Seasons

As I sit here watching my daughter coloring at the table and listening for Ethan to wake up from his nap I am struck by how different life is as compared to a few months ago. As the kids get older they become less and less dependent on me. While both are still in diapers and I still have to make all their meals, they are becoming more and more independent. Gianna can dress herself and put her shoes on the right feet. She can go into her drawer and pull out her pajamas at bedtime and loves to go into her own room and play with her toys. By herself. Ethan while still  needy is becoming less so. He can go and play by himself, no longer cries when I drop him off at the nursery at church and is well into toddlerhood. Both can express their wants and needs, Ethan by babbling and pointing and Gianna by communicating effectively.
A trip to the grocery store no longer gives me anxiety. When we go to the park both kids can run off and play. I no longer have to lug around a diaper bag full of bottles, sippy cups, formula, diapers, changes of clothing, nursing covers, snacks, toys and pacifiers. Now I'm fine throwing a pair of diapers in my bag along with their sippys and call it a day. Our family vacation this year will truly be enjoyable. Our days won't be dictated by multiple nap times and we won't have to split up, each taking one kid while we walked the beach or hung out by the pool. Ethan won't always be strapped into his stroller while Gianna goes to do something, instead he will be able to join her as we watch and interact with them equally. Trips to the beach will also be more enjoyable as we won't have to bring a portable bouncer and try to occupy a baby while his sister plays in the sand.
While it makes me sad to realize we no longer have 2 kids under 2 I am truly loving this season we are in. As the kids get more and more independent things are getting easier and easier. Interacting with them is so fun and the things they do and say are hysterical.
That said it's crazy how fast time goes by. In a few months both kids will be in preschool and after that regular school. Time with them will be limited to after school and the weekends. I hope my kids will always value the time spent together as a family and that when they look back on their childhood they remember one of love and family. I also hope that time slows down for I am not ready for them to be in school all day and away from me! I plan on cherishing every moment of this current season we are in instead of rushing to get to the next stage as I was prone to do during their babyhood. My goal for this season is to be more intentional with my kids. To savor long walks with the kids instead of worrying about laundry. To get on the floor and play for hours instead of getting up to clean and to just relish all of my time with them