the little ones

Kent and I are home alone tonight. 
We just dropped the kids off with my parents,
our flight to Maui leaves early early early tomorrow morning.

It's weird to be home without the little ones.

A few days ago, I pulled out my camera every so often and took pictures,
just of our day.

This life, as a mother, 
is hard.  It's hard and it's glorious.  These little ones need me,
and I need them.

Because, with each bathtime, each mealtime (six or seven times a day it seems!), each tantrum, each time I have to fish a toy out of the toilet, each time they throw their beads all over the floor right after I cleaned up, each time out and each lesson, each walk around the block, each storytime, each underdog on the swings at the park, each time I sit down and deliberately teach them something, each squeezing hug and each slobbery kiss on my cheek,
I'm becoming more of the woman I want to become, the woman my Father in Heaven wants me to become.

It isn't easy. Far from it.  And most days I have moments where I feel like I'm going to go mad with the repetition, the do-a-job-then-do-it-all-over-agains.

But I've been trying, in those moments, to think of a scripture:

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren,
ye have done it unto me."

"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink...

"Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

(Matthew 25: 35, 36, 40)

It's hard to stay frustrated with the tiresome parts of my job when I think about these verses. As I serve them, feed them, clothe them, nurse them, teach them, and refill their cups each time they're "firsty," I'm serving these dear ones and I'm serving my Savior.  How can I resent my work?

These little ones.
I love them so.

And when we come home in a week, I'm going to remind myself to gladly clean up their beads, just so they can dump them all out again in a few minutes.  And then I'll work on teaching them to clean up for themselves, even when they're suddenly "SOOOO tired!"

Because that's what mommies do.