The Days Are Long But the Years Are Short

Kristi has this quote on her blog.  I have always loved it, but it has never meant as much to me as it does right now.  In fact I keep this quote very close to the forefront of my mind and close to my heart throughout my day and night.

The days are long.....

It is so easy to get bogged down in the day to day work of being a mommy to a very little one and a slightly bigger one.  Regular feedings.  Strict schedules.  Waking in the middle of the night.  Changing diapers. Him crying and not being able to tell me what the problem is. Feeling limited in what I can do.  Feeling pulled in three different directions.  Working hard to ignore my wants in order to meet the needs of those dependent on me. 

It is so easy to feel like I will be living in these days forever- especially at 2:48 in the morning when I just want to sleep and Ian justs wants someone to look at.. 

... but the years are short.

And then I look at Addie and see how quickly three and a half years have gone by.  She now eats on our schedule.  The only times we try to adhere to are nap time and bed time.  She has slept through the night for the longest.  We have been potty trained for almost a year now. Communication with her is a blast!  She is game for whatever we want to do with her.  She is pretty self- sufficient and can play on her own.

I don't even remember when she grew up, when she didn't need as much from us as she once did.  Brian and I often find ourselves saying, "How time flies!" or "Was she ever as small as Ian?" as we look at her next to her little brother, or as she marches into her Awana class, or talks to us about everything she said and did in Sunday school. 

Very soon, I'll look at Ian and forget about the tired days and night feedings, the diapers and feeding schedules.  Instead I''l be saying, "How time flies!" as Brian and I watch him playing with his big sister, talking at the table with us, doing school time with him, and I'll wish for these days all over again.