Several mornings ago Rylie was ready for school early. If you're ready for school early, you get to watch cartoons; that's the deal. Unfortunately Rylie has discovered Pokemon on Netflix. She's been ready early every morning since this finding. Not only is Pokemon terribly annoying, it's been a part of our household for around ten years now. And just in case we missed out on any shows, Netflix has a library of them (There are 17 seasons). -As the song goes...... "Gotta catch 'em all". Hayden was given some Pokemon trading cards when he was about seven. The spirit of the "Pocket Monsters" has possessed our household ever since. Pokemon isn't the only irritating thing in this house. I started a list yesterday. Here are a few things that drive me crazy that I'm somehow sure I'll miss someday.

Missing cosmetics and other personal items-Hallie is already starting to borrow my scarves, my shoes, and my makeup. That's fine. But she doesn't return most of the items she borrows. And when she does, she doesn't put it back where or how it belongs. For instance, the powder she borrowed was put in the drawer with the lid not screwed on.

Tying shoes- There's no telling how many laces I've tied. Even after you teach your children to tie their shoes, 1. They usually don't. (They're completely content to walk round hazardously with laces flopping). 2. They tie their shoes, but in a way that loose loops dangle so that the laces still present a tripping hazard. They've needed me for years to keep them from falling. I'm already starting to realize that my days from preventing falls are waning.

Stacks of worksheets- I've disposed of a tree's worth of papers; papers with circled nouns and words scrawled in ABC order, papers with long division, and papers with red "x's". Those papers, to an extent, have been my guide. They tell how me how my kids are faring.  And I like to know that. They show me what they're learning. I'm afraid there will be a time when reports are fewer and farther between.

Awkward selfies- I'm not fond of selfies. I've yet to see an attractive selfie. They're taken from an awkward position and make people do a weird arching thing with their eyebrows. However those selfies are taken in such close range that they preserve funny images I'm almost sure I'm going to miss.

Mismatched socks

Are we there yet? 

Empty milk jugs in the fridge- And Hayden's Captain Caveman yell when he opens the fridge to find there's no milk;  only the empty jug he left there.

Trimming fingernails on chubby fingers-A perfect invitation to hold their little hands. I'm on my last set of hands.

Hurried Sunday mornings

Morning hair fixing-Brushing thick heads of hair. We've all blessed heads of hair in the Burden family. It's usually a long ordeal with squealing but it's one of the few tasks done close enough to catch their kid scent and I'm usually in the position to steal a quick peck on the cheek (whether they like it or not).

Our intercom system (when shouting fails) -The kids' bedrooms are upstairs. The girls still usually respond to my shouting their names. Hayden though, typically has me drowned out by earphones. But I've found that pounding on the wall works. He must feel some sort of vibration that lets him know I need to see him. He doesn't always answer his phone. Other times he doesn't know where his phone is. But when he's home in his room, pounding on the wall always brings him to me.

Heavy feet bounding down the stairs- Another sign they're home

Doctor appointments We really enjoy the doctors we have in this area. But like most doctor appointments, we find ourselves waiting and waiting to see the doctor. It's time spent together. I wonder how many times I've read "Green Eggs and Ham" through years of appointments with three kids?

Being leaned on during church- Hayden was the worst. Hallie, our feral cat-natured kid, seldom seeks physical affection. For Rylie, "big church" experience starts next year. I'm going to let her lean on me. And I'm going to try my darndest not to say a word. Church members told me to enjoy it when they'd see Hayden with his arm around me, leaning over.  I so appreciate their reminder to enjoy it.  Sadly, the good advice was at the end of the "Hayden Leaning Era".

Writing lunch notes

Ruts on the edge of the yard- We'll never have a nicely manicured yard, but our yard is made yet less unattractive by ruts on the yard's edge. The ruts are signature of a certain teenager's daily bad parking. Someday the grass will erase them.

Buying the mile long list of school supplies

Outrageous Christmas lists-The list of crazy requests have included a gold tooth, a Life Alert necklace and a taxi cab, to mention a few. I suspect there will be days soon when they don't need a thing from me.

Messy rooms

Toys left in the backyard

Wiggly teeth

....And the list goes on

I can hear Trace Adkins crooning:

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Don't you see that children are God's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents…. Psalm 127:3 (The Message)

 

What messy memories are you thankful for?