i will do it for you.

some days i get into the thick of one of our adventures and think, "why are we not at home watching a movie right now?"

 i remember when adventuring was a lot less complicated. although, it really has never been easy. i've always ended up carrying everyones coats or sweaters by the end. i've always had to coax crying children into or out of situations. out of necessity our group of five has been able to continue our exploration of the world by bringing less stuff along and trying things that aren't quite as ambitious.

 to tell you the truth i feel like i'm so much less fun than i was a few years ago. i spend much less time playing and much more time holding crying kids. with four there is almost always someone struggling. i shouldn't feel less fun.

i'm going to refuse to feel less awesome than i used to be. if anything i've grown tremendously as a tour guide since my early expeditions with children. my face just doesn't always show my inner enthusiasm for life. i feel my forehead wrinkles multiplying every time the plot thickens around here. but i can't help feeling that a slightly more serious disposition is written in the fine-print for every mother.

 here are some special, edited, mother-child moments. polished pickles.
i really won't remember the parts i edited out. so i'm going to write a couple of quick notes to my future self lest my horrid memory leaves me feeling less adventurous than ever...

megan, when you leave your house it takes thirty minutes to get everyone into the car and buckled. you almost always forget something important and have to drive back and grab it. your kids whine. a lot. they whine because they are too hot or too cold. they whine if you ask them to walk any distance. you aren't always patient with them. they get frustrated and quit when kites won't fly right away and it makes you feel bad because you went to so much trouble to untangle the strings. the baby won't let you put her down so you feel as if you weigh an extra thirty pounds and only have one arm. you drop stuff and have to double back to find it. your camera smacks the kids in the head when you bend over to pick them up. it's always been that way but you never give up because you know they watch the home movies and look at the pictures over and over and smile and laugh. they love the time you took them to the library with hot chocolate and their favorite part is when ossi dumped coco on liam. they don't remember how miserably sticky they were. you don't take them places because you expect it to be sunshine and roses. you take them places because you know you only get a few, short years with them and you want to share everything you love about this world with them. keep sharing the secret wonders you've discovered and expect them to teach you about many, many more.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Wise Woman
Anonymous said…
Very Sweet! Love you and your family bunches. You are so beautiful, and I'm proud of you. I know that your Heavenly parents are smiling, too.
joolee said…
you say it exactly like it is, in both word and media. :) i can't believe i'm about to find out what a life with four little "adventurers" is like...
Staci said…
Thank you...every single one of your post keeps me going everyday!
Tamara Jacobs said…
Your blog is so inspiring and beautiful and real. I love reading it so much. You are amazing. Thank you for your blog.
Laura said…
wow. liam in the grass is beautiful, my favorite part.