The Nitty Gritty

I just want to write a post to announce that my boys are GROWING UP! Wow, thank you Lesley for pointing out the obvious. But seriously. I can't believe how big William is getting. I was watching him run to the park at the cabin and I got all choked up because he looked like an official preschooler. His legs looked so long and his new buzz cut makes him look so much older. Today I dropped him off for a summer camp with his future preschool teacher. He was so shy and was trying to fight back the tears when he looked around at all the strange faces. The teacher suggested I sit with him for a minute, which I did. All at once, five friends from our neighborhood came in to join the group and William instantly lit up. I stood up and bid him farewell and couldn't believe that I was entering a new chapter in life--telling my child goodbye with a teacher saying "He'll be fine" and then two hours later picking up William with a whole yard full of other moms waiting to pick u...

Many times I have heard from veteran mothers things like "Enjoy your kids when they're little", "I wish I would've played with my kids more when they were young," and "They grow up too fast!" Lately, I've been feeling badly that I don't enjoy my children as much as I should. Too often, I would rather play on my ipod touch instead of enjoy my boys.  Last night I was visiting with my neighbor. She is a great mother and she said "I love kids! That's why I had so many." I told her how sometimes I get so overwhelmed I don't know if I can ever handle any more than two kids. She then reminded me that feeling overwhelmed as a mother is normal and that I'll feel better if I do things WITH my kids instead of around them." Tonight, I followed her counsel. William fell asleep during dinner so I gave just Van a bath. I started the bath and took out my ipod so I could play a round of Scramble while Van took a bath, but decided ...