I was tucking my daughter into bed (she's 13 and she still lets me do that!) She had some little craft supplies on the floor. She's been a crafty girl since she was little, making cute little creations out of nothing but junk. I'm not very good at decorating or putting nice touches around the house, so she would make a centerpiece for the table out of pipe cleaners, toothpicks and sparkly glue. It always turned out! She was digging through the craft box as I told her not to stay up too late.

The next morning she came into the kitchen while I was growling at the coffee maker and she handed me a heart made out of foam with a picture glued to it of me holding her when she was about a year old maybe. PRECIOUS! It made my day! I told her I wasn't grouchy anymore. I glued a magnet to the back and put it on my fridge. When I looked at the picture again I realized I was grouchy because my kids are growing up too fast. When I was a young mom and had more kids than I had hands, the older mom's would say something like, "enjoy it now,they grow up fast." I would give them my evil stare because the word "fast" was not coming to mind as I was changing diapers, cleaning up messes, retreiving children from the busy parking lot and the 300,000 other things new moms have to do without a guide book. Now I find myself looking at young frustrated moms trying to hold twelve things with five fingers while a child drags on the floor holding her leg and I want to say, "enjoy it now, it goes so fast!" Then I look at her tired face and decide against it. Alot of young women are into martial arts now. I just say a little prayer that she'll learn to appreciate the time she has with her kids.

When I put the heart picture on my fridge, Andy started complaining that Jenna was my favorite. I didn't say anything because he knows that Jenna is my favorite daughter and he's my favorite oldest son and that I don't take the time we have for granted. I'm enjoying them right now.