The extraordinary in my ordinary

Our lives are fairly ordinary.  Our day-to-day isn't anything crazy exciting.  But lately, while watching my kids play together, I have been reminded how extraordinary our ordinary really is.  I get to stay home with my babies, watching them grow and change every day.  I hear every new word they learn.  I see every bump and bruise (well, most of them ;-) and get to "kiss it better."  I watch them try new foods.  I hear them giggle and laugh uncontrollably at each other when the mood strikes.  I see them start to unravel when they get tired right before nap time.  I FEEL like I change a hundred diapers a day, lol.  I see their faces light up when they discover something new.  I answer about a million (sometimes annoying) questions a day from my two-year-old, and then I appreciate that he is so smart and eager to learn and understand.  My ten-month-old crawls over to me every few minutes while we play, just to check in with a pat on my leg.  Of course, in the midst of all this, there are tantrums, fits, unexplained crying episodes, and many opportunities for discipline throughout the day.  But overall, I am so blessed to spend my days with these two, and I am so glad for the reminder that our ordinary is actually quite extraordinary.

Our "play room" (aka office/workout/guest room) is where a lot of our ordinary takes place.  The three of us play in here around 8:30 every morning, and I finally took some pictures of this "ordinary" time one day, just to remind myself how extraordinary it is that I get to spend this time with my kids every day, watching them learn to enjoy each other's company more and more.  Such sweet time! 

Jersey hangs out in her jumper in the laundry room doorway for a while while, jumping and spinning around while watching Tyson play trains.






Caught her in mid-jump action!



Jersey LOVES pulling up to the train table and "playing" trains (aka chewing on them).  Tyson is learning to share this play space which used to only be occupied by him ;-)

The train set and table was Tyson's birthday gift from Grandmommy and Pappy last year, and he has literally, no joke, played with it EVERY SINGLE DAY since he got it.  Sometimes multiple times a day.  I look forward to our kids playing with it together more and more.

Jersey is a crazy adventuresome crawler.  Her latest activity of choice is trying to climb up the slide.

So of course, Tyson, being a boy, thinks is great fun to slide down in to her while she is on the slide.  Usually she thinks it's pretty hilarious, unless she takes a good tumble.

Oh, and Ty LOVES to have her go down with him.  It requires a little help from me, but they are so cute sitting together!!!

And the other main attractions in this room is "turtle."  Ty got turtle as a riding toy for his first birthday and LOVES flying around on the tile floor in the play room.  And stashing "treasures" in the seat, of course.  And whatever Tyson likes, Jersey decides she must conquer, too.  She's taken a few spills trying to play with turtle, but it doesn't stop her.

Well there you have it.  A glimpse into our ordinary days, which are filled with extraordinary moments where my kids love and play with each other, and I have the blessing of watching it all unfold.  I have a new favorite quote which is now framed right next to my kitchen sink.  It sums up how it sometimes feels to be a stay-at-home mom, and I love reading it when I forget how extraordinary my ordinary is.

"If you seek some special life outside of daily activities, that is like brushing aside waves to look for water."  - Wu-Chun