Being a mom has to be the coolest thing ever. I won’t sugar coat it, though. Layla Grace definitely drives me bonkers sometimes and I want to pull out my hair, or just take a nap alone for a long time, or yell really loud until the crazy feeling leaves me. Sometimes, on those very insane days, a combination of two or all of those would work too. I don’t think I’ve done any of those things since being a mother, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get tempted.

But the joys of having a child are just boundless. Seriously. Even when she does something she knows she is absolutely not allowed to do, sometimes she turns around looks me square in the face and does this little “Mom, I know I wasn’t supposed to do that, but can you really discipline someone this stinking cute?” face with her little smile, and if I don’t immediately turn away, I will bust out laughing and then she knows I’m wrapped around her fat little fingers. Goodness, she’s so rotten.

Yesterday, I left her at my parents’ house for a few hours so I could do some laundry and the dishes without interruption. Well our fantastic dryer doesn’t stop on its own, so when I washed her clothes, I couldn’t let them dry when I left the house because I didn’t know how long I would be gone and I didn’t want to come back to the house being on fire. Of course when we get home, Layla just happens to pass the washing machine and saw her blanket through the transparent door.

At this point she had a complete meltdown. She stood there and cried her heart out while pointing at her blanket which was still locked in the washer. It was such a sad sight (and sound) but I couldn’t just give her a wet blanket. So I stuck it in the dryer, got Layla out of the dryer as she climbed in after the blanket and started it up. I don’t think it was two minutes before that blanket was out of there and in her arms. Thankfully, its a fleece blanket, so it wasn’t soaked or anything.

I don’t even know where this blanket obsession came from. Thankfully we can leave the house without it, but when she’s here, the blanket is always in her sight. I guess we all have our little quirks.

There are days when I get so little done around the house that I don’t do a single thing for the shop. And when I’m glancing at my To Do list seeing that nothing is checked off, I get irritated. But as I sit down on the couch or lay in bed with Justin, I just think about how much I am in love with Layla (and Justin, but I happen to be talking about Layla at the moment). I think about how blessed my life is- to have a husband who loves me and provides for us, to have the sweetest little baby ever, to have my family so close by…. I get so overwhelmed and I find myself sneaking into Layla’s room and leaning into her crib and kissing her and just keeping my hand on her and feeling her breathe and thanking God with everything in me for her and for everything else I have that I don’t come close to deserving.

If you are at the end of your day, and you are finding that you have accomplished very little of what you had intended, just remember in the long run, when you are a little old lady (or man) those things you did or didn’t get done won’t really matter. What will matter is what you’ve done for those you love and for those who love you. Business comes and goes. Hobbies come and go. Interests change. But your stuck with your family. Enjoy that. Treasure them.

Be sure to kiss the one(s) you love before you go to bed tonight.

xo, Meredith