Ode to Toddlers

For the past three days, I have been the parent of six -

thanks to a dear friend who needed to leave town on short notice.

I never really wanted six kids,

but it was fun to see what it would have been like.

{All three of hers are younger than my youngest.}

I came away with an appreciation for those of you

who have that many,

and a lot of fun memories of the "toddler years."

Just for fun, I thought I would list

The Top Ten Things I Miss About Having Toddlers:

#10 - Physical Exhaustion

Sound crazy?

You have to have teenagers

to understand that the

physical exhaustion of having toddlers

is nothing

compared to the emotional exhaustion

of having teenagers.

#9 - Utter Pandemonium

I do get to experience this one once in a while

{picture 6 teenage boys playing Settlers

and eating their way through your refrigerator},

but there's something special

about the kind of pandemonium that toddlers create.

#8 - Conversations with the Television

In our house we yell at the television

{think football},

but we never ever have sweet conversations with the television.

I miss that.

#7 - Pointing at Cows

Between us and the boys' schools there is a lovely field

full of cows.

I love those cows,

but I'm the only one in my family who gets excited about them.

Not so with toddlers...

they love cows too!

#6 - Squeals of Joy

{picture the field of cows here}
One great thing about toddlers is that you always know

when they're happy.

We have squeals around here too

{think big brothers teasing little sister},

but, in general, they are not squeals of joy!

#5 - Happy Helpers

Toddlers love to help with EVERYTHING

from cooking dinner to unloading the dishes to

"helping" you go to the bathroom.

If you've got toddlers and they're driving you crazy in this regard,

take my advice...

enjoy it -because you're going to miss it!

{Trust me on this one!}

#4 - "Like this?"

When you're teaching a toddler,

you show them what to do and they say,

"Like this?"

And then they do it.

It's so fun.

Don't ask me about how to teach a teenager something.

I haven't figured it out yet.

#3 - Being Called Mommy

To a toddler,

any woman who is taller than them and has children

is their mommy.

It was fun to be called that again.

#2 - Snuggle Time

Those random moments

when they come up and snuggle in your nap

for no apparent reason.

Priceless.

{I could probably get Brad to snuugle in my lap,

but I don't think it would be quite the same.}

#1 - Rocking Someone to Sleep

I did it with all three of my own babies,

and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything in the world.

If you have little ones,

never miss a chance to rock them to sleep.

Time slips by so quickly

and you should take advantage of every minute.

So glad I did.

Thanks, Dave & Kyra, for letting me love your kids for a few days. It meant the world to me.