It's a cliche for a reason

"Don't blink or it will be over."

"Treasure every moment." 
 
"They grow up so fast."

Time has this trick of seeming to speed up as we age.

In reality, it is going no faster than it ever did.  I didn't need those two tear-inducing semesters of physics to know that time is a constant, and it is only our perception that is altered.

Everyone tells you to enjoy your children while you can.  But, sometimes, it's hard to enjoy every moment. 

The messy diapers and 2:00 am feedings.  The toddler tantrums and endless bedtime rituals.  The spit up on your work clothes minutes before you need to leave the house for a meeting.  The worry-filled nights of sickness and changing soiled bed sheets.

I can never say that I savor these moments with my children.  They certainly the moments I want to take a picture to look back and fondly remember.  These are the moments I drag myself through.

And yet, it is in these moments, the mundane and the frustrating, that I am creating an everlasting bond with my children.

I recall the beautiful times with my parents.  Nights by the bonfire during our summer camping trips.  Dancing with my mother to Christmas music with gold garland wrapped around us both.  Feet propped up on my father's desk while I colored pictures for him to decorate his basement office.

But some of the most vivid memories are those moments I'm sure my parents were silently groaning to themselves and desperately wishing were over. 

Being washed with my mother's gentle hands after being sick in the middle of the night and then my dad tucking me into clean sheets. 

Long car rides starting at 4:00 am when my dad would take me and my best friend to riding camp.

Sleepovers and birthday parties and friends over constantly and never a word about the hassle it all must have been.

Seemingly endless piano recitals my mother endured twice a year so that she could madly clap and cheer for me.

Long nights finishing school projects because I was a procrastinator even at six years old.

In these moments, the mundane and the frustrating, my parents formed a relationship with me. And I have never forgotten those times. 

Time flies.

It certainly does.

I try remember this as I struggle to keep my eyes open at 2:00 am when Olivia needs a bottle.  I take a deep breath and try remember this when Paityn wants to eat breakfast at 6:00 am.

I cannot say that I will savor these moments any more by reminding myself of their importance. But I hope I am able to view them in a different light by seeing that they hold as much, if not more, importance as the more beautiful moments.

It is these memories, the ones I would be glad to forget or not even experience, that they will remember.

Stop by tomorrow for a post where my mom answers all my random questions!