Welcome to the end of Summer and start of Fall. It’s the beginning of school and kickoff to football, hunting season and soon the evaporation of time that occurs just prior to Thanksgiving. Escapes to the beach and mountains have wrapped up, moms are getting some sanity back and Johnny “Lohan” Manziel is settling back down in College Station after a relentless three month tour of missionary work around the country donating signed jerseys out of the goodness of his heart.

Although we’re not quite to the end of the year, it’s not too early to look back on this year. What a year it’s been so far. In our house alone we have gained four turtles, two frogs and one butterball of a little boy topped with an apparent toupee that has earned him the nicknames “Little Bieber” and “Little Elvis.” At the start of this year, I was scared to death of the impending chaos about to dominate our house with the birth of Preston. Now this kid is sitting here scratching at my keyboard as I type this, drooling on himself while belly-laughing at our in-home full-time amusement, his older sister Lucy (admittedly there is nothing more entertaining than a four-year old girl with personality on steroids). Chaos has never been so entertaining and full of laughter.

As I have reflected on the anxiety of having a third child, it’s now clear that the timing could not have been more perfect. After spending the past several years in intense planning, permitting, preparation and marketing to builders for a new large master planned community on the north side of San Antonio (Johnson Ranch), its first phase of construction was about to start around the time Preston arrived this February. With the immeasurable stress that accompanies launching such a complex project, there’s no better reality and perspective check than an infant whose smile and giggle momentarily vaporizes your business headaches and challenges. He is perspective and motivation bundled into one sometimes cranky, screaming ball of a boy. My belief is that one of the keys to getting through life’s challenges is always finding perspective. When all I could see was the apprehension of a third child, God was preparing to provide perspective. Here’s to hoping you find perspective in the ups and downs that life throws at you every day- it’s there if you look for it.

See you around the Ranch,

Charlie Hill