I'll be.....

I'll be happy when Kelly gets her driver's license so I won't have to drive to the store anymore.
I'll be happy when I have no more gates in the house.
I'll be happy when The Bus is free of car seats. I'll be happy when Carson learns to read and write.
I'll be happy when Reyna is no longer moody and grumpy.
I'll be happy when the little kids don't have to be escorted to the bathroom.
I'll be happy when I don't have to be escorted to the bathroom by the little kids.
I'll be happy when Maisie stays dressed all day.
I'll be happy when Hubby and I can travel alone.

I'll be sad when Kelly gets her driver's license and I have to let her fly with her new wings.
I'll be sad when Maisie is no longer small enough to need her incredibly safe car seat.
I'll be sad when Carson goes to Kindergarten next year.
I'll be sad when Reyna reaches her teens becoming closer to being an adult instead of a kid.
I'll be sad when Maisie & Carson are too big too fit in my lap.
I'll be sad when Maisie no longer says "I gotsta go peep."
I'll be lonely when I go the bathroom alone.
I'll be sad when the kids are too grown up to go on family vacations.

There are pros and cons to being a parent. For the most part it's the most wonderful journey in the world. I could do without the fighting, poop, messes, screaming, runny noses, and whining but all that comes with being a mommy. It's the "I love you's," the "Thanks, Mommy's," hugs, and kisses that I cherish most. I learned quickly that all those hundreds of people who told me to enjoy every moment because they grow so fast were right. Just as I cherished every second I had with my Angel Jacob, I cherish every second I have with my other four children. One day they will all grow up and move away. I hope that I will be able to look back and be proud of the mother I was and know that I spent all the time I could with them and raised them them well. I am blessed and grateful to be a mother of four beautiful children and an Angel.