One Minute Snapshot

When Layla and Cooper were younger, I felt like my days at home with them were sooooo loooooooong. In my heart, I knew that staying home was the right thing for me and our family. Overall, it brought me great joy! But, in my head, I had a hard time staying out of the workforce. I'm just more inclined to work. Not that staying home isn't work. It's way more work...just different. I didn't have control of my work anymore and there was no paycheck to affirm my value. After spending day after day entertaining a 2 year old, nursing a newborn, changing diapers, doing laundry, giving baths.....the days felt long. A friend of mine says those are the longest days and shortest years. She's right.

Somewhere, somehow....those long days are over. Layla is now 5 1/2 and Cooper is just 1 month away from turning 3. They are so independent. This fact was proven last Wednesday when I was sick in bed with the stomach flu and Dave was gone. My goal was to stay as far away from the kids as I could so as not to make them sick too. They got dressed, brushed their teeth, made their own snacks and Layla even served lunch (which was a whole box of goldfish and fruit snacks) and watched hours of PBS. I figured it was better than them getting sick!

The days that were all blurry and long have been replaced by days of 2 children talking at me, at the same time, all the time! The sleepy, blurry mind of a mom with little ones is now completely overstimulated.

Along with being a worker, I'm a busy body. I don't sit and read or watch TV during the day, I'm always doing. Along with my "doing" of at least 3 other things all at the same time are two little voices asking.....

"Was there a ribbon cutting when God made the earth?"
"What color was the ribbon?"
"What mom? What Layla say? What ribbon? I need blow my nose. You help me?"
"Was Jesus there? No, I guess he wasn't born yet..right?"
"What mom? What Layla say? Jesus happy birthday?"
"Can I have gum?"
"What mom? What Layla say? She have gum? I want snack"
"I don't like that gum. What's the gum that Addie had at church that I liked? You know, the piece she gave me when I was 4?"
"What mom? What Layla say? Who Addie? I want water."
"Mom, you know what gum, just think harder. You remember, it was pink and white."
"What mom? What Layla say?
"Mom you forget a lot."
"Yeah mom, you silly."

And that is a one minute snapshot of my day.