Life with 3!! Ever changing. Ever the same. While it’s a rollercoaster, it’s a rollercoaster I love and I couldn’t imagine anything different.
The transition from 2-3 kids immediately out the gate was Rude (ha). I’ll just air that out right now. I was in tears for what felt like months and grasping for a light at the end of the tunnel that seemed to just inch away. I finally came up for air when Jack started sleeping through the night at 4 months and then I felt everything shift. I can do this! This isn’t so hard!
While things have gotten easier, the chaos remains. But it’s different! There’s always something going on whether it’s potty training, a baby on the verge of crawling, or a curious 4 year old with a million questions about how everything works. I’ve been exasperated at the endless mess and the constant noise but then I remind myself that this is all temporary. The mess is a sign of a busy and happy family. One day everyone will be grown up and the house will be quiet and I will miss that herd of little people laughing.
Just a little shift in perspective & moment for gratitude does wonders for my soul.
Do you have a safe space in your home? Like a place where you feel most at ease? Our playroom is that safe place for me. It’s where everyone is contained and all the creative magic happens. It’s where we read books and build forts and create “fire stations” with duplos and blocks. It’s where we dress in costume and visit the North Pole. It’s where we create towers and roads and Thanksgiving feasts and bat toys on our playmat. It’s where mama can shut her eyes and sprawl out on the floor and hear and be near everyone. It’s our happy place.
With the holidays just around the corner, having Christmas-themed pajama parties makes everything all the more exciting. We even have a miniature Christmas tree that the kids are excited to make ornaments for. Charlie likes to fill pillowcases with toys as his Santa pack and McKenna loves copying everything Charlie does. Jack is happy to lay in the middle of everything and be a quiet participant. Although you can see from these photos, he is sometimes unsure of his comfort with that role.
Is it weird to be enormously happy but also always have that underlying anxiety about everything? To feel like a balloon that can deflate easily but be re-inflated just as quick? One day I feel underwater and the next on top of the world. My range of emotions is vast but overall, I feel such a deep sense of well-being. That I’m where I was always meant to be. I guess I’m speaking the complexities of motherhood in all it’s glory. Chaotic. Beautiful. Messy. Sweet.
I look at these photos and they make me smile. Because those complexities are so clear here. I can see in our expressions the chaos and noise. I can see the silliness and laughter. But most importantly, I can also see the happiness & FUN.
We are all wearing Burt’s Bee’s Jammies and they are so comfortable and cozy. We also LOVE Hanna Andersson. Cozying up in Christmas pajamas is one of our favorite Holiday Traditions. You can see prior years here & here.
Jinjer says
omgggggg how cute are they??????