Long Days and Short Years...

I read this poem and it really struck a chord. I love the last stanza. I look at old pictures and it's a little shocking. They really are growing up!

Enjoy!

(try not to cry..I failed at this but you might not be as hormonal as I am right now)


Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Only one bad egg...

Lest you think all Easter egg hunts ended as poorly as before. Here are some pics of Shelby's Easter egg hunt at school which was a much bigger hit than the neighborhood one previously mentioned.



Please note the furry, hot pink basket personally selected by Shelby.

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Life observation:
Sometimes when things don't live up to our expectations we get almost more upset and frustrated than if we had none at all.


Case in point:
So, we had one of many Easter Egg hunts this year in our neighborhood one beautiful Saturday morning. I thought the kids would have a blast hunting eggs, climbing around a fire truck, dancing to music, face painting, eating cake, playing on the play ground, etc.

My mistake.

See pictures below for the tragic unfolding of EEH Disaster 2011


Wyatt was upset b/c he didn't get all the eggs he wanted.




Face painting was a brief highlight. Please note the presence of a balloon animal which popped later.

Of course.



Wyatt and Shelby share their discontent at the number of cookies and size of the cake piece they have been alloted.



Shelby is crying in the background b/c I had to pull her aside and "talk" to her b/c she wouldn't thank the fireman.

I'm sure her subsequent thanks touched his heart.


Here is Mommy who appears to be smiling but, in actuality, is really gritting her teeth. Some kind soul offered to take a family photo of us so that we could treasure this day for always.

Why do I include this sad tale of Easter past? Only for posterity. Someday when I am unpacking tiny onesies or flipping through picture after picture of smiling faces, I will need some sort of perspective to keep me from curling up in the now empty baby crib or toddler bed. Young motherhood comes with such joy but, oftentimes, frustration, exhaustion, and even loneliness can be sandwiched between the sweet times. Children are a blessing, but not always in the way we think. Our modern mindset says that blessings are to make us happy like opening a present yet sometimes blessings involve suffering or hardship. Corrie Tenboom thanked the Lord for letting fleas & lice overrun her cabin in a German concentration camp. I'll let you read her amazing book to find out exactly how these nasty critters turned out to be a blessing, but they did. We are to count suffering as "pure joy." The hard times in young motherhood are there to sanctify us and refine us. I already see my laziness and selfishness exposed as I try and make decisions each day for my family. So having an Easter egg hunt that goes terribly awry is also something to remember and document because the Lord is working in all these things for the "good of those who love him."

My little girl...

-loves to color but limits her palate to pink and purple.
-is the sweetest big sister. Just yesterday I peeked in and Wyatt had climbed into her bed at nap time and they were both happily laying together in her twin bed.
-is getting to be so responsible. She does her chores every morning and constantly assures me that she will be a HUGE help with the new baby. She even offered to let the baby sleep in her room and rock him when he cries.
-is such a good hostess. When kids come over to play, she shares all her toys and always says "Thanks for coming." She has told the UPS guy this too. She throws a wide net when it comes to "visitors."
-is developing such a tender heart. I pray that the Lord will take hold of her at a young age and I can already see softening.
-loves Dora the Explorer. Maybe she loves her so much b/c until recently all I would let her watch was cooking shows with mommy.
-accepts the answer "no" much better than she used to.
-has a similar passion for the store Target. A visit here is considered a "treat" in her mind.
-loves the tortilla maker station at HEB. She always gets some for her and her brother while telling the lady her new found Spanish-"Gracias!"
-would turn into yogurt or cheese if you really are what you eat. She will literally eat the stinkiest, strongest cheese you can throw at her.
-loves to eat scrambled eggs every morning w/ cheese.
-has the most entertaining hair. After naps, you never know what configuration she'll come down with on top of her head.
-puts lip gloss on before leaving the house.
-is struggling with the concept of less is more when it comes to accessorizing.
-only likes to wear skirts.
-tells me I look beautiful in the morning and really means it.
-has yet to loose her love of all things princess-y. Just the other day at HEB, she insisted that she wanted the People magazine. Why? B/c it had a real princess getting married on the front. My own fault there for explaining William and Kate's wedding to her, but, in my defense, it was on every channel.
-has turned into the sweetest, most precious, little ringleted angel. I could not have imagined her any better.