Come on kids, Mom doesn't need a heart attack.

As my aunt and I both jumped to grab Lily, saving her from an ER visit, I just stood there holding on for dear life to the walker.  Laughing.  In my own little world, laughing.  I didn't even realize that she had been out of the walker for about a minute before I finally let go.  She decided that she would get into the baby walker (because it's so much more fun when you know how to walk apparently) and go down my mom's deck stairs.  My heart has had enough near heart attacks this week, I think I'm good for awhile.
Then there is Baby Will who, while I was dealing with another kid, climbed up the entire stair case and went into the kids' bathroom upstairs.  He climbed up the kids' little step stools (keep in mind that he is only 10 months old), grabbed a tooth brush and began to brush his four teeth.  Dave found him very proudly practicing good dental hygiene.
Then of course, Luke and his driving excursion the other day.
Thank you Lord that Emma isn't quite the daredevil that the other three are proving to be.
Then of course today, Dave's typical day off, he gets called in.  I would love to go into the emotion I feel regarding that, however I value his job and the provision that comes from it so I will use discretion to the best of my ability.  Our relaxed day quickly went KABOOM!  And we went from 10 mph all morning to a good 125 mph in just minutes.  Within minutes Dave left for work, I had a lady come to play with the kids who comes monthly to help me with preschool stuff, my phone rang with one of my best friends who just had her baby today, two girls knock on my door looking for their lost cat, Lily trying to flush makeup down the toilet (I swear, I should just give up on makeup) and Will climbing in the cupboards.  All. Day. Long.  Today was insane.  So hence, why I just stood there laughing, granted a bit deliriously, when we saved Lily from taking a near catastrophic tumble off my mom's deck...in an infant walker none the less.  Stupid walker.
My house that was spotless last night looks like the land of toys and kid clothes exploded in my living room.  And yet, I'm in a relatively good mood.  Probably, because I have the ability to laugh - even like I said earlier, if it's delirious laughter.
Sometimes, I feel like I'm on a roller coaster ride with my kids that will continue FOREVER.
I mean, my kids push me to the limits every single day, making me step out of my comfy little box and expand my horizons.  For example, cats.  We don't have a fence in our backyard (don't get me started on that one) and we always have cats hanging around.  I hate cats.  Ya, ya, I know they are God's creatures blah blah blah, but I despise them.  They scare me, they make me cringe to have them touch me...I don't like them.  And a stray shows up on our doorstep yesterday and my baby puts his hand in the cat's mouth!  Are you kidding me?  Come on!!!  But, I must admit, after the scary little cat didn't bit Will's hand off I grew a little attached and was sad to see it had left our doorstep this morning.
My adventure in motherhood, in the grand scheme of things, is only beginning.  I'm highly aware of that.  Yet I know that a lot of the times, we just have to hold on and enjoy the ride.  Today, was one of those days.
I don't have any deep spiritual lesson today, simply because my mind could not extract any thing of substance from today.  However - don't be too serious!  Have fun.  Build towers, make train tracks, sing the ABC's on the top of your lungs, dress up like a princess.  Don't allow your kids to drive or off road with a walker, but have fun.  Don't take yourself too serious either - enjoy your kids, enjoy your time with them and be able to laugh.  As maddening as some of the stuff that our kids do is, if you can't laugh you will go crazy!
Tomorrow night, a dear friend I consider my sister, is graduating.  When I first met her, she was turning two - just like Lily.  Tomorrow she ends one adventure to begin another.  The last 16 years of her life have flown by for me.  It still is crazy for me to think that she is almost an adult.  I know that I can't make time slow down, and that there are other times that I wish it would hurry up (like through potty training), but I want to treasure every minute I have with my kids - even when they scare me half to death.  It goes by so fast, and I personally don't want to miss a moment.