MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MY KIDS

I have a love affair with my kids. I wake up in the morning looking forward to doing life with them.

It is morning time. Soon, my middle girl who always wakes up earlier than her sisters will be up. Once she wakes up, she comes straight into my bedroom to find me. She smiles - her smile is the cutest. She gives me a warm hug and starts a conversation. I always tell her to go back and read her Bible and pray which she does then comes back right after to spend more time with me.

My oldest and youngest wake up almost at the same time. My oldest takes care of the youngest like a little mom. It's so cute how she tries to get her ready for the day sometimes.

Sometimes we do breakfast together. Sometimes, we eat separately. When we eat together, it's just the most amazing thing with us laughing and telling stories.

With my kids, I feel like a kid. I feel young, I feel silly, I laugh a lot, play a lot and I just enjoy getting into the world of these little humans.

I hear lots of "I love you"every day from their little mouths and it just blesses my soul.

Sometimes my youngest wraps her hands around my neck and let me tell you, there is nothing more comforting than tiny little hands wrapped around your neck.

They hate to see me in pain. They try to help as much as they can to make mommy feel better.

They love talking with me about the new baby I am expecting whom we call our little buddy. They have all these plans of how they will take care of the baby.

They love cooking with me and just talking about good food with me. They love to chop, saute, grill, bake just as I do. They love coming up with new recipes too. It is often interesting to listen to their recipe ideas.

We love to learn together, to discover the world together. We love to do Art, do History, learn about Ancient Egypt, do some coloring, do Math, learn new words.

I am learning so much just by being with and raising these little humans God has entrusted into my hands. And I love them - I love them much more than words will ever tell.

They are not burdens, they are blessings.

Yes, motherhood could be incredibly hard. Keeping up with laundry is not a child's play. Keeping the house clean is not easy. Feeding little humans every. single. day. could be tasking. Teaching them, raising them, disciplining them, is not easy. But these are all doable when as a mom, I continue to lean on God's grace every day to see me through. They are so doable when I focus on the love, the hugs, the smiles, the silly stories, the laughter, and amazing playtimes I get to enjoy.

So mamas, love your kids. Squeeze their little feet, rub their cheeks, hold their hands, say "I love you" more than you could ever count. Get into their world, read their storybooks, play like a kid. Enjoy the little humans God has blessed you with because you do not have much time with them. Don't worry so much about the mess. The mess is a part of growth.

Most importantly, teach them. Teach them the truth based on God's word. Do you want to make a difference in your world? One great way to do that is by rightly raising the kids God has blessed you with.