Beautiful chaos

I am a stay at home mama to two little girls I absolutely adore.  At the ages of 3 and 1, it probably doesn't even need to be said that there are some chaotic moments in our days.  Without a doubt the most chaotic time in our day is right around 5:00 p.m.  It is around this time that I am getting dinner ready....wanting it to be nice and hot and ready for when Daddy gets home around 5:30.  Also, at the same time, Ashlyn is ready for dinner so I am trying to feed her while getting everything else ready.  Some days are smoother than others.  One day this past week, was not one of the smoother days.  By this point in the day, the house was filled with toys everywhere, Ashlyn was really struggling because she is teething and it is was really bothering her (and she was hungry) and I was trying to pull everything together for my very gourmet dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread (we love spaghetti, but Kyla really loves it, so I am making it more often for one of the meals you know she is going to eat and love.)  Anyway, Troy got home (yeah!!!), we all gave him a hug and eventually all got our spaghetti.  As I was looking around, all I could do was laugh and start taking pictures.  Because I know that someday when my kids are grown and I can keep my house as clean as I want, I will miss these days....chaotic, but so good. I recently read on another blog that I love...."blogging is for the honest, not the proud."  So, here is some honesty... a peek into my house on any given day around 5:00ish:

Where it all goes down....the kitchen.  On this particular day, it was smelling like spaghetti and garlic bread

The other side of the counter....a little bit of everything.  Bible study material with Bible on top for Wed. night Bible study at church, Gerber puffs that my hand was continually digging in to grab more for Ashlyn and a People magazine to be looked at sometime....my guilty pleasure.  I mean, who doesn't want to know that Jay Z and Beyonce are vacationing on their yacht or that Kate Gosselin has time to get hair extensions and spray on tans....all while I am keeping it real here in Lafayette, IN. 

Kyla enjoying her spaghetti and also deciding that she should show off her freshly painted nails

The honesty continues....dirty dishes in the sink

Toys in the living room....a mixture of Tinkerbell fairies and a Fisher Price nativity set....very random, but not really random at all for Kyla

Somehow Tinkerbell ended up face down on the coloring table

Laundry....folded!  This was folded in the middle of playing with the fairies and the nativity set

Random pile

Another random pile

All of our shoes by the front door.  I am laughing while I am looking at this now, because one of Ash's little pink shoes is missing....who knows where it was at this point?!?  All I know is they were both on her feet today, so at some point we found the other one.

Sweet, little Ashlyn....notice her snotty nose, the result of the teething

Things get better when sister finishes her spaghetti and comes to play

As crazy as it can feel in the moment, it is beautiful chaos.  We don't live in a museum where everything stays in it's place all day.  There is a 3 year old who wants to play with baby Jesus in the manger in September, while Tinkerbell and her fairy friends are nearby and even come to see the manger too.  Before long that same three year old will tell me it is time to for the princesses to get on their dresses....so she will "pretend" put on my gloves, necklace and tiara....she does the same for Ashlyn.  All of the while, there is a one year old needing to be held because her teeth hurt and then wants down to throw toys across the room so she can crawl after them.  We read books, sing songs, talk and laugh. There are also tantrums and moments in time out.  I would not trade a second of it.  To be home with these girls each day is a complete gift.....and most days it ends with a messy house, I am so thankful.  There is life here.

And at the end of the day there is this:

A freshly bathed and jammied, Ashlyn hanging out with Kyla who has now changed into her princess leotard.

At the end of the day, who cares that the house is messy?  There are tuck ins and "I love you's" and joy that we get to do it all again tomorrow.

Beautiful, beautiful chaos.