I Never Imagined...

Before I was a mother, I never imagined that I would ask questions like "Who put the dragon on the Christmas Tree?" or "Is that poop?"

I never would have figured motherhood would lead me to yell things like "Don't put your underwear in the dishwasher!", "Don't lick that!", or "Quit throwing balls down the heating vents!" or that teaching a little person to use the toilet properly (it's not just something to squirt hair gel on or lotion into) would be one of my greatest frustrations.

I had no idea I would wonder about things such as "Why isn't all shampoo made 'tear free'?" and "If my kid loves to jump into a swimming pool and go under water, why does he scream at the top of his lungs when I wash his hair?"

It never occured to me that motherhood would include finding uncooked spaghetti noodles under the chair in the living room, a stash of candy and snacks hidden by my 3-year-old's bed, or rocks in every place imaginable.

I wouldn't have thought my first born would hang his underwear on hangers or that a fenced yard could be my salvation. I had no idea so many hours could be passed playing in the mud on a summer day or how much laundry a tiny little baby can add.

8 uninterruped hours of sleep never seemed like something that could be considered a luxury...until now. Or going to the grocery store alone, free of tantrums and trying to keep my children from tossing unwanted items into the cart or wandering off. The sound of silence didn't use to be something I appreciated and being in bed before 11 o'clock had always seemed like a really lame thing to do.

I had absolutley no comprehension of the truth behind the saying "It takes a village to raise a child."

And I am so greatful for my 'village'-you know who you are. I was able to go to the grocery store and eye doctor today ALONE...and it was awesome. Jeff and I actually went and saw a movie IN THE THEATRE on New Year's Day-we figured out that the last time we had gone to the movie theatre on a 'date' was when I was pregnant with Ethan. And on New Year's Eve we were able to go to a dance together {kid-less}. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends living close who are willing to watch our boys. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother and feel incredibly blessed to be able to stay home with our children. But I'm not going to lie-sometimes it's nice to just get away and listen to the silence...

PS~ I love the song "Godspeed" by the Dixie Chicks. It's #71 on my playlist at the very bottom of the blog. You should listen to it :)