Mommy/Tessa Date Day

Working about 30+ hours per week this past month has been difficult, to say the least.  It has truly made me realize how precious my time at home with my little ones really is and how grateful I am to my amazing husband for letting me live out this dream of mine (staying home with my kids, not working 30+ hours per week).  I'm ready to have my time back at home, one more month...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. 

I snuck away for some quality one on one time with my quintessential middle child today.  The words "this was my most fun day mommy" made the freezing temperatures all worth it.  An hour of swimming at the warf with sweet Tess was just what the doctor ordered.  A few games of "shark", swimming around the lazy river with her in her life vest without holding on to an adult (a HUGE deal for her), playing red light/green light in the water...all to see the smile on that face.  Priceless day. 

I'm back!

As I was putting Jake to bed last night and he laid that sweet little head on my shoulder as I stood by his crib like I do every night.  Then as he does every night, he flopped his body so that he was being cradled in my arms like a baby, I realized that I wanted to get back into documenting these precious little moments that are flying by right before my eyes.  I want to always remember my bedtime routine with him where I change him into pj's and change his diaper while he squirms around like a crazy person, then sit on the floor looking at books with him, then finally standing by his crib to sing him "take me out to the ball game" (great lullabye, I know, but he loves it).  Laying him into the crib as he's signing "more" for one more song before I leave his room. 

I want to look back in a few months/years/decades and re-read this with my kids/hubby and smile thinking about all of these sweet little routines, the great times, the sad times, the hard times, the accomplishments, etc.  I want to remember it all.  Abbie is 6 now, and I already don't remember even a tenth of what I swore in the moment, I would never forget.  Truth is, my memory sucks (thanks mom, totally inherited that gene from you)!  So this is my solution.