Family Life: Then and Now.

Sometimes people are surprised that we are so young and have three boys so close together (and so crazy when they are "working" together). :) Is it an easy job? Nope. And it has left me reflecting on my life before children.

Before I had children...
I had cushions on my couches.
I had money to spend on jewelry and eating out.
I had a whole night's worth of sleep every night.
I had couches without stains from dripping sippy cups.
I had mirrors and windows that were free of streaks from sticky little fingers.
I had counters that were free of goldfish crumbs from snack time.
I had time to myself.
I had endless one-on-one time with my husband.
I had relaxing evenings with friends...no chasing or disciplining to interrupt conversation.
I had the ability to take a nap whenever I wanted to.


Now I have...
Cushions stacked for the next big jump

little money to spend on things for myself. I regularly purchase diapers and spider man shirts...and wait to "splurge" on things that I used to consider necessities for myself...like a new calendar. I'm living on the wild side.

Nights filled with one or more of the following: my fifth trip to the bathroom because baby Silas keeps thinking that my bladder is a trampoline, rocking a boy who has had a bad dream, or an early morning wake up because those boys are too excited about life to sleep. Soon to add to the list: nursing a newborn every two hours.

Lots of sippy cup stains. Everywhere. Bonus if you find a week-old sippy full of milk under a piece of furniture.

Little hand prints on every piece of glass in sight.

Goldfish crumbs, raisings, and cheerios on the counters and floors. Constantly.

Occasionally I get a naptime to myself (like right now....ahh, savor the silence!). And sometimes after they are in bed.

Again, after bed time I get some one-on-one time with Joe. Date nights out are a big treat!

Evenings with friends are filled with toddlers and newborns...oohing and ahhing over the newest baby and the oldest child's newest accomplishment. There is talk of height and weight percentile, how we got the one year old to put himself to sleep, the diaper disaster of the week, and the latest trick for getting the kids to sit through church quietly.

My nap time only comes when they are both napping...which has become a rare occurence.

And now that they're both sleeping, I'm (ironically not sleeping) blogging about this crazy beautiful life that is so different from the one I used to live. I am writing about this life that is challenging, that is constantly requiring me to give of myself, that brings me to tears, that brings me to my knees, that leaves me begging God to use this family for his glory. The life that leaves me absolutely exhausted at the end of each day and absolutely overflowing with more joy than I'd ever dreamed of. The life I wouldn't trade for any of those things I used to have or care about.