Happiness Happens When...

Happiness happens when...

I've finally reached a rhythm with my two girls, Penny (29 months) and Ruby (5 months old). Rhythm does not imply a schedule or that I've got everything down...because I most certainly do not. But the random crazy hectic life that appeared to be my destiny when we welcomed our second daughter in March seems to have evened itself out.

The rhythm I speak of is that we can simply be together; we co-exist in our daily lives and throughout the day we ebb and flow together. The days where I feel like one girl has to be put down or somehow occupied while I love on the other are slowly waning.

This week I've come to realize that Penny and I have really become a team. The Big Little Miss can very quickly anticipate what is going to happen next in the day and she seems to be getting prepared even before I ask her to. I had to sit back and smile for a moment when I took a look at her after telling her that we'd be leaving for my eye appointment soon. While I changed her little sister's diaper and got myself ready, she filled her princess backpack with her "necessities," put on her shoes, adorned herself in all the necklaces and bracelets she can find and topped it off with her summer hat. She stood at the top of the stairs, patiently, while I loaded Ruby into the Suburban and politely said that she can walk down the stairs herself, that she doesn't need me to hold her hand. When did my little Penny grow up?

Yea, we still have crazy days. We have crazy hours. There's moments where I'm not sure if I am cut out for this.

And then I see these two girls playing, and I am overwhelmed with the purity of their friendship. They look into each other's eyes without any judgement or pretense. If Penny had felt slighted in the last 15 minutes because Ruby may have accidentally laid an arm upon Penny's beloved "luly" (her lovey blanket), the sour feelings are gone within moments and the two are back to loving each other, over and over again.

True happiness creeps up on me these days. I'm overall a very blessed, satisfied, but very tired mama. But my love tank is filled to the brim and overflows in the most unexpected moments. Happiness happens when I stop for that small moment and take a mental picture of what I'm seeing, because before I know it, that backpack will be full of books and calculators (not My Little Pony and marbles), or that squishy snuggly baby is strolling down the street alongside me to get the mail. 

Disclosure: thanks, Happy Family, for sponsoring today's weepy mama moment.