There’s always a new challenge along with our progress in life, so we can’t be constantly looking to the next step and anticipating complete bliss. For me it’s been quite a challenge to take care of both Chase’s and Charlotte’s needs simultaneously. But I am so grateful for them; it dawns on me over and over again that I have two (cute) kids, and I am overwhelmed by the love I have for them.
It seems that with every milestone, or every corner I turn in life, I think OK NOW everything will get easier and be so much better (and sometimes that does happen). But people are right when they say just enjoy the moment, because I’ve found that there is something really great and also something rather trying in every stage of life! As the Trace Adkins song goes, “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…” (and there are times that I have to REMIND myself that I’m gonna miss this, even when it’s hard to believe!)
Lately, Chase wakes up in the morning and immediately begs me to let him go outside to ride his bike. Does he want to play in our nice fenced-in backyard where he doesn’t require much supervision? Nope. He just wants to run free! (Right now he is standing here begging, “please please please!!!!”) I would let him just run around out there like kids used to in the olden days, which would be swell, but we’ve had 2 kidnapping attempts in our area (that I know of), so I can’t do that. So Chase gets to practice patience by waiting until Charlotte and I are both ready to go out there. Don’t worry, we generally get out there at least twice per day!
Chase LOVES to be outside playing and riding his bike, but it’s a little more challenging now to be out there all day watching him. I have a little baby who likes to nap in her crib, not in my arms. And then there’s the neglected housework… People always say just enjoy your kids and forget about the housework, but I’m sorry to say that housework needs to happen sometimes, too! I actually like to keep the house clean, and feel really good when it’s super clean, but it is nearly impossible now with 2 kids to care for! I am trying to NOT care about the messes…
Charlotte is a sweet baby who is showing her personality more and more all the time. Sometimes Chase will be playing with her and she doesn’t want him to, so she starts shrieking/squawking at him, like she’s telling him to back off! It’s funny. Lately she takes quick naps and sometimes wakes up 2-4 times a night, despite my concentrated Babywise efforts. I am trying to read more to get ideas about what might be up. She is super smiley most of the time, but then sometimes she is VERY fussy, and I think I owe that to the teething that the pediatrician confirmed she is experiencing. Mostly she just wants to be held, and gets upset when I put her in her swing so I can attempt a few dishes. Right now I’m typing with one hand while I hold her!
So yeah, motherhood is very challenging yet so rewarding at the same time! Chase is still quite strong-willed, but he is also a sharp, hilarious, helpful boy. Overall, life is really good; among other things I am glad that it’s been so nice outside, that we have fun kids, that we have good health, and that Pace has a job that pays the bills!
SO face recognition is probably the coolest thing any photo app could have. And I thought until now that Apple’s iphoto was the only one to have it… turns out it’s been sitting in Google Picasa for a long time. I activated it and have been automatically tagging away! If you use Picasa web albums, check out “name tags” it will scan all your pics uploaded and automatically detect faces and group them for your easy one click tagging. Plus it’s very entertaining to see who it thinks is who, because it tries to guess for you. For example, here it couldn’t tell if angry Joy, angry Jessica and Stephan was Nada, Jason or Tyler.
