tis the season.

I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but I have always been very, very aware about how fast time goes, especially since becoming a mom. Whenever those old ladies in the Target checkout lane touch my shoulder and say, "Don't blink. It goes too fast." I just want to kiss them and say, "I KNOW! Thank you for the reminder. I feel it already,"
I tend to get emotional often over my little girls growing up, but not because I'm not excited about them growing and learning new things. I LOVE that part, and they only seem to get more and more amazing as they get older and enter new stages.

I'm just really, really attached to the stage we are in right now. I love having sweet little girl voices wake me up in the morning, feeding them breakfast, getting them dressed, and not rushing off to go to school, or a bunch of other activities that I know are inevitable as they get older. I love asking the girls what we should do that day and getting their input. Park? Playdate? A walk? Spend the whole day changing in and out of princess dresses? Not being busy has been one of the greatest blessings in raising these girls.

This is our last full year at home before Aubrey starts Kindergarten next year. While that fact nearly knocks the air out of me, I know I have been unbelievably lucky to spend nearly every day with her for all her years at home, and not miss a thing. Staying home has brought me such joy and I thank God every single day that I've been able to do so. The other day, I was talking to a lady from my church about her season of life (having several kids in school with different activities, sports, etc.) and I asked her how it is. It comforted me so much when she told me "It's busy! But I love it. It's a good busy. I get to help my kids with homework, watch them play their favorite sports, and I am their favorite person to come to at the end of their long days to tell me all about them." It was so refreshing to hear her not dwell on the business, but relish in the joy of it.

My goal for myself for this year is to be as present as possible: really get down on the floor and play with the kids, say "no" less often, and just enjoy these sweet, innocent girls in this impressionable, delicate stage of life they are in. I'm going to soak in this last full year of having my babies at home with me every day (soon to be three!), and look forward to the future. Because as I've learned every year, there is so much to love in every season of motherhood.

To end this jumbled post of thoughts, here is a poem that is such a good reminder for me on those long days. Keep a tissue handy…