A Boy's World

These past couple of days, I have been looking at my home and my life through the eyes of someone who may not have any little boys underfoot in their lives. It's very loud. And chaotic at times. And almost always messy. And anything that I've tried to make "pretty" still manages to have some little boy flair to it.

For example, I glanced down at my centerpeice arrangement on my table - it's just a bowl of pinecones, dried oranges and pomegranates, and round twiggy balls - and right there, smack in the middle is a big plastic eyeball! Legos and k'nex peices have found their way into almost every nook and cranny of this place. Daily, I come across a half-eaten apple that's been left somewhere. And their teeny, super adorable nativity set that I would love to have be the ONLY thing that sits on their dresser - well, it's surrounded by about 20 plastic war jets, a huge k'nex helicopter, and two lego towers!

Everything they do is loud and intense - the laughter, the plane noises, the ideas of what might be fun....building a tower out of the couch cushions and flying onto them, or sudsing up their heads with hand lotion when they're supposed to be washing their hands for supper, or stripping naked and streaking through the house screaming like banshees before bathtime, or even their snuggles - they're rough and often end in a wrestling match!.... It's slightly nuts-o.

This morning over a cup of coffee (and the chaos that abounded) Jesse had come into our room twice to try and wake us to tell us that he was hungry....(he first brought up a bag of cheese and shoved it in my face followed by a carrot and the comment: "Mommy. I just HUNGRY!), Kev glanced over at me and commented: "Remember when it was just the two of us?"

I do. And I wouldn't change those five years for all the world.

But, nor would I change this chapter of my life either. It's FULL. Full of wildness and chaos, but also oh so full of LIFE, and LOVE, and childhood innocence, and play, and fun.

Last night in the car on the way home from some final Christmas shopping Kaden and I had a cute little conversation.

Me: Kaden, will you always love me - even when you grow up?
Kaden: Yup.
Me: But, will you still come home to visit me and have a cup of coffee - even when you're a grown man?
Kaden: Well, I'm probably still going to stay in the family.

Phew. He is so tender and sensitive. So wanting to please us and make us happy.

And Jesse - for all his clumsiness, and bull-in-a-china-shop-ishness, and the Many MANY messes that he makes for me to clean - he really just brings me so much joy. He LOVES me with this unconditional sweet abandon, that is just so precious and tender.

And sweet little Ransom...it's like he's always been here. He has just fit right in, and I am SAVORING him.

Life is FULL. Sometimes a little too full and we have to revamp schedules and priorities. But, despite the crazyness of it all - it really totally and completely rocks. I KNOW that I'll have a spotless house again someday with no toys to trip on, no rotten food to find, and no squabbles to referee. And I know I'll miss it. So, for now, I want to savor this adventure and drink it all in.

This chapter will be gone in the blink of an eye...........