Where did the babies go?

In this journey of raising twins, it's been a crazy, hectic ride!  It seems like just yesterday I could hold them both in my lap at the same time, and now we squeeze into the chair together!  In the blink of an eye, they are growing up and developing their own personalities, likes and dislikes.  Even though there are still some sleepless nights, meltdowns, temper tantrums, and fights to break up, I miss those times when they were so little!

I miss the way they could just fall asleep on me for a nap!  Now I can barely get them to sit still long enough to watch one cartoon.  This time goes so fast, and I can't stress enough how to cherish it!  I feel like I haven't just stopped and done that as much as I should, because, let's face it, life gets in the way.  The dishes need to be done, dinner needs to be made, and so on.  

There are times where I feel like I'm not doing such a great job as a mom.  These are hard moments, and we are our worst critics.  The big thing is, don't compare yourself to other moms, it's just not worth it.  If you are out with your kids and feeling frantic, breaking up fights or telling them to lower their voices, and  you look over and there's another mom with kids that are so well behaved, it's hard not to do just that.  You never know what their struggles may be.  Always keep that in mind!

I was having one of those days last week when I took my girls to VPK.  It was like pulling teeth to get them in the car, I had to get to work, they weren't listening, and I was just so OVER it!  I hate to yell, and I feel like I jump to that so fast, so raising my voice doesn't work AT ALL!!  Hahaha!  (Lesson learned, point to the girls!)   By the time I got them to school and got to work, I just had to take a huge breath and move on with my day.  I was feeling sad about that baby stage where mommy is everything and they wanted to listen to me.  If only they could stay that way!!  

I got to their school to pick them up and it was like they were new children!  They both ran up to me with huge grins and hugs.  They told me they were so happy to see me and how much they missed me!  It was like they didn't remember how we weren't that happy with each other this morning.  This made it all worth it!  I mean, it was like having those little babies back!  Even it was just for a few minutes, I stopped and just hugged them and enjoyed it!  

As they get older, it can be sad to know that those baby times are gone, but moments like this will remind you that no matter what, you will always be their mommy, and they will always be your babies!  Hug them a little tighter, and take the time to just live in the moment, even if it's just a couple times a day!  They won't remember the time outs or the frustrations, all they will remember is that extra long squeeze, and that mommy was there for them.  You're doing great, Mom, YOU are doing GREAT!!!!