Yesterday...One of Those Days

I had one of those days yesterday but not one of those days.

The big girls were happily off at school.  Gracie watched a PBS-esque cartoon.  We played Uno, Hoot Owl Hoot, and Spot It.  She traced her name.  We did puzzles.  We made muffins. A friend stopped by for a bit.  Gracie got her hair trimmed.  She had an uneventful quiet rest time while I read my Bible and watched Gilmore Girls. 

Yep, it was one of those days that you picture in your mind when you imagine being a stay at home mom.  One of those days when I am so overwhelmed by the goodness of it all.

And it is worth mentioning to you.

Why?

Because my days are never, ever like that.  

Usually, there is fighting.  People are spending time in the corner.  There's lots of disobeying, spilling, coughing (did you know coughing makes me crazy?), ignoring, and arguing.  I'm distracted or disengaged.  Oh, let us not forget the self-centered behavior and general messes.  Or, I the times I try to play blocks or babies with them and they are bossy, telling me that I'm doing it wrong.  Yes, apparently there is a wrong way to do imaginative play.  When they were little, there were blowout diapers, large amounts of spit up, and so.much.crying (but who are we kidding, we still have that going on). 

That kind of day isn't what I pictured when I imagined what it would be like to be a stay at home mom.  

But, the more I think about it, the more I realize those days are good, too.  

Those are the days when I realize just how much I love them.  I love them even though their noses are snotty.  I love them even when they get pee on my pants.  I love them even when they stubbornly refuse to eat the food I made.  I love them even when they are irrational and clingy.  I love them even in the midst of their defiance.  I love them even when they call out because they "need" something right after they went to bed.  I love them even when I have to repeat myself one million times.  I love them even when they cry about what seems like nothing to me.  I love them even when I end up so exhausted at the end of the night that I don't even want to think about getting up from the couch.

These are the days, too, when I look at Aaron and think about how I would never want to do this crazy little life with anybody but him.  

But, most importantly, these are the days when I know that the fierceness with which I love my girls in the middle of their messes dramatically pales in comparison to the way God fiercely, wildly, and perfectly loves me in the midst of mine.

And that's why I'm thankful for all kind of days.