To The Mom & Dad of a Toddler

I remember those days.
Dried jelly stuck to the kitchen floor under the table.
High chair smeared with last nights dinner.
Smelly bibs stacking up in the laundry.
The diaper pail that is never empty.

I remember those days.

Tiny socks with no mates.
Baby powder all over the dresser.
The child that is sick that needs rocking.
Tiny outfits with tiny accessories.
A camera catching almost every moment.

I remember those days that you are experiencing.

Working a job and juggling car seats.
The way cereal never stays in the bowl.
Pop Tart mornings smeared in the hair.
Sick nights and stained carpets.
Missing appointments and forgetting to cook dinner.
Fights with your spouse over whose turn.

Some days seem to drag on when you're at home with your child.  Some days you look up and wonder where yesterday went. You spend time making sure you have the right car seat, stroller, diaper bag. You give up on doing dishes at the end of the day.  Ponytails and yoga pants are a daily norm.  Unless you're dad and ball caps and sweats are the norm. Working moms are always in a hurry and time ticks faster at home.

I remember.
I'm forgetting!

I have been a work from home mom, a work away from home mom, and a stay at home mom.
I have missed moments and
I have whisked moments away.
I captured important moments with my lens and
I didn't take time to notice some.

Today I was packing away memories that were brought home from my Grandmothers empty house.
I gazed into the eyes of my children staring back in the photographs and paused.

Suddenly, I was choking.
I was trying so hard to swallow.
Tears streamed down my face, chin, neck, chest...
They splashed on the table cloth, the frames, and caught in the hollow of my neck.

When I was a little girl I prayed.
I believed with all my heart that God would allow me to have babies.
I wanted nothing more in this life than to be a mother.
He blessed me three times.
With three sons.

I'm forgetting!

Their baby toys are mostly gone except for a few I saved.
Only a handful of outfits and blankets they wore and were wrapped in are boxed away.
The tiny beds are gone.
Older pictures are replaced by newer ones and they are off to school.

To the mom or dad with the toddler and the baby and the growing children...

Slow down.
Kiss their faces.
Smell their bellies.
Stroke their ears.
Record their laughs.
Capture the moments.
Save the hand prints.
Fold their tiny clothes slowly.
Say "no" to busy.
Say "yes" to snuggles.
Be okay with messy for awhile.

Yes, they cry.
Yes, they scream.
Yes, they destroy like a hurricane.
Yes, they are precious.

To the mom or dad with the children...
They are growing into themselves.
Speak life into them.
Tell them they have purpose.
Show them the little things are important.
They feel little...they are important.
Listen to their words.
Feel their breath in whispers.
Watch their eyelashes flutter in sleep.
Rescue their "lovies".
Kiss their wounds.
Let them cry it out sometimes.
Hold them.
Be thankful for their trails of dirt.

Yes, they are sleepless.
Yes, they are hungry.
Yes, they love you.

I was that mom who needed someone to show her the beauty from time to time.
I was that mom who didn't want to see there was beauty from time to time.
I was that mom that stayed busy
I am that mom who misses their smallness.
I miss their innocence.
My husband almost missed it all.

So, pick them up and dance.
Swing them.
Kiss them.
Smile.

The moments don't last, they don't stick around.
Time ticks on and we grow older.
They do too.

Here are a few (or many) scriptures I love for my tired self...I hope they lift you as well.

Matthew 11:28-29  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Psalm 62:1  “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”
Psalm 4:8  “In peace I will lie down and sleep,  for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 127:1-2  “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.  In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.”
2 Thessalonians 3:13  “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”
Romans 12:11  “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Psalm 46:1  “God is our refuge and strength,  an ever-present help in trouble.”
I Kings 8:56  “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel  just as he promised.  Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.”
Jeremiah 31:25  “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
Hebrews 12:12-13  “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”
Isaiah 40:29  “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
Psalm 68:35  “You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.  Praise be to God!”
Romans 8:26-28  “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”
Colossians 1:29  “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.”
Psalm 73:26  “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Galatians 6:9  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Hebrews 4:16  “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Psalm 119:114  “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.”
Philemon 1:20  “I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.”
Psalm 18:31-32  “For who is God besides the Lord?  And who is the Rock except our God?  It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.”
Psalm 62:5  “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” 
Proverbs 3:24  “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
Exodus 33:14  “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Psalm 46:10  “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Philippians 4:13  “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”