My baby boy
turned one today. It is so strange to feel like he is still my new baby and, at
the same time, feel like it has been years since I was waddling around the
house and hyperventilating after I walked from my van to the front door.
Time is
flying by. I am so happy that I learned how quick my life was flashing by early
enough to take advantage of my fertile years. I managed to give birth to 9
babies in a 20 year spam. Every once in a while, one of my kids will comment on
their disappointment that I only have 9 when I easily could have squeezed in 2
or 3 more. They mean every word too. All of my kids experience day in and day
out the indescribable joy of having a large family. Whenever they become
complacent, they spend quiet time at a friend’s house and begin to miss the chaos
of their home. The silence may be a much needed break for a little bit but
soon, the homesickness begins to weigh them down.
I have only
experienced this one time in my married life. I went to Branson with Roy for
the weekend. It was just the 2 of us. I have never looked forward to a vacation
more in my life. I counted down the months, weeks, days and hours like a child
going to Disney World. We drove 3 hours, stopped at Walmart and bought all the
bad food that we knew we wouldn’t have to hide, picked up a couple bad movies
(OK. Stop it. They were PG-13!), and planted ourselves on the couch in our
beautiful and QUIET condo.
And we just
sat there.
And sat
there.
We looked at
all our “sugar” cereal on the counter – right out in the open – and started
missing the kids. They needed to be there with us! What were we doing?! I
wanted to hide all the junk food and pull out my ninja-matrix-stealth moves to
get to it. THAT is what makes life so exciting!! Having what I want, when I
want it is SO boring! (I could totally
put in a plug for Natural Family Planning here but I won’t)
Roy and I
muddled through the next day and came home early.
From now on,
our alone time vacations will be sneaking ice cream after the kids go to bed.
I don’t want
this part of my life to end. I want to go straight from having my own children
to having grandchildren. Life is priceless. Each child is priceless. I wouldn’t
trade any of my kids in for anything – Not for a cleaner house, more money, a
career, a newer car, a college degree, more free time, sugar cereal out in the
open – Nothing.
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!! |
