I am so excited. In just a month I get to sing with a beautiful Relief Society choir for the General RS Meeting at the end of September. At each rehearsal we not only sing a whole bunch and laugh a whole bunch, we get edified with inspirational words of wisdom by our choir director, Sister Jolley. Last week teary-eyed she said, “Oh, you sisters with young kids -- I would give ANYTHING to have my children little again.” and then to make the mood a little lighter said, “And then they’d still do what I tell them to do!” It was funny, but the first part really hit me. I have heard so many women with older kids tell me, “Enjoy it now, ‘cause they don’t stay little forever!” Usually I’ve thought to myself, “Thank goodness! If I could just get Jane to stop emptying out all her drawers at naptime and if Emery would just chew her meat and swallow it!!!??? Man!” But I’ve had enough people say that that I really have thought a lot lately about how to “enjoy” the moment and not let it go too fast, ‘cause I know it will whether I’m enjoying it or not.
So this article gave me a different perspective. The author of it is a mom of 5 kids 4 and under (two sets of twins!) and she seems like one of those “wonderwomen” we all kill ourselves to become…but I’m sure she has her moments like the rest of us, right? She suggested writing down small, simple moments that will help us enjoy the moment and remember the sweet joys of motherhood. Here are a few things she wrote about her kids:
“While washing Sami’s hands, I noticed her dented knuckles, the pudgy softness. The way she lets me slap her paws together - blowing suds onto our faces and shirts. I wondered how long her hands will keep that three-year old look, how long she’ll let me hold them under warm water, my body bent over hers, before she wants to do it herself.”
“I smelled Eliza’s hair at bedtime. The scent of gritty playground. Wind and dirt all tangled up in fraying ringlets. I felt the heat rise from her body as I tucked my arms around her and sang. She snuggled into her favorite blanket and quickly fell asleep. I kissed her cheek, wishing she could know how much I loved her in that instant. My oldest. My first.”
Two very familiar moments for me. I’m not as good a writer as she, but I’m REALLY good at making lists. So I just started the list, “What we Love and want to Remember” and it’s taped to my kitchen wall. Hopefully, this will help me notice the tender moments I want to enjoy and remember among the eating battles and messy rooms.
Here are a few happy moments as of late…
Emery’s birthday: I want to remember those fat cheeks:)…
…and perfect joy…
…and how old she looks at 4!
And something about little Jane just makes me want to eat her up!
(This was her idea!)
And thank goodness for video – it helps me remember a lot!
