Food for Thought

Tonight we hit all the major food groups for supper. Butter, chicken and assorted veggies. The food pyramid was on our table. I made chicken pot pie and everything from the chicken stock to the crust was completely homemade. Homemade pie crust has two sticks of butter in case you were wondering where that food group was on our plate. Two golden, delightful sticks of creamy butter.

My kids gobbled their supper. I remarked that they must be growing and Jacob stood up to flex his muscles to show me just how much. Then Kaylen had to stand up too, almost fell off her chair and I quickly settled everyone back into their seats before disaster could strike. New rule, no flexing at the table! 

They sure are growing. As my sweet boy stood in his muscle man pose, I was so glad to see that his arms are still the softly rounded baby arms, his wrists still chubby, his hands and fingers still puffy baby hands,  all dimples and dirt. But it won't be long before he thins out, loses the softness and turns into a sturdy boy. Oh, how I shall miss my baby. 

Marlee herself is approaching milestones too. She is so close to crawling, has been for weeks and doesn't even know it. I bet if I put a donut on the ground she'd figure it out tomorrow. I am amazed that I am already feeding her tiny bits of chicken, whole pancakes, carrots and apples to gnaw on. It can't be true that in less than a week she will be nine months old. My sweet baby, stay little for just a bit longer! Mama needs a little more time.

Kaylen took a step forward this week too. After two failed attempts, she is completely potty trained! I am so proud of my tiny girl! Potty training is among the worst of all mothering tasks. It's one thing I don't think I will miss. It's three grueling days of making Kaylen drink and watching her relentlessly between trips to the bathroom. But at the end, we emerge victorious, a family with only one in diapers once again. Thank goodness. 

The days of this week have just crawled by, mind-numbingly boring at times. I even scrubbed down our kitchen chairs, something that hasn't been thoroughly done in four years. I also used a rag and cleaning spray under my tv cabinet. Haven't done that before either. I was so bored. So was Jacob. Kaylen too, probably but she didn't actually use those words. But I also spent a lot of time doing puzzles, coloring, playing baseball with Jacob, laughing with Marlee, dancing with Kaylen, being with them in every sense, not just being present.

The days, they seem so long sometimes, but the years sure are short.