midnight multitasking...

I'm having one of those overwhelming moments.

It's late at night, and I had a delightfully simple day.

I'm up waiting for the washing machine to end, because I have to re-wash the shirt that Ryan needs for his golf tournament early tomorrow, since gracie squirted her juicebox all over his favorite shirt and the other clean clothes in the laundry basket.

{I love that he has a favorite shirt.}

I'm trying to stay busy so I don't fall asleep, so I can take it out and hang it to dry overnight.

Then I hear the doorknob to the kid's room turning---

usually it is a sound that I don't entirely enjoy, because it means that the babes have awakened, and break-time {and productivity} is over.

But tonight, my heart skipped with excited concern.

Did my pandabear boy have a bad dream?

Does he need to go to the bathroom?

Does he need a new pullup?

Does he want me to rub{wub} his legs{weggies} because his "bones hurt"?

Is he planning on climbing into bed with mom & dad, so we feel like we're sleeping with a helicopter?

I rush toward the room, and he is frozen in the doorway, with his hands shielding his eyes.

"Hi jaac-jaac, whats the matter?" I ask as I turn off the hallway light that seems to have blinded him.

"Hi mama....... I just miss you."

i melt. suddenly I'm a complete pool of melty mushy goo.

"Well lets turn you around and get back in the bed, eh?"

"okay mama, you nuggle {snuggle} me pweeeease?"

"Sure bud, okay, climb in..."

I crawl onto his little toddler bed, crowded with his blankies, books, and pandas, and I'm scratching his little back, watching his slowly blinking eyes. While I'm thinking how much I love this little boy, and that I can't believe how much he's grown from the first time I held him, I was fighting back tears, when suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by his raspy voice...

"uh, mom, can you scwratch my back bettah?"

I realize that being deep in thought had made my fingernails lazy, and they were not doing their job correctly. It was such a little moment, and probably only means something to me, and I probably won't even post this long late-night narrative, but it reminded me of when I was little enough to get my back scratched, and I would get annoyed if my mom would just scratch one little spot...

You see, we mamas have hands which are always moving, working, lifting, cleaning, wiping, waving, brushing, writing, rubbing, cooking, scrubbing, washing, decorating, typing, building, baking, or sometimes, scratching a little one's back...

But our minds are even busier!

Our thoughts are all over the place as we are busily going throughout the day (and nights)...

We are always multi-tasking, and lately, my extra "task" has been to really be in the moment.

To pause, and REALLY B E with my kids.

No drastic changes... our days are still the same, with train sets, spilled juice, dancing to Dean Martin, walks to the park, and wardrobe changes (gracie is always putting on new, funny clothes)... but I have changed. I'm desperately trying to pause the most random moments, when they give me a funny look that I don't want to forget, or when they say something hilarious, and we have a good laugh together.

I can't tell you how many mental pictures I've tried to capture this week. And I'm even getting better at bringing out the camera, so maybe I'll get organized enough to go through the pictures and document my dazzling children and their simple, yet enchanted life.

But maybe not, because I might just be too busy building forts.

random, sentimental picture of Jaac's first picture,

in all my labor-and-delivery glory...