the years are short.

so i completely understand what people are saying when they say, 

'the days are long but the years are short.' 

a day can seem to drag on forever while the years fly by without hesitation.

my oldest will be four next week and i find myself still infatuated with being a mother as if it were 

my first year.

i pinch myself every day.

to confirm the reality of my life.

it is a dream...

a beautiful, fulfilling, complete dream that i want to last forever.

i find myself wanting the days to creep by.

for the aroma of them, the sounds, the scenes that fill my home to linger...

i want them to remain slow and long.

our present day afternoons are filled to the brim with more laughter than i thought possible.

as i sit and watch my boys enjoy life, i want to bottle up their joy and energy...

so that i can sit and savor it when they are all grown and living out their own dreams.

we soak up the outdoors together.

endure the summer heat with sprinklers and popsicles and trips to the park at dusk.

we cuddle long after the sun has gone down.

i am grateful more than anything.

grateful for the long, slow days.

and even for the years that fly by.

i am grateful for every second, every moment, every experience that i am given as a mother 

to my three.

they are making my dreams come true,

 one long day at a time.