Having Three

A friend of mine who recently had her third child started a blog called "Blissfully Chaotic". Loved the title and realized it's so darn true. She gets props because her kids are younger than mine, but let me tell you--having three kids 5 and under is definitely blissfully chaotic. I don't know how many times I've looked at Jason and said "we should have stuck with dogs". Our house can get so insanely loud that I just want to run and hide in a cave (and I'm not too fond of caves). It takes me an hour to get us all ready to go to the pool. I dread the times when I'm alone in a doctor's office with three kids to entertain. There have been a few occasions when I have two boys and a baby girl crying at the same time (two crying at once is common). My children have been told numerous times that their mother only has two hands. Many days, I'm exhausted at the end but didn't get anything done on my list. I can't count the number of times I've been told that I "have my hands full". Yes, I do.

However, I also get to enjoy the sight of three kids sitting side by side in the car (absolutely one of my favorite things in the world). I get to listen to the boys play with their little sister and get as excited as I do each time she claps. I get to see a little girl look up to her brothers with amazement and admiration. I have the comfort of knowing all of our bedrooms are filled with sleeping children at night. I am able to rotate between three different swings giving each one an extra push to last until their next turn. I get to hear three children laughing their beautiful laughs all at once (it's music, people. Pure and lovely music). I get to experience three different milestones in one week...losing a front tooth, staying dry several nights in a row, and crawling like a big girl. I get to cuddle with not one, not two, but three kids in my bed in the mornings. I get to make three people feel safe in this world that doesn't always seem so safe. I get unconditional love three times over. I get bliss....

Tonight I looked at Jason and said "I don't know why I thought we could do this".

He filled me with confidence by responding "yes we can".

We are doing it. Maybe not gracefully and maybe not perfectly, but we're doing it. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.