I Have Arrived
Fourteen years ago, in May, my husband and I moved from Ogden, Utah to our present location of Oregon City, Oregon. I was pregnant with my 2nd child, due September 24th. This boy would be my first child to raise (as my first born died at nearly 4 months old). I remember when he was born and thinking of the many milestones that lay ahead, such as his baptism when would turn 8 years old. I remember then thinking when he turned 8 that in the not too distant future he would be a teenager. He will be 14 in a few weeks.
As each child has come along, I have had similar thoughts. Josh, my 11 year old, has started middle school, and will be 12 in a few months. Reagan is 9 and in the 4th grade. I have no choice but to already be thinking about when she becomes a teenager because she is already wishing she was there. I, on the other hand, could wait a tad bit longer.
My youngest, Hailey, just started Kindergarten...... today. She is my last. She has been home with me for nearly 6 years, as she will turn 6 in December. I remember thinking when she was born that I had a looooong time to wait for her to depart from my constant care and enter into the world of teachers, sack lunches, bus rides and homework. Fall of 2013 seemed many moons away. I would have been content keeping her 5 years old for another few years. But I can't keep time still.
I have arrived at that time in my life that I knew would come eventually. The time when all my children would be gone from me for nearly most of the day. The time when my car would be empty while running errands having the radio be my only company. Many moms long for this time to be able to so called "get things done" and have "me time". But for me, it proves all too clearly a stage in my life that I had no choice but to encounter. The baby, toddler, preschool years are done. My children are in Kindergarten - 8th grade. I recall picturing this time of my life after Hailey was born, trying to push the thoughts aside as far as I could.
Life won't be any easier now, only different. I feel blessed that I am going back to school and will be able to devote time for that. I feel blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, even when the children are gone all day, so that I can try to make my home one in which my children are happy to come home to after a day at school.
What do I think about now? It's hard not to allow my mind to wander to the time when my children will start graduating from high school; but for now, I'm going to just savor the time I have with them in their new stages of life, because I know it will undoubtedly be a fun ride and I'm grateful to be their mom to go along with them.
As each child has come along, I have had similar thoughts. Josh, my 11 year old, has started middle school, and will be 12 in a few months. Reagan is 9 and in the 4th grade. I have no choice but to already be thinking about when she becomes a teenager because she is already wishing she was there. I, on the other hand, could wait a tad bit longer.
My youngest, Hailey, just started Kindergarten...... today. She is my last. She has been home with me for nearly 6 years, as she will turn 6 in December. I remember thinking when she was born that I had a looooong time to wait for her to depart from my constant care and enter into the world of teachers, sack lunches, bus rides and homework. Fall of 2013 seemed many moons away. I would have been content keeping her 5 years old for another few years. But I can't keep time still.
I have arrived at that time in my life that I knew would come eventually. The time when all my children would be gone from me for nearly most of the day. The time when my car would be empty while running errands having the radio be my only company. Many moms long for this time to be able to so called "get things done" and have "me time". But for me, it proves all too clearly a stage in my life that I had no choice but to encounter. The baby, toddler, preschool years are done. My children are in Kindergarten - 8th grade. I recall picturing this time of my life after Hailey was born, trying to push the thoughts aside as far as I could.
Life won't be any easier now, only different. I feel blessed that I am going back to school and will be able to devote time for that. I feel blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, even when the children are gone all day, so that I can try to make my home one in which my children are happy to come home to after a day at school.
What do I think about now? It's hard not to allow my mind to wander to the time when my children will start graduating from high school; but for now, I'm going to just savor the time I have with them in their new stages of life, because I know it will undoubtedly be a fun ride and I'm grateful to be their mom to go along with them.
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