These Three

It seems recently I've been in a lot of conversations lately with people about having 3 kiddies, how close in age they are, and if we are having more.  So you go and have 3 kids in 3.5 years, and everyone thinks you're some kind of baby machine who's plan is to have one per year until you get a reality show on TLC.  No, we do not plan on any more babies, unless God wants to gift us with a surprise.  I always add that last piece in, because it feels funny to make declarations about where life might take us, when really He has all the control and will do whatever He sees as perfect for us.  So if it's up to us, we think 3 is perfect.  I think God agrees, because I think He also would like me to keep my sanity, and keep it to 2 lattes a day.  ;)

I laugh when I think about certain things I do, things I say, things that have become common place in my everyday life.  Sometimes I think, if I showed a short video of what is happening right now to 18 year old me, what would she think?  She would probably laugh hysterically and think, "Are those adorable kids really mine?  Like, I made them? And my boyfriend here, we'll be married and just, raising them all by ourselves? Oh, but this video is from 2014!  That's 9 years away, that's an eternity!" 

You bite your tongue, 18 year old self.  These nine years will fly.  They will be gone in graduation, college, Providence, BLINK, engagement, wedding, move to Pennsylvania, BLINK, student teaching, pregnancy, Reilly, BLINK, Reagan, Declan, BLINK.

 
And here we are.  A family of five, who is absolutely imperfect in countless ways, but in the four walls of our home, we are perfect for each other.  We are in love with each other, all 5 of us. I thought I loved that boy back then, when we met.  I did, I loved him for sure, with everything I had.  I wanted to be with him every minute and cried when we said goodbye for weeks at a time. But I didn't know how love could grow.  I didn't know seeing him be a Daddy and seeing him light up when he comes through the door to the squealing/hiding/giggling welcome crew could fill up my heart in a brand new way.  I didn't know that there was something even better than waking up with him next to me.  Waking up with him next to me, and the tiny voices of the babies we love calling our names.




(Check out that double stroller. We have swimmies, we have diapers, we have sunscreen!  And we have a Solo cup in the cup holder. I'll never tell what's in it!)

I never thought I would chasing turkeys off my lawn so they didn't eat our grass seed, using 2 wooden building blocks.  I never thought I'd be running away from chipmunks in our garage, who have come for a nice birdseed meal.  I never thought  I would be calling my daughters Ana and Elsa for days on end or else they wouldn't answer me, or be renamed Queen Miranda.  I never thought I would be telling the girls that if we couldn't share Ariel and Prince Eric, then they would live on the fridge for the day. (Ariel and her Prince, not my kids.) I never knew that lollipops could solve any problem of any day.  I never knew a baby boy could be SO happy all the time, or bring such joy to his big sisters like the little prince that he is.  I never knew the love of my life and I could laugh so hard at poopy jokes.

I never knew God's blessings could be so abundant.