But, hubby had to use my car for a big purchase he's making and so I'm off the hook for now. He's got the two middle boys with him since Noah wanted to play outside with a friend. And Ivy is napping. This is a wonderful moment in time, right here.
I am realizing it's kind of fun where we live in Indiana (might be the only time I admit this, so mark it down) because hubby's currently shopping in Illinois, not far away. And later tonight I'll be having dinner with friends in Michigan, not far away.
Too bad California couldn't be right next door. Or my favorite place ever, Colorado.
With all this quiet I get a glimpse of what it might be like in five or six years when all my kids are off busy someplace else outside or at a friend's. More naps for me (I hope?) Or even more years when they start crossing borders into the other states.
I'll blink and remember about that time I couldn't figure out how to fit their car seats in our car. How they never could clean up the backyard after playing, ever. And I'll probably even miss the crumbs a little.
And I hope someday where they settle is not far away.
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Car seats are huge - I found myself squished between a toddler seat and Elizabeth's in our hatchback the other day and thought to myself that if we were in an accident the kids would be okay but I wasn't too sure that it would be good for me!
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, Elizabeth is getting so long that my husband announced the other day that it's time to take our seat apart and adjust the straps to use the higher setting. Yikes! Our seat has a maximum height of 74cm, which is about 14 weeks away at her current growth rate and far too soon to be thinking about car seat number 2!
Isn't it convenient? I live in Chicago but the very far south east side. I can literally walk into Whiting if I wanted, I'm 20 minutes from downtown Chicago and 30 from the SW Burbs and do all my shopping in Indiana for groceries and Target trips :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to move though because I spend most of my time in downtown or north side of Chicago so the driving can be annoying.
I look back at everything that was going on when the girls were younger and wondered how I did it all. The peace & quiet is awesome, altho at times the quiet is a bit deafening.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about this all the time. I saw a family of geese the other day, two adults and about 8 babies. Maybe it was actually two moms and the start of a geese commune...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wondered about the moms and babies, and how long they had with their babes before they flew off for good. How long do we have? Will we all grow old in a commune, with our grand-geese, or will we just need to savor this time for what it is now? I wonder...
Uh oh - water works. Your last line about them settling not far away got me in the heart!
ReplyDeleteNell
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Oh the car seat battle. I'm about to have to do that again myself...because Jackson has just reached the weight limit on the seat we have now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sweet post...I often find myself wondering what it will be like years from now.
The worst part of installing car seats is the instruction manuals, which seem dedicated to scaring you totally senseless. Is it really necessary to remind you, over and over, that death or serious injury could result?
ReplyDeleteColorado is one of my favorite places too!
ReplyDeleteI hope my children settle close when they are grown. I'm 2000 miles away from my Daddy right now and that is TOO FAR! Hopefully someday we can be closer again.
Such a sweet post! And I live in Colorado, probably take it for granted too much! Good luck with the car seats and enjoy your quite time!!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes the grass always looks greener, ya know? When my husband and I first met, we moved to Colorado where we lived for about 3 1/2 yrs. Yes, it was gorgeous - but we had a new baby, and no friends and family around us.
ReplyDeleteAnd...
It just wasn't the Midwest.
So here we are and we love it. :)
Ughh, please don't make me cry :( I don't even like to think about the future when I won't have little ones running through the house, playing, giggling. I cherish these moments.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love Colorado too!
ReplyDeleteIt really is just a blink away. Savor these moments because they pass all too quickly.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about that, too. My dream is to live on 10+ acres in the country and be able to give our kids a little place to build a house near ours if they want to (not all of them would, I'm sure). I'm also hoping some of them will have grandkids for me to love on!
ReplyDeleteAnd we are probably going to take our car seats to the hospital to get them installed, because I am just incapable of getting them in correctly and I'm never quite sure if my husband has done it right either. Sometimes it takes the experts half an hour (and pool noodles) to get them right!
We are counting the weeks for Jr. to go front-facing...so much easier to install!! I was so glad when MAM could finally move to a booster seat, but now I look at the infant carrier and wonder how they ever fit in it. And how, exactly did they grow out of it!
ReplyDeleteAs for NW Indiana....last time we were up, we were at the beach in Michigan at 3pm, back in Indiana by 4pm and crossing the Illinois border at 5pm...as long as 94 is too bad, I love it!
I know some day I'm definitely going to miss the mess and the crumbs. Oh, I so hope mine stays close. I'd probably even become one of those mothers who I can't stand just to get him to stay close...you know the one's who still do their grown son's laundry.
ReplyDeleteI am not really good at figuring how to install car seats. I gave up totally frustrated with my last attempt. I guess it is when our partners can seem so handy. They make up for the part when we cant stand it anymore. LOL.
ReplyDeleteOh I hope someday where my kids settle is not far away either. Right now Big Brother says he is going to buy the house next door and that Baby Sister should buy the one across the street and that sounds great to me!!
ReplyDeleteI WISH Colorado were next door to you!
ReplyDeleteAny plans to visit again?
Yes, I do have some quiet moments now that the kids are going in different directions. But personally I can't wait until there is even MORE quiet. :-) I don't think I'll miss the crumbs or the whining. But I will miss those squishy baby cheeks and middle-of-the-night snuggles. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteI DETEST installing car seats!
ReplyDeleteThis is what I've always envied about some states. Where I live in California, it's HOURS and HOURS and HOURS to get to another state and even then, it's just a bunch of cacti for another couple hours. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in the Detroit area, Canada was always 'not far away' for us, but I guess that's strange to other people, lol. From where we're at now in MI, Indiana and Illinois are each fairly close - a friend and I head over the border to IN fairly often to shop. :)
ReplyDeleteI am totally in the "rear facing to the limits of the seat" camp. Cars are so dangerous it boggles the mind. Cute girly print on the seat and oh, how I wish I had a latch system in my car. It takes me like 45 minutes to get the seats in!
ReplyDeleteYour post made me a little wistful, dreamy...and grateful for this precious time with my girls. I agree with your words. They resonate in my heart. I, too, hope my girls settle not far away...
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