why I love being a mom

Elsie was supposed to be in nap time/quite play time but clearly had made it into the bathroom where she had mascara time. Impressively, she got quite a bit of mascara on her actual eye lashes. And even more impressively, she is not blind after using so much mascara so closely to her eyes!

The moment was hilarious to me. It felt like I had arrived at a quintessential moment in raising a little girl. She watches me when I put on my makeup and always asks who wears makeup. We talk about how her cousins Ruby, Mara, Sonna and Svea do not wear makeup yet. But that Josie and Maddie do because they are older. She'll ask if Grandpa Paul wears makeup or cousin Jack. And we talk about how makeup is just for girls when they are bigger. She's very interested in all of it.

I maybe should have taken less adorable pictures in this moment and scolded a little harder, because the next day she found my same mascara (I know, I know) and came down just as proud and pleased. So then we put the kibosh on using mom's makeup and mom also put her makeup on a high shelf.

These moments in motherhood are so sweet. They're such an honor. To get to explain how some things we have to wait to do until we're older. To teach and show and direct and explain. I'm really loving this part of the mama gig lately. Ivar and Elsie have these fresh eyes on the world and are full of wonder. Their enthusiasm this spring for dandelions and violets is helping me see these beautiful things with my own fresh eyes.

I have the honor to get to introduce them to the world, but at the same time, they're reintroducing me to the awe and wonders of the world that abound when you're a kiddo.

Sara has a song called I Can't Wait, and I'm just realizing she has already summed up in song what I'm trying to say in words. The chorus says, "And you'll teach me of hearts and dreams, and all the most important things, and all that I have lost along the way. And I can't wait."

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!