Unexpected moments...

It was one of those nights. A night where bedtime had come and gone and the kids were tirelessly running circles in the kitchen - still loaded with sugar from our half attempt at a family movie day. A night when dirty dishes were still piled up in the sink, toys scattered on the floor and Josh's work clothes sitting wet in a laundry basket - waiting to be lugged out to the freezing cold garage to be dried. (Yes, we are STILL waiting for the appliance guy to come back out with the new parts to fix our 9-month-old-still-under-warranty-fancy-schmancy-dryer, and have been relying on a used one that Josh picked up in the meantime. Keep in mind it is currently snowing outside and we have to leave the garage door cracked for the dryer vent - which means if the clothes don't get dried all the way, they like to freeze and stick to the door. Fun times.) And as much as I love my darling children, it was also one of those nights when Mommy was looking for to some much needed down time.

It was 10pm before I was finally able to get the kids settled down enough to get their jammies on, teeth brushed, diapers changed and potty run accomplished. Jadyn is my superstar sleeper - so I put her down first. Then I sat with Kaylee for our nightly ritual of practicing her helper words and reading books. Just as we were finishing up and I was trying to talk Kaylee in to actually staying her bed (I could tell she was no where near ready to fall asleep), I heard some whimpers one door down. 2 minutes later these whimpers turned into full-on screams. I took a deep breath. Yep, it was going to be a long night. And for a moment, I wished to myself that I was one of those BabyWise moms who could guiltlessly sit one room away while their child cried and self-soothed themselves back to sleep. Trust me, I get the theory behind it, but there seems to be something hardwired in me that finds it impossible to go more than 3 minutes without rescuing my crying child. No matter how hard I try or how old they get. So I make some last threats to Kaylee about going to bed, gave her one last kiss and head to Jadyn's room.

I found her standing in her crib, blanket in hand, reaching for me over the rails. "Mommy I want out!" And so the negotiating began. "Would you like me to get you Baby Snow White to sleep with?" "No! I want OUT!" "How about doggy? Some milk? Another blanket?" Still the same reply. And the tantrum was getting stronger. (Sigh) Okay, time to weigh my options. Josh was asleep and working in Twin Falls tomorrow so I couldn't take her to bed with me. I could bring her out in the living room to lay on the couch... but this would inevitably end up with just a battle to stay lying down and heaven knows this would just mean her older sister would insist on joining her. Then I looked over at the rocking chair in the corner. Admittedly, it has gotten much use since Kaylee was a baby. Jadyn has never been a snuggler and always seemed to prefer going to sleep on her own, so I can probably count the number of times that we have sat in that chair together. But it was a worth a try. So, I scooped her up out of her crib and laid her across my lap - smiling just a little and how her legs dangled off the edge and how I had to position her just right to fit around my rather large belly.

Brushing her hair back out of her face, I started telling her stories of "Princess Jadyn" and her magical adventure of meeting a very nice little dragon who took her flying up in the sky and to an enchanted kingdom where she met a handsome prince (my girls always insist on there being a prince in the stories) who took her to a special ball where they danced and fell in love and lived happily ever after. As I spoke, my little princess looked up and me with tender eyes and a soft smile. She snuggled into me more and put her hand in mine, squeezing it just a little. And so we sat there together, rocking back and forth, singing "Amazing Grace" and "Hush Little Baby," until she couldn't keep her little eyes open anymore and finally fell asleep.

As I lay there with my sleeping little angel, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty that I don't cherish these moments enough. There are so many days when I am just going through the motions - pouring bowls of cereal, giving baths, making PBJ sandwiches, changing diapers, taxiing from one activity to the next, putting away toys, reading stories, brushing teeth, putting on jammies... someday these little moments are going to be what I'll miss the most. And so, I'm vowing to myself to try a little harder, to take time to enjoy these little things... to appreciate just how little my girls are.

And maybe, spend a little more time in the rocking chair.