and you sang it out loud with all of your heart-all the time, everywhere. I was cool and I did this and now I'm cool enough to teach the hand motions to my kids. How could I not share this awesome slice of the 80's with them? It was a good car ride to Trader Joe's today. I can't wait to MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch' this to play for the First time. #willmercarchronicles