Changing Mommy

I was blessed as a mom to be given boys.  Two of them; Full of energy, and a passion for dirt, with hearts full of love for animals, messiness, and their mommy.  I'm at the turning point of motherhood now as my boys head out of their baby stages and into full on boyhood.  My youngest will be turning 4 in less than a month and over the past few weeks I have been weeding out toys and baby gear I will no longer need, because frankly I would rather be driven around town naked tied to the back of a pick up, then have a third child.

Not that I don't love the two I have.  I do, more than anything else in this world, but I have my limits.  There are people who can have 3,4, and many more children and are fine with it.  I would not be.  Sure I could deal, because I'd have to, but it is not something I will set out to do.  Between me and my husband there are two of us and two of them.  Makes perfect sense to me.  Any more and we would be outnumbered and no one wants that...

I take parenting very seriously, and the way I see it the more children I have, the less time and money there would be for each one.  My oldest is six and is now in kindergarten.  With school comes the opportunity for kids to participate in sports & other activities.  My son does all of them.  T-Ball, Wrestling, Cub Scouts, and this fall he will be playing Flag Football.  With each sport comes money spent.  Registration, shoes, headgear, team snacks, coach gifts and gas to go to practices and games.  We only have one to worry about for the time being but when my little guy is old enough it will be double everything.  I have friends who have 4 kids, and they have to pick and choose what their kids can do because of not only money, but the inability to be at four places at once.  With just my two I always have the comfort of knowing that even when my little guy is playing sports and it coincides with something his brother is doing, that one of his parents will always be there.  Plus I'm just greedy with my free time.  I grew up an only child and I relish in my alone time.  More kids = less time for me.  Michelle Duggar I am not.

19 Kids... Not for me.

I made the choice to be a stay at home mom when I was pregnant with my second son.  I was a preschool teacher for 5 years and worked in both the toddler, and infant rooms prior to that.  I was more prepared then most when becoming a parent and my employment experiences served me well, but there is just nothing like being in the trenches morning, noon, and night to test your sanity.  It really didn't hit me until the younger one was about 13 months, when I realized this would not be all fun and games.  As soon as the baby was no longer able to be kept down by an infant carrier, pack and play, or swing, it was all over. 

My baby's have gone from this...

To this, seemingly overnight

They're crazy, have limitless energy, eat more than a small army, and make irrational choices on a daily basis, but I wouldn't change a thing.  They still love to cuddle and get covered in kisses and there's something to be said about having two mama's boys who think no matter what, that you are the most beautiful woman in the world.  I truly am blessed.