4 Month Pictures

A little late, but......

Where does the time go?

Ben has one more day of school left for the year. He will move on to Miss Kristi's pre-k class next year.

:::deep breaths, deep breaths:::

Where does the time go? My little boy is 4, Sadie is learning new things everyday. I get so choked up every time I think about how fast our time together goes. Sometimes I feel as though I've missed so much time with them already. I really haven't. I'm truly blessed to be a SAHM. I built my business around them, for them, so that I'm always here. I feel that sometimes I'm not really "here" though, and that makes me sad. Four years have come and gone in the blink of an eye. I'm SO thankful that I was here for every tear, every laugh, every new discovery. This past year has been absolutely amazing. Sadie's birth made Ben blossom seemingly overnight, and it's been incredible to witness. He's a boy now, so inquisitive, so interested in the world around him. His questions are finally ones with real answers. He's so observant and forgets NOTHING. I never could have imagined the pride that I would feel as a parent. Every achievement, no matter how small, is a testament to how much we want for our children. How many things we want them to experience and to learn. How hard we try to keep them safe, and preserve their innocence just a little bit longer. How we want them to always be themselves and just be happy. The smallest things make Ben so incredibly happy and content, that it reminds me how little we really need in this life.

It's going to be an amazing summer!

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn! With my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's; more 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it. Live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.

Instead; let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with, and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.

SOME MOTHERS DON'T GET A PERFECT ENDING

(EXCERPTS FROM ERMA BOMBECK)

If you are looking for an answer this Mother's Day on why God reclaimed your child, I don't know. I only know that thousands of mothers out there today desperately need an answer as to why they were permitted to go through the elation of carrying a child, and then to lose it to miscarriage, stillbirth, accident, violence, disease or drugs.

Motherhood isn't just a series of contractions; it is a state of mind. From the moment we know life is inside us, we feel a responsibility to protect and defend that human being. It's a promise we can't keep. We beat ourselves to death over that pledge. "If I hadn't worked through the eighth month...." "If I had only......"

The longer I live, the more convinced I become that surviving changes us. After the bitterness, the anger, the guilt, and despair are tempered by time, we look at life differently.

This may seems like a strange Mother's day column, on a day when joy and life abound for millions of mothers throughout the country. But it's also a day of appreciation and respect. I can think of no other mothers who deserve it more than those who had to give a child back.

In the face of adversity, we are not permitted to ask "Why me?" You can ask, but you won't get an answer. Maybe you are the instrument who is left behind to perpetuate the life that was lost and appreciate the time you had with them to do it.

The late Gilda Radner summed it up pretty well. "I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned the hard way that some poems don't rhyme and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. LIFE is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what is going to happen next."