Favorite Moments

I've been trying to think on what have been my favorite moments of being a mom. I guess that's maybe a weird thing considering that I'm STILL a mom ... I'll always be a mom. It sounds like I'm thinking of retiring or something. Yes, my kids would probably appreciate that sometimes, but oh well! It can't be helped -- I am what I am. A mom. In essence, when they grow up, I kind of "retire", I guess. But it doesn't take much for the mom in me to come out full force when the need arises!! There have been a lot of incredible memories over the years though.

• Boys running imaginary bases in the living room
• Waking up at night in our full-sized bed and having 4 children laying between us ... on us ... over us (you get the picture)
• Having my son tell me he was going to live with me forever (he's a liar)
• Crawling in to the hospital bed with my daughter as she had tubes both going in to her and coming out of her. I remember trying to not squash any of the tubes or the cords, but she wanted me to hold her ... and there wasn't much that I wanted any more than that.
• Opening Christmas presents at 4:00 in the morning. Our pictures weren't very impressive that year. It was dark outside, and my husband and I had only had about 2 hours of sleep because we had been putting toys together. But the kids had awakened, been put back to bed, awakened again, put back to bed again, and awakened yet again before we finally gave up.

Just a few of my memories. I hang on to those memories, just like I hang on to the hand-drawn pictures and cards that my kids made over the years, or the stories with misspelled words and crazy illustrations. They're priceless to me. Examples? Oh! I'd LOVE to!

• The anatomically correct picture of me getting out of the shower that my son made for the Mother's Tea at preschool (Momma learned to lock the bathroom door).
• The note that one son gave to his brother threatening that "I know where you sleep". He didn't sign it ... just drew a face wearing glasses (he was the only child we had who ever wore glasses).
• The letter that my daughter wrote to the family that she now wanted to be called Lightning because she could run really fast.

I look back at my almost 30 years of being a mom and can honestly say that there hasn't been one favorite time for me. They've all been favorites. I loved the baby stage of rocking, cuddling, nursing, and playing. Seriously, is there anything any better than holding a precious sleeping baby? I loved the preschool stage of learning. Children at this age think you know it all and are sooooo wonderful. And what about the elementary school years when the kiddos are growing so quickly? They start branching out, finding friends, but are still firmly anchored to home. I loved the craziness of middle school. We always seemed to have a houseful of kids here -- ours and everyone elses. It was fun! I even loved the chaos of the teenage years -- driving cars, playing sports, deepening voices, hairy legs (The hairy legs just apply to the boys. Our daughter would NOT appreciate being grouped in this category.). True, there were moments in all of these stages that I wasn't too crazy about ... that brought fear or uncertainty, but overall -- it's been good. And now that all of our kids are young adults, I'm finding that this is a great stage as well. Okay, I admit there were times that I've cried over our kids, prayed over them and for them, cried some more, worried, and panicked way more than I should have, and probably didn't like a kid for some reason or another (my kids don't read my blog. I can say that.). I always loved our children though, even though I worried and cried and prayed and panicked and got mad. Now that they're adults, I like the people our children have become.

I continue to hang on to memories though. They're just not as "tangible" as the anatomically correct drawing or the photo of two boys covered in mascara and lipstick. They're more in my mind -- young adults sitting around a table playing a game, hollering and laughing ... getting a phone call to ask my advice ... helping with college homework in a class I've never taken before ... experiencing my husband and our sons watching a football game together (and it IS an experience, let me tell you! Shouting, body contortions, jumping, and screams. Gotta love it!). Regardless of how the memories are made, whether they're drawn or photographed or merely lived, they're all priceless and precious ... and have made me extremely grateful for what I've been given in the gifts of my children.