Real life with my girls

"You don't know what you have until it's gone"…isn't that how the cliche' quote goes?  Perhaps that used to be true (wait-it did) for me, but not anymore.  I most definitely know these days with my girls are just golden.  There's just not another opportunity in the world that compares to this.  Back before I had kids Brett and I did several things that could have appeared to be more "exciting" than spending our days at home, taking our pop-up camper on a road trip.  
We traveled to Italy for two weeks straight..napping every single afternoon for hours and staying up late.  It was glorious.  We trekked to St. John Island, adventuring our vacation away.  What's funny though is I don't know that I fully appreciated things and trips and experiences then the way I do now.  I'm not saying for a second I have a longing to ditch mama hood and go back to those experiences.  No way, no how.  I much prefer this. The staying in our jammies kind of days.  Warming by the fire, making sure Betsy Grace doesn't try to brush the cat's teeth. 
Sitting together, working out squabbles, learning to share and love and give…
this is my slice of heaven on earth now.  
So often kiddos are looked at as a job or inconvenience.  Not true…my girls have never taken a part of me away, they have only added buckets of wisdom, love (oh, the sweet love), patience, goodness, insight, imagination, and yes, efficiency to my life.  I've learned to be quick at the things that must be done but in the end don't really matter (dishes and laundry and basically all housecleaning-I'm talkin' to you!), and stretch out the sweet moments that do.  Hugs, book reading, art making, waffle eating, Jesus praising…the good stuff.

Sometimes motherhood gets the best of me.  I feel tired, overwhelmed, or inadequate.  But then I remember who has been my Heavenly Father from the start.  That's not just christian talk.  That's real talk.  With confidence I proclaim, that I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.  I can be patient, put worship music on instead of the tv, hand anxiety over and be given grace instead.  

I remember the season before we first got pregnant.  I wanted a baby so, so, so badly.  I would be at work, or around town and think how badly I wanted to know my little one was right there in my tummy, growing alongside me.  I mean, I just ached for a baby. 
Then along came Anna Ruth and seventeen months later…Betsy Grace.  My bold, beautiful, ornery, smart, adventurous girls. Am I ever glad I get to be their mama. 

We talked at home church earlier in the week about how raising children is such a big thing.  We are raising little people who will become adults and impact the world….what a wonderful, albeit hard, calling! What a miracle of a cycle….
If you're wondering where the Hallmark commercial suddenly came from that is basically this entire blog post I suppose it's just a thought I've been mulling over lately.  I'm certainly trying to be honest about my struggles as a mom sometimes (hello, I'm human too!) but I think a bigger fanfare is deserved for my girls and other kiddos too.  I get sad when all I hear people say is they "lost themselves" when they had kids, like the good life was quickly swept under the rug.  Maybe my selfishness was swept under the rug, but that's about it.  And who are we kidding? I still have to sweep that back under about once or twice or a HUNDRED times a day, lol.  But having kids…my girls to be specific…is just heaven on earth.  I can promise you I wouldn't have pursued my art or anything I do in my "me" time had it not been for my girls.  I used to have gobs of free time and nothing to show for it.  Now my art and creativity is spilling over in buckets, from watching and listening to my girls.

I thought I would have kids to teach them…
I didn't know I would have them to be taught myself. 

12 comments:

  1. You've got it goin' on! Or does that age me??? Lol or Ha! P

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    1. You're never aged in my eyes! :) Thank-you for the kind words…
      I love you.

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  2. Such sweet little girls and warm (much needed here!) photos. Enjoy these moments!

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    1. Thank-you Bev! We are beyond lucky to have such spring weather already! Although I have to admit I'm still wishing for a big snow… :)

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  3. Love this. And I am always bangin on about how much my girls have taught me. I call it two way street parenting. Xxx

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    1. Thank-you Deb! You are one of the moms I look up to for that very reason….you can tell you love being a mama.. I like that :) (and I love all your neat lettering you put on IG! You inspire me!)

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  4. Hi Sara,
    What a beautiful post. Your girls are adorable.
    Susan

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    1. Thank-you Susan! They are ornery as well… :) but mostly adorable!

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  5. The pictures-beautiful! Your girls-beautiful! The way you wrote about this-beautiful!
    I respect so much that you are big on motherhood. I think that it's the most important job in the world, and so many people seem to forget that families are the basic unit of society.
    I really respect you and the values you're sharing with your children.
    I'm a member of the LDS (Mormon) faith; and it's all about families in the Church. :)
    You are a super momma! This momma on this website talks about why 'being a momma is the best job in the world'. It may make you smile.
    What are your thoughts on it?
    http://www.mormonchannel.org/blog/post/happy-families-the-best-job-in-the-world

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    1. Thank-you for your kind words! Being mama IS best! :)

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  6. Oh I love this post, I found myself nodding along to it as I read. We lost a baby before Kitty arrived and I can still remember so clearly the desperate longing for a baby and that magical moment when I first held her. I don't think I've lost myself in parenting, I think it's changed me fundamentally but that's no bad thing. I definitely had more time for creating before I had three little ones but the time for that will come again and it all fits in somewhere (apart from sleep - that evades me!!) :)

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    1. First, I'm sorry about your sweet baby you lost. :( I would give you a hug if I could! You are such a strong, strong mama. I love seeing how you love your family in such a big, hands-on way. I'd love to go on an outing with you all if I could!

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