A little Sunday Morning for you...

For the past few weeks every Sunday morning, I have slipped out of the house early in the morning in an attempt to take a few photographs. The sunrise provides a gorgeous backdrop. I like to just sit in the van, watch the changing patterns in the sky, and just listen. To nothing.

It is So quiet.

Then I come home.

And it is all down hill from there.

The Sunday rush begins and it basically ends only once we get home from church and not a second sooner.  But it really doesn't bother me because this is normal for parents our age, right?

Not a Sunday passes without some wonderful elderly man or woman stopping me in the hallway and telling me to "enjoy these days- because the kids grow up too fast."     This person almost always has a smile on their face when they counsel me, and I know, I KNOW the smile is really because they are just happy to not be in my shoes anymore.

But still, I do try to take their advice.   I try to remember to enjoy this phase of life.     I try to remember it as Jess is laying under the bench in Sacrament meeting chanting, "I don't love you mommy..." over and over again loud enough for anyone within a 3 bench radius to hear.   I try to remember that counsel as Sam fights to remove his shoes...and socks... and hangs up side down off the bench trying to raise his feet as high as possible.    I try to remember that as Abby attempts for the umpteenth time to spread her long 6 year old body across the entire family because she's oh so tired.   I TRY to remember that advice to "enjoy this time" as I look to John and give him that "I could use your help" look only to see that he is SLEEPING.

Yes John sleeps at church! He's so sneaky though, as he usually pretends to be examining Nate's tiny toes or something - only his eyes are closed.  When John is really tired he opens up his scriptures or a song book so that it looks like he's hunched over them reading- only he's NOT.  He's SLEEPING!  This week I made him take the baby out into the hall - just so I could purposely interrupt his nap time. 

John's naptime that is - not Nates:)

I try to remember that man or womans advice each week as I force myself to calmly smile and do my best to keep the chaos BELOW the bench where fewer people will see.

Every Sunday I try to enjoy this phase in life, and you know what - I really do believe that John and I will one day look back at these days - these Sacrament Meetings with our little ones - and wish for them back.  

One day.

But for right now- what I'm enjoying, is the peaceful half hour before that all begins!