Motherhood: Long Days...Short Years

"The days are LONG, but the years are SHORT."  

In my opinion this is the best parenthood quote ever spoken.   And as a stay at home mom especially sometimes I find myself saying...how much longer til nap time or bed time?  Sometimes it feels like the day stretches on and on with no breaks for mom or dad...and actually I know this changes.  But life with a newborn or any infant the day can seem very monotonous between feeding, changing, and rocking, feeding, changing and rocking, and feeding, changing and rocking, and bathing.

Each minute, every hour, every day, we are allowed to invest in their lives.  How we speak to them, encourage them, love on them will shape them into the teenagers and adults they will be some day.  And that is scary, because nobody is perfect.  We all fail.  And I wonder...will they turn out okay?

I am so convicted when I say, "Go play in the playroom."  Instead of stooping down to really listen to mark's current dream, really pay attention to one of Julia's questions, really give eye contact while nursing the baby.  I constantly feel like, "God, there is not enough time in the day for me to do all that you require of me AND be a good wife and mom."  Some times I just want silence.  I just want to crawl into bed and put the covers over my face and hide.

I can't be the only one who thinks about who their child will become.  I wonder who am I shaping Julia to be one day?  Will she be confident, kind, loving, and patient?  What about Mark, will he be brave, tender, smart, and generous?  And Micah...will he be the spoiled baby in the family who always gets his way?

The days are long...

Being a Mom means that I have the opportunity to be real in front of my kids each day.  I get a brand new day, another chance, another opportunity to boost her self esteem, encourage his creativity, and kiss the chubby cheeks on Micah.  During these long days I get to bring them to the park and have a picnic, ride a carousel at the mall, sing a silly song in the car, or blow bubbles in the bath tub.

Each day won't be perfect....some days are filled with dirty diapers, dirty dishes, and loads of dirty laundry.

Some nights might have a melt down or two, or three (from mommy), a cranky baby, a pokey puppy, or a bossy big sister.

I find myself wishing the baby would let me put him down (all 14lbs of him!) instead of remembering that this might be my last chance to kiss those adorable chubby thighs.

I also find myself saying to Julia "I'm too tired to read a story." because I am just so tired...but what about the night she doesn't ask me to read to her?  So I climb into her bed and read the book, with lots of yawns, but I love the smile she gives me.

And poor John walks in the door some nights to see such a frazzled wife who used to have it all together.  Now he's like, "How can I help you the most?"  And I'm like, "Where do I begin???"

But the years are short...

It's hard to believe my Mark will be 4 years old in 2 weeks, Julia is almost 6 and Micah...he's nearly 2 months old.

Time is a funny thing.  We never get it back.  It keeps ticking away.  And a part of me is always sad at every birthday because I think, my baby is growing up.  And John and I look at ourselves and wonder, how did the time go so fast???

Time takes it's toll.  But I'm still so incredibly thankful to be a stay at home mom for as long as God allows!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms who work for , play with , and love on the children God has given them.