Grass Games and a Little Perspective

With the new house under construction and a husband who is absent all but the wee hours of the morning until he heads to his day job, things are a bit of a challenge. Of course, things are a bit of a challenge at this stage no matter the circumstances.

For instance, the day of Nana's funeral, after a three hour drive and two hours of sitting in the funeral home during the visitation, the boys had DEFINITELY used up ALL of their sit still and be quiet time. By the time the funeral finally arrived, you can guess who had to leave with one crying and the other saying very loudly, "I NEED to go potty Mama. I REALLY NEED to go potty."

Yes indeed it is days like that that make me wonder why I even think about having more children. And then, the moment passes and I get a little perspective and wonder why I expected any other kind of behavior. It was an impossible situation for a two and three year old, not to mention many of the teenagers present. They weren't being bad. They were being boys. And, I must say, in retrospect, they really weren't that bad.

And then, there comes a day like today. I was cooking dinner when they ran in the kitchen and begged to go outside to play.

I was reluctant at first, since I can't see them from my kitchen. Then I rethought it. I can check on them and hear them. They're asking, in fact begging, to get out of the way. Yes indeed, outside they went.
It proved to be a timing challenge to check on them every three minutes while cooking, but the peace in the kitchen was surreal. Well, the peace for the one of the three minutes I wasn't checking on them and the other minute when they were running in with requests for help or special “floral” deliveries.

At one point I heard what I thought was screaming and ran outside to check. What I found was two boys happily playing together and squealing and laughing hysterically at one another. They were pulling up handfuls of grass (look closely in those pictures), throwing it in the air and then falling to the ground.

Oh the simple pleasures of childhood - the fun in just being boys. This is where they belong. They were in their element. They were the picture of two best buddies having the time of their little lives.

So snap away I did, with the hope that the family might see that they really are not so bad. Mostly though, I did it to remind myself that they are little boys. They are not perfect. They are not quiet. They are not clean. They are healthy. They are energetic. They are loud. They are fun. They are mine. And oh...do I love them so!