A Whole Different Perspective

It is funny to reflect back on how having children has changed me. One example that I have run into frequently is how differently I view the world. Things that I haven't cared about in upwards of a decade, are all the sudden exciting and new. Summer has been full of these things; I'm talking ferris wheels, parades, fireworks, splash pools, etc. I always figured that these things would be par for the course of having kids; what I never knew, was how much I would love them. Now, I get super excited when we do something new. I imagine how exciting new things will be for my kids, and it makes me anxious. . . in a good way.

This may seem obvious to some of you, but sometimes I have to step back and laugh at myself. Here I am getting giddy over fruit snacks or a Sesame Street DVD. I know that the hubs and I can hardly wait to be able to go camping with the kids, take them tubing down the river, or go on a road trip. I am reliving a childhood that I never knew I wanted to relive. Prior to having kids I was loving my adult life. Hubby and I lived in a trendy part of town within walking distance of several bars. We worked hard and partied harder. Life was so much fun, and I thought that I would mourn it so much once it all changed - Funny thing is that I don't.

I'm sure part of it has to do with the fact that our kids have grand parents that are pretty much always wanting to babysit. I can't go a week without being asked if I want to go see some friends or have some 'me' time. I do enjoy the 'me' time that I get, but I enjoy the time I get with my babies even more.

For the 4th of July we went to watch fireworks. Little Dude has seen them before, but not since last summer; He can't remember back that far. I was looking forward to them for the 1st time in years. As they started I looked around for my son and he wasn't there. He was off visiting with his grandma somewhere in a big giant crowd and I desperately wanted to be with him to see the fireworks. I didn't care about watching the fireworks, I cared about watching him watch the fireworks. Luckily, hubby fetched him pretty quickly and we were able to enjoy them as a family. Little Dude LOVED them! Thankfully, he wasn't scared at all. At one point in between explosions, he yelled out "Ahhhh BOOM," and threw his hands in the air. Everyone had a good chuckle at his excitement.

The fireworks show was a long one (a half hour or more), so Little Dude actually got rather bored of them after a while. I can't blame him. I wouldn't have been too excited myself had he not been there. Baby Boo was incredibly non-chalant about them. I think she saw them as a distraction to her bottle drinking. She would frown at the sky in between gulps. She did like the finale though. She bounced to the intense booming as if it were music. I had some happy babies that night.

All in all it was a fantastic time. Before the fireworks we went on some carnival rides with both kids. I loved watching Little Dude's face of amazement as the ferris wheel climbed up until we were well above everything else at the fair. Baby Boo was excited too, but she had no idea what was going on. I think he is at a perfect age this year for carnivals. He is old enough to enjoy the attractions, but not old enough to whine about wanting to ride everything. I doubt I will be able to say the same thing next year, but that's Ok - I'll still be excited for them.

I hope everyone else had an equally fantastic weekend!