My Babies

I miss my little tiny kiddos.

But don't get me wrong. I've really been loving having older kids. It is super fun, and life right now is pretty easy. I know it won't last forever, considering that adolescence is right around the corner, and one child will follow right behind the other through this sometimes rough stage. But for right now, with kids at 11,9,7,5, we're just sailing along. My job is much less labor-intensive, and it is turning out to be more brain-intensive.

But as I look through these old pictures, I pine for the old days. I didn't know if I ever really would, even though people said, "Enjoy these days. They go so fast." I felt so bogged down in the diaper-changing-nursing-potty/training-homeschooling mode, and doing it all at the same time, that I do feel as though I missed some of the sweetness of the whole season.

If I had it to do over again, I'd "stop and smell the roses". I wouldn't strive so hard for perfection, out of myself or my children. I'd throw responsibility to the wind and leave the house a mess for a whole day to sit and cuddle with my baby, read the same book over and over to my two-year old, build blocks with my four-year old, and answer any question (within reason) that my six-year old asked.

Contentment is often described as enjoying what you have (and where you are in life) instead of focusing on and wishing for what you don't. (Wanting what you have, not having what you want.) I'm choosing to be content right now, and I'm so thankful to the Lord for the sweet memories of our family's history.