Knowing them when they are small.

I was talking with my older sister, Tamara, on the phone last night. We were going on and on about the ins and outs of our week, kids, weather, our mom's health, the twilight movie coming out, thankgiving vacation coming up, and on and on. This is pretty typical for us. We usually talk a few times a week. She is my "go to" person for ideas on throwing a good party. She is my sounding board when I want to vent about the stresses of my day because I know she knows all about it because she is raising 4 boys!
But this conversation got a little deeper. I was telling her how fast Layla's first year and a half has been. It seems out of all of my girls, her time as a baby lasted the shortest amount of time. I don't know if it is just because I am more busy or what, but I don't like it!
Tamara started to tell me about a woman who spoke at "Time Out for Women" from our church. The woman talked about how precious our time with our small children is. How as mothers, we should not wish it away, hoping for the next stage to come along, or hoping for it to become easier. We need to cherish each stage and stop and enjoy them because it is such a short amount of their life that they are small. It is a priveledge that we as mothers get to have to know these daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father when they are young, because they will never be little children ever again. In the next life, when our families are together again, we will all be in our "prime state." Which means we will all be adults.
That was sobering to me because as a mother of 3 young children, it is hard for me to imagine them as adults for eternity. They will always be my little girls. But growing up, learning, making choices on their own, living their own lives as adults is just the plan. They will really only be little children for a glimpse of how long they will be adults. What a blessing it is that I get to be the one that God chose to know these 3 little daughters of God from the moment they leave their Heavenly Father and come into this world, all the way until they are grown and return back to their Heavenly Father. It is truly awesome and I am grateful.
So thank you sissy, for teaching me that.    

Layla at 15 month old. Can you believe it? I almost wish it was colder night all year round just so she could wear these footsie pj's all the time. I think they are so dang cute!

Layla giving me a snuggle before bedtime.