The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Motherhood is a job.  But don't get me wrong.  It is my favorite job, and I would never willingly choose anything else. But it is a job.  Motherhood comes with more blessings than I will ever be able to count.  There are also things that I could do without.  I realize that my brood, though still very young today, will all grow up.  Aspects of my daily life so common right now will fade away as my children add inches and years to their lives.  Most of it, I will miss.  Some of it, I will not.  Here are a few things that will pass with time...good things, bad things, and down-right ugly things.

The Good
Avery brings me little flowers two or three times a day.  It melts my heart.  Most of the flowers she brings me are too tiny to live in a vase of water, so they wither and fade so fast, it makes my heart hurt.  Luckily for me, I know the next bunch will appear as quickly as she spots them growing.  I will miss this terribly.
Tristan is learning to write, and he loves to draw.  Currently, most of his pictures are of he and I.  I love, love this!  Each time he draws us, our long arms with curly squiggles for hands are around each other.  Our bodies are squares, and I always, always have blue pigtails.  Our faces have wide, wobbly smiles, and our eyes are two circles with a dot in the middle.  He writes his name and "MOM" underneath every picture.  MOM is always is caps, and dot in the "i" in his name is a small circle that touches the straight line.  His "r" and his "n" look like a rainbow and a candy cane, without the lines in front.  I will miss these sweet, wobbly, perfect drawings of he and I with everything I am.
Landon is starting to show glimpses of a thoughtful, mature young man.  The other day I was carrying two backpacks, Sawyer, my purse, and a water bottle.  Landon spotted me, and offered to take Sawyer.  But Sawyer was having a rough time, and wanted me to hold him.  I took him back, and to my surprise, Landon offered to take the backpacks and water bottle so I "didn't have to hold so much".  I cannot tell you how my heart soared.  He is trying so very hard to be mature and responsible.  While it makes me happy beyond explanation to watch him behave like a young man, I realize that he is starting to shed his little boyhood.  Though it is not yet gone, I am missing it already.
Sawyer loves my bare baby belly.  He lifts my shirt and lays on my tummy, rubbing and kissing the "bobby".  So sweet!  And he is still so warm and cuddly after he wakes up.  His head still smells sweet, and his hair is still soft and fine.  His hands are still so tiny.  I love that he grabs my finger when I ask him to "hold hands" and walks right next to me.  Most of his words are still babble and his laughter is still so baby-like and magical.  He waves bye-bye with his whole arm.  He tries to jump, but his feet still can't leave the floor.  He has to turn around and get off the couch backwards.  He rubs his little eyes when he is tired.  Small things make his world go round, like knocking over a pile of blocks, getting to throw things in the garbage outside, going bye-bye, fruit snacks, balls, cheese, pushing the garbage can around the living room, tearing out wet-wipes, unrolling toilet paper, the shower, brushing his teeth, playing outside, Popsicles, and pulling freshly folded laundry off the bed and throwing it on the floor.  How very quickly he will outgrow most of these simple joys and become a little boy.  I am going to rock him and smell his sweet head for as long as I can.

The Bad
Landon zones of TV like no body's business.  If he is watching TV, and I have something to tell him, I have to say it at least three times before he even realizes I am talking to him.  Much to my chagrin, he would be perfectly happy to watch TV or play the wii (or the ipod or the cell phone or the xbox or the gameboy or the computer) all day long!  How I wish he would willingly pick up a book.  The hard part about this habit is that I don't think it is going away any time soon.  Will is 30, and he has similar habits.
Tristan has a talent for making himself invisible when it is time to clean.  He hides out, dawdles, wanders- anything to delay having to actually clean.  The thing I hate the most about this habit is that he is teaching his skills to Avery, and she seems to be taking his tutelage to heart.
Miss Avery is the worst kid when it comes to bedtime, hands down.  She comes out a hundred times every night.  "I need a drink, I need to go potty, I need you to tuck me in, I'm not tired, I don't feel good, someone woke me up...."  When she runs out of her typical excuses, she just comes out and stands in the hallway.  We have tried everything-short of duct taping her hiney to her mattress-and nothing has worked thus far.  I hope, hope, hope that Will and I's insistence that she stay in bed outlasts her stubborn desire to get out.

The Ugly

Someone (who shall remain nameless, to avoid future embarrassment) cannot, or will not (I am not sure which) wipe their bottom very well.  Yucky.  Enough said.
Every day, Landon and Tristan come home from school and take off their shoes.  And every day, inside their shoes, they bring home a little bit of the playground.  I am positive their school is going to call someday and ask for it all back.  I am sick of those little piles of sand on my floor each and every weekday (and it is only the 2nd week of school so far this year).
Avery is always missing at least one mate of every pair of shoes she owns.  I know she has more shoes that I do, but we are lucky to find one matching pair everyday.  Guaranteed, all or part of that same pair will be missing by lunch time.  Sunday morning always starts out with a hunt for Avery's church shoes.  More than once, she has been forced to wear regular shoes to church because we were unable to locate her nice shoes in time.  She doesn't care, but it drive me bonkers!  And while we are talking about Avery and her shoes, she never, ever puts them on the right feet.  I think this is cute though.
Sawyer throws epic fits.  About everything.  The wrong snack, too short of a shower, taking a nap, waking up from a nap, having to wear shoes, wanting to wear shoes, having to get a new diaper, wanting a bottle instead of a sippy, wanting in the high chair for a meal, wanting out as soon as he is done, wanting to feed himself, being frustrated that he is no good at feeding himself, wanting to play with the cell phone, wanting to play with the big kids, repeating the same word over and over and not being understood, thinking the melons at the grocery store are balls and wanting them, having to sit in the cart at Wal-Mart, having to be buckled in the car seat, having to sit still in Sacrament meeting at church, getting in trouble for pushing the buttons on the TV, getting in trouble for climbing on everything, getting in trouble for pulling hair, getting in trouble for dumping out boxes of cereal, not getting to play in the potty, not getting to play in the garage, ect...You get the picture.  Life is decidedly unfair for poor Sawyer.
Avery sneaks food, all. day. long.  When it is time for dinner, she takes two bites, and declares she is full.  Well of course she is.  I would be full too if I had just had crackers, cereal, fruit snacks, a juice box....
Homework.  Landon hates to do it, and I hate to make him. (Especially spelling) 
4:30 PM.  The witching hour.  All four of my kids immediately and with much gusto start to fight, whine, cry, tattle, and make messes.  I don't really love to cook in the first place, but add four whirling dervishes to the mix, and all I want to do is sit in the middle of the mayhem and join in.  Will always walks in the door to much fanfare, and I usually lead the charge.  Yay for backup!

So there you have it.  The good, the bad and the ugly in my life right now.  As crazy as it all can seem, I wouldn't trade it for the world.  And even though I say I won't miss it all, I am sure I will.  (Except the dirty underwear.  That, I am positive, I will not miss.)