Little kids

I have four kids.  They were all born within 2 and 3 years of each other so I found myself with four kids the oldest 6 and the youngest a newborn- almost six short years ago.  It was hectic and chaotic and many a day when my dear hubby came home from work I was ready to walk out the door for a trip to the store and just a few minutes of quiet to restore my sanity. 

It's amazing how much life changes in those six years.  My oldest is now 12, my youngest is almost 6.  The oldest was at that time just starting 1st grade and I was getting used to having him gone to school all day long.  Now I'm treasuring the last few months I have of my youngest still being home for 1/2 a day while the older kids are at school.  I have much more quiet time to reflect and recharge for the still chaotic and hectic afternoons after the kids come home and the even more crazy push in the morning to get to school on time.

I'm babysitting some friends kids today.  Two sweet little kids- one boy and one girl, and I'm remembering what it was like when my two oldest were that age.  We played trains, and played with the little people and cars.  Had a handful of crackers for a snack that lasted the whole morning (instead of a box that is gone in minutes now).  A train show on the tv brought squeals of laughter and glee and exclamations of surprise and happiness.

I need these days of playing with little ones again to remind me of the happiness of those days, and still remember the craziness and how hard it was.  I don't want to forget how hard it was.  By remembering that I'm much better at stepping in and trying to help out those friends of mine that are in that stage right now.