you're gonna miss this.

i have this tendency to always be looking to the next thing, and it's never been more evident than in my parenting. thoughts of "i can't wait until..." seem to fill my mind. until... he sleeps though the night. he can communicate. he can put on his own shoes (like he so desperately wants to). he's potty trained.

all those stages and milestones are great, but i find that i'm too often wishing away the present. it's the same way with other parts of my life, where i think things will just be better when... i lose weight. we have a bigger house. i'm a stay-at-home mom. you know what, though? life always has challenges. each stage of parenting has it's ups and downs. and as much as i get frustrated and discouraged by the challenges of having a toddler and a newborn, i know that i will miss it someday. (well maybe not the middle-of-the-parking-lot i-won't-hold-your-hand-and-will-flop-around-like-a-fish-on-the-pavement-kicking-and-screaming stuff, but you get my point.)

i want to try to enjoy each day with my boys and focus on the positive moments (and there really are a lot!) rather than letting the meltdowns and battles ruin the joy of being a mom. i have to let go of letting my children's daily behaviors be the gauge of my success or failure as a parent. i have to let go of worrying about what other people are thinking when my child is crying and arching to avoid getting in the cart at target (which to bennett may as well be a torture chamber). they are loved like crazy and that's what matters most.

being a mom is the hardest, scariest, most frustrating, best, most joy-giving thing i have ever done. and i'm going to do my best to enjoy each day and not wish a bit of it away.

"you're gonna miss this. you're gonna want this back. you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. these are some good times so take a good look around. you may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this." -trace adkins, "you're gonna miss this"