Memories

As we were driving in the car recently, Emmee and I started talking about how fun it would be to go back in time, or to just pick a day here or there to relive.  Then we took it a step further and decided the ideal scenario would be to be able to take one family member at a time and just relive a day with them being a certain age.  We talked about how fun it would be to have a 3-year-old Spencer for a day, with his little raspy voice, his funny songs he sang (with actions), his short temper that wasn't as funny then but is hilarious to look back on now...
We talked about how fun it would be to have brand-new baby Chase again, fresh from heaven, and to snuggle and cuddle him for hours on end.  I can think of moments and stages with each of my kiddos that I would love to do all over again.  But, sadly, those moments are behind us now, and we only have the present and the future to live.  Except in our memories.
I look at the young moms around me--so sweet with their little ones, enjoying the precious moments and making the most of them.  I also think about the exhaustion that comes with all of it--the sleepless nights followed by days with high-energy toddlers and older ones who have places to go and things to do, and needing rides to all of them.  The work can be taxing and relentless, even for the best of moms.
But as I look back now, I wish I had written down more of the "everyday" events.  I recorded the funny things the kids said, the cute things they did, the sweet moments that got me through the smushed Cheerios and diaper blowouts.  I just wish I could look back and remember a "typical" day--what did I do first-thing in the morning when Spencer was a baby?  Did I ever get up on my own, without kids coming and climbing in my bed?  How had things changed by the time a couple more kids came along?  What DID I do all day, all those days when I looked back at the day and could see nothing that had really been accomplished, yet I knew the only times I had sat down were to feed the baby?  I wish I had written down "a day in the life..." a few times over the years.
So to you moms who are still "in the trenches," doing your best to survive each day with the little-littles, I'll offer my recommendation:  Take a few minutes after the kids are in bed one night and just jot down a few of the things that seem so "everyday" to you right now--what time you got up, how many diaper changes you did that day, how many times you attempted to load the dishwasher, how many times the baby climbed in the dishwasher as you tried to load it, how many times they pulled everything off a shelf or out of a cupboard, how long their naps lasted, what routines were involved in getting them to nap...
Sadly, I know from experience that one day soon you'll blink and find that your kids have somehow grown up overnight.  You'll want to remember what it was like when they were little--even the mundane details.
If you have a 3-year-old, write down a few of his sentences, word-for-word.  Spell the words just like he says them.  If you have a one-year-old, write down the details of her smile, how she looks when she sleeps... the things you're so used to now, that will be hard to remember in just a few short years.  Pictures are great, but record the thoughts you have that go with them.
Maybe one day we'll find out that that's what heaven is--chances to go back and pick and choose a few of our favorite days and moments to live over and over again.  I doubt it, though.  I believe that eternity will continue to move forward, and we'll all continue to progress on our journey, with sweet memories of the past to hold in our hearts forever.
They'll just be easier to hold onto and recall if we've taken a moment to write them down.