My three kids!

Wow! Since my last post (forever-ago) I have given birth to my third child. What a wonderful experience the birth was. I'll have to write about that sometime. But for now I just want to write down something that has been on my mind lately, as a mom of three. I love my kids and I have a lot of fun with them but I don't usually have time to think much about my reactions to their messes or behaviors until they're in bed and I have peace and quiet. My point is, I think I am hard on them for little things and feel bad about the way I react or discipline but not until later. Each night when I kneel to pray I ask for forgiveness for the way I treated my kids and I ask for help with my patience to be kinder and gentler to my wonderful kids. I have a hard time remembering they are just kids and they don't think like adults, at all! I love having my oldest in school, even if it is only for a few hours a day!! I love being able to spend time with my middle child and give her some one-on-one attention that is much needed! My baby is now 4 months-old and he doesn't nap very well during the day which makes it very hard for me to get ANYTHING done. Some people give the advice to let your baby cry to sleep or don't pick up your baby right away when they're crying, but I feel that it makes you desensitized to their needs, for goodness sake they can't talk, so crying is how they communicate. I feel like if I ignore my baby when he cries it's sending the message to him that he's not important. Anyway, So, that may be where a lot of my stress is coming from... not getting anything done because I am holding my baby and helping my two other kids all day long. When all is said and done, I rather be holding my baby and playing with my kids than cleaning my house or paying the bills anyway! That's not to say that I don't look forward to the day when my kids are a little more self-sufficient and I can have time to have a clean house. But, for now I guess I should just enjoy every moment with my kids. They'll grow up so fast!!

Things I am thankful for...

My husband, my kids, my savior, my husband's friendship, food, friends and family, cars, free agency, freedom, our armed forces, good health, the Phoenix weather...