I started off the day reading a blog hosting other moms of bigs and littles reflecting on when they just had littles...Before I had a seven year old...what the name of the post. It was stating how everything gets easier as you have more as the older ones become more independent and helpful. I laughed the idea off that it becomes easier. I think it has more to do with perspective.
With that said I think there is nothing more challenging than the transition from newly married to new parents. Until Avery was born I truly felt like I was drowning. Every decision would last a lifetime and how in the world would Paul Thomas become a functioning person if he didn't know how to sit and be still at Mass by the ripe old age of 18 months.
However, some of my most fond moments as a family happened in our little, tiny apartment with a 2 1/2 year old and 1 year old. I adored those boys and they adored each other! It was so easy to cook, clean and maintain the laundry all while dancing with my boys. My bathrooms were clean! My floor got vacuumed twice a week! We took walks and played at parks, there was no TV! Both boys took gloriously long afternoon naps.
So as I reminisced, I noticed the two laundry baskets, the mountain of books, puddle of shoes and four bodies ranging from 7 to 1 happily running and playing, and somehow I needed to get those bodies into the car and to the store for a "quick" trip. It is tasks like this that absolutely paralyze me. The looks, the comments and the meltdowns are often times too much, but it was early, so the store would be less busy and I couldn't put it off any more.
As soon as we arrived I asked my seven year old to help his sassy sister out of the car and he happily obliged. He got a cart and waited for me to secure George then lifted his sister into the bottom part. As soon as we got into the store he jumped down to help Avery with a lose shoe lace before I could responsd to Avery's request. He dutifully helped look for our items and did not engage in the crazy antics of his siblings. When Mary Colette began the potty dance half way through checking out he quickly offered and took charge of taking her to the bathroom, then loaded all the groceries and put the cart away!
Maybe life does get easier with a seven year old!
