The Boys...

wear me out... challenge me...are hysterical...are best friends...are the loves of my life...are sometimes a nightmare...love their daddy and each other with all their hearts...love to play outside...seem to enjoy destroying my house...are wildly spinning tornados of energy that somedays suck the life right out of me...worship their Uncle Craig...love babysitters...think their cousin Brookie is "so cute"...can turn any moment into dance party USA...have smiles that can melt your heart...have trouble sharing...think that bath time is the best time of the day...are very emotional (ben) and prone to tantrums (joe)...make me want, need, hope, yearn, pray to be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, christian, human being...love me even though I fail miserably. This time of year is always rough for me. I really struggle to find balance in my life and do justice to all the different responsibilities I have. In my quest to "do it all" I fear the only thing I succeed at is doing nothing well and being overwhelmed and irritable. I am not pleasant to be around and I admit to far too often taking my frustrations out on my little buddies. My patience is at an all time low...which is rough timing concidering the days are long and there is little respite from the chaos of our days in the summer. My prayer is like a broken record..."please Lord, please give me patience today to tackle all that is thrown my way and help the boys know that I love them and forgive me when I snap at them...and if you could throw some extra time my way that would be great as well!" I know that my struggles are no different than those of any mother, but I yearn to be one of those women who just make it look so easy and seem to have it all together...or I yearn to hit them with a wiffle ball bat. I really want my boys to remember me some day as the woman who loved them more than words and treated them with kindness, respect, unwavering love, and encouragement, and not the cranky, snappy, fiesty, nasty wench they are around far too often. In the wise words of Kathy Hammel "only you can make yourself have a bad day." So, today, I am going to take a deep breath, say my prayer for patience, and go greet the day. I know the day will be long, but hopefully the memories we make will be sweet, and we can hold on to the good stuff and get rid of the junk.