Crunchy Fall Leaves

I’m not the SAHM I thought I’d be.

There are days Big Daddy P finds me at the same place he left me; at the computer. In the same clothes, with the same unbrushed hair. There are days I don’t cook dinner, days I skip doing laundry, days that start off with a lofty to-do list with not one thing crossed off it.

There are days I sit and snuggle with BooBoo. Days I feel like crying out of sheer gratitude to spend this age with him. Days I wish I could have made this decision so much sooner.

My favorite part of the day is walking hand-in-hand with BooBoo to pick Boy Wonder up from school. We stomp on crunchy fall leaves and admire the morning glory flowers along the way. As I stand with the rest of the parents outside the school gate, I wonder if they realize how lucky they are to be standing there. This is the first time I’ve had this opportunity, I was the mom who sat worried at her desk every day while her child boarded a bus.

We walk home, the three of us, stomping those same fall leaves. I fix that afternoon snack. I check homework. I fight with Boy Wonder about said homework.

We eagerly await Big Daddy P’s return and when that man walks in the door, I still get excited. No matter how late, how bad the traffic, how crappy his day, he always gives me a big kiss and asks how my day was. He appreciates my being home. Even if I do nothing more that play hide-and-seek and wipe butts all day. He sees real value in every aspect of motherhood. How on earth did I get so lucky?

I feel like this is how it was supposed to be for my family and I am so very thankful to God, to my husband, to the universe for allowing me this opportunity. Being home is a privilege that will never be lost on me.

If it all ended tomorrow, I’d remain grateful for the time spent stomping those fall leaves with my boys.