Parenting is hard.....but it's worth it!

I am just having one of those totally "blah" kind of weeks.  Yesterday, Isaac skipped his afternoon nap and was super clingy/cranky by the evening.  He may *fingers crossed* be finally asleep for his afternoon nap now after an almost hour long struggle today.  Maddie, on the other hand, has become the master clothing/diaper remover.  She has been removing her clothes and diaper, putting her wet diaper on her monkey and peeing in her crib during naptime and sometimes overnight.  I was seriously losing my mind!  Quan had suggested putting her sleepsack on backwards but that only worked for about a day before she figured out how to take it off.  The temporary solution that seems to be working is a pair of jean shorts put on backwards over her diaper.  She has yet to figure out how to remove this combination!  In a moment of sheer desperation, I ordered some "escape proof" pajamas a couple of days ago.  When they finally arrive, I think they will keep her clothed and diapered!  Seriously, parenting has challenged my brain far more than my job ever did!  

Pretty much sums up a lot of moments over the last couple of days

Sometimes I just feel like I can't keep up with everything.  I've heard people compare cleaning up after kids to shoveling snow.....while it's still snowing.  Yep, it pretty much feels like that.  After Isaac went down for his morning nap yesterday, I picked up our room, made the bed, and did some other tidying upstairs.  While I took my shower, Maddie completely unrolled a brand new roll of toilet paper all over the bathroom floor!  I'm starting to come to the conclusion that as long as my kids live here, the house will never be clean for more than a few moments at a time! 

I really do love my children and I am the happiest I've ever been being able to stay home and raise them.  But I'm also being challenged and stretched in more ways than I had imagined.  Then again, I've also had some of the sweetest moments that I just want to remember forever.  Last night, after a very long day with the kids, I had gone upstairs to get ready to exercise (not that I wanted to!) and I heard Maddie saying something about Addy and a diaper.  So I figured I should check on her and make sure that diaper was on her and not her monkey.  She had taken her sleepsack off but the diaper remained on her little tush!  So as I was leaving her room, I said "I love you Maddie" and she replied "I love you, night-night".  That was the first time she had said "I love you" in response to me.  And Isaac had given Quan what appeared to be a purposeful kiss for the first time right before bed as well.  Even on bad days, they still manage to make me smile :) 

Here's some fun recent pictures: