Sometimes being around little ones can be absolutely frustrating - there are tons of accidents and just as many 'accidents'. It can be exhausting. But more and more I'm finding that even in those moments that make you want to crawl back in bed and pray for a re-do of the day, there are surprising blessings and joys to be found. So much so that it can make the mess and craziness seem almost joyful.

Ok, so before you throw me in the crazy house, let me show you what I mean.

Yesterday morning wasn't the best start to the day. I woke up with a swollen throat which included other gory details that I will spare you. Blah.Then as I'm pouring milk for the girls breakfast, my less than graceful actions that time in the morning cause me to knock over a FULL cup of milk. All over the floor. In the drawers. Down the cupboard doors. Naturally, I yelled a little, "Oh crap!". (Ok, so maybe it was big and loud...) As I wiped up that mess, I continued to grumble and have a little pity party just for me. Then I heard it. At the table, Piper was quietly eating her oatmeal as all my messy drama was going on. As she brought the spoon to her mouth a little of the oatmeal fell onto the table. "Oh CRACK!", she exclaimed. I couldn't help but start laughing. Suddenly, my negativity disappeared. At least for the moment.

But it wasn't long before the remaining contents of Taitum's bowl landed on the floor. Can you just hear me growling?? As I cleaned that mess up I scolded Taitum. This kind of thing is common for her. She's done eating so the rest must belong on the floor. Piper listened in the background as I told Tait, "No! We do not throw our food on the floor!". Then as I was nearly done cleaning up, she came over close to me. "I sorry, Mama. I made the mess. I tryin' to help Taitum." What was that?! I was taken aback. An apology and confession from my 3 year old? Without any prompting whatsoever? Suddenly, the big ol' sticky mess wasn't such a big deal. Seeing my little girl growing and learning to do the right thing was HUGE!!

And finally, here is my last example (at least from yesterday! Oi!)....

We were outside playing. Piper fell off one of the ride-ons. There was a very scraped knee, some blood and lots of screaming. Screaming that went on and on. Then Taitum started because if sister is crying there must be something to cry about. So there we are, both girls clinging to me and crying their little hearts out and I am losing the battle of trying to coax them back up the street to our house so I can repair the damaged knee. I'm sure if there were any neighbors around they were wondering what I was doing to those poor kids! Finally, I convinced Piper to start limping up the road while I carried Tait and the ride-on. As she walked, some mosquitos flew around her. "Don't eat my blood! Don't eat my blood!", she screamed at them. The whole walk home. Hahaha! See what I mean. There is something to make you smile in every situation. In the end, Piper screamed non-stop for about 45 minutes with Taitum joining in right by her side. I just sat on the couch holding them both, wiping away tears and attepting to avoid being used as a snot rag. Yes, it was loud and a little annoying. But, well, if you could have seen the whole situation, I'm sure you would have saw the comedy in it. And a little grin on my face...

The joy in the chaos.