This is the time of the summer when I hear many of my friends anxiously looking forward to school starting again. Their young kids are stir crazy because they have done all of the typical summer activities already and are bored, and parents have run out of ideas of how to occupy their kids to keep them out of their hair.
Ask any parent of teens or grown children and they will tell you that they only wish their kids were "in their hair" again. I have spent some serious time lately savoring my kids and I have discovered that there are so many things I will miss when they are older. Yes, I want them to grow up and I will enjoy every stage, but there are a few things that only accompany this stage and I don't want to be so busy or distracted that I miss out on them.
such as...
-the look of surprise and adoration when your baby catches you watching her as she crawls by.
-constant begging for more tickles or "Momma, hold me."
-carefree, unbridled, jubilant singing and dancing
-innocent, heart-felt, faith-filled prayers shared aloud
-binky kisses
-dirty blankies and bears
-skipping everywhere they go
-siblings snuggling or holding hands
-mountains of drawings of our family
-the pure jubilation when we walk into a room after being gone
-bouncing curls
-playing in the bathtub until they are pruney little frogs
-innocent & hopeful dreams of the future
-forts
-imaginations
-and so much more
I was watching them dance last night with Lucy's curls bouncing and Preslie's arms flapping, Shelby's choreographing, and Jesse's writhing around like a fish out of water with a huge grin on his face and time froze for just a few moments. Tears came to my eyes and I longed to bottle up that feeling, so I could open it up later and drink it in again when they are far beyond this stage. Oh, my babies...How I love them.
