What's so terrible about the twos?

Let me tell ya!  There's no denying it, two year olds are adorable!  And this stage is great in so many ways; it's full of cute things the kids are doing and funny things they're saying.  I love their cute little munchkin voices and the last little bit of chubby they have left on their cheeks.  Nothing feels better than their little arms wrapped around my neck for a hug, a random kiss out of the blue, or the sound of their voice saying, "I love you, Mommy."  Seriously melts my heart!  BUT it is also a challenging stage; by far, the hardest stage for me so far...all of the kids want to be Independent (yes, with a capital I), they're testing their boundaries with me and with each other, and they fight a lot.  Sometimes I feel more like a referee than a mom.  And despite all of those Child Development courses that lectured about using the word NO as little as possible with kids, to the contrary, I'm sure we're breaking some Guinness book of World Records around here for the most number of times the word NO is used in one day.  They want to brush their own hair, brush their own teeth, pick out their own clothes and dress themselves; they fight over who will open the door, who will sit where in the van, and they want to buckle themselves into their car seats.....and everything takes 10 times longer than if they'd just let me do it...or at least help!  I know that if I keep letting them try, they will get better and faster, and someday they'll be able to actually do things themselves (rather than just trying over and over over again).  My life will be so much easier and I will miss the days when I had to help....when they needed and wanted my help.  I really try to remind myself that this won't last forever, but in the meantime, I want to pull EVERY.SINGLE. HAIR. out of my head in frustration before the kids even get their undies on the right way!  The days are LOOOONG.  I feel overwhelmed by 10am...and by bedtime, I am both physically and mentally exhausted!  My day typically ends with a prayer for strength to be a better mother who laughs and loves more and yells less.

I generally try to stick to routines and rules in an attempt to control the chaos that is my life, but every once in a while I break one of the rules...and out of that broken rule comes a moment that wouldn't have otherwise happened...a moment so needed...reminding me just how wonderful life is, how lucky I am, and how sweet little moments like these are so worth all the chaos.....a moment in which prayers are answered.

Breaking the rules and taking a nap in "mommy daddy bed."