Miller Visit

 Char in a box.

 Grandma J and the babies on the deck.

 Benners on the move.

Grandma and Grandpa Miller came last week. It was so nice to have visitors, I hope they come back soon! Vance and Dustin worked on the house while Judy and I played with the kiddos. The rest of the Miller clan is welcome and invited anytime, hint hint...come see us! Ben is 7 months and crawling up a storm. One minute he's playing nicely on his blanket, the next he is zooming around the house. He loves to smile and eat animal crackers. He slept until 9 o'clock this morning, it was awesome. Our fence is going up as I type. What a relief that will be. Charlotte can unlock all the doors and takes off everytime I look away. She loves outside. She has two sweet little friends that live right behind us, Katie and Lacey. They play almost everyday. It's so fun to have good neighbors. Happy Tuesday

My thoughts on Parenthood

As I read an article today on parenting, I became lost in the memory of a time when it was just Dustin and I. I remember the time we used to spend together, dreaming about the future and wondering what it would hold for us. I remembered the dates we used to go on. Last minute movies and long delicious dinners; never being hurried and feeling very carefree. I remember finding out we were pregnant with Charlotte. I had the excitement and anticipation of a naive mother to be. I longed for the day she would join us. I remember thinking that life probably wouldn't change much. That was a time when I thought  the phrase "slept like a baby" was literal. I remember thinking that I was not going to have anything to occupy my time as a stay at home mom. I truly believed that babies were an easy transition and mothering just came natural.

As I look at my beautiful children today, I am reminded how unprepared I felt as I brought that crying baby home from the hospital. How wrong I had been about what was in store for us as new parents. I remember the panic I felt the first time I couldn't calm my screaming baby, and the way I hid under my covers and cried. I will never forget those first few sleepless nights and the shock it caused my system. I will never forget my babies first smile's or first "I love you Mommy." The thing about being a parent is that one can prepare you for it. There is no way to comprehend the complete 180 that your life is about the take. There are no words to describe the love that you feel for your own. Today I was reminded just how lucky I am to be a mother. Through all the messes and tantrums and dirty diapers and dishes, there is no other place I would rather be than home, with my littles. Through the good and the bad I hope I always remember how lucky I am.