Oh, We've Missed You. Where Have You Been?

I don't regret not being a mom.  I am not one of those women that are sad, wistful, or bitter about it.  It's beyond my control, we made other choices, and our life is pretty good without children.

It's come up a lot recently from our friends who are parents that they aren't sad for us or are perhaps might be a tiny bit jealous.  One couple is experiencing teenage drama with their son.  I mentioned to Kevin that perhaps we're not missing out on being parents.  The mom said "Nope, nothing.  You're not missing out one ONE THING."

She was joking, kind of.  She loves her son, just not so much right now. 

I will say that having the kids next door has changed my life.  We're an aunt and uncle but we've also become one more set of parents for those kids.  Poor kids have two sets of grandparents, parents, and an aunt & uncle. 

It has it's moment of GAH THERE'S TOO MANY OF YOU!!!! but mostly, it's been nothing but an improvement.

Because of them:
We're greeted at our cars at the end of the workday.
We had a campfire with hotdogs & marshmallows in our lower property down by the creek. 
We went sledding
We've watched them learn to ride two-wheelers and now get to watch them ride past the house.
We've experienced Christmas, birthdays, Easter, 4th of July, all through five little pairs of eyes.  Holidays are different when there are kids around. 

Mostly, I just enjoy watching them.  The sun rises & sets on Uncle Kevin so it's always fun to watch them interact.  But it's the little things too.  Girl Little was just wandering the driveway collecting flowers, or rocks, or something important to the 5 year old child.  Completely in her own world, just learning as she goes. 

One day the Littles went by our bedroom window about 9 in the morning.  I turned down the television to make sure they weren't up to mischief.  They weren't.  They were playing a game that apparently required them to circle our house twice then go down "the big steps" into the lower property.  I wish I knew what game they were playing.  They were so intent on it that nothing else really mattered.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have that kind of single-mindedness, even if for just a little while?

The kids have made us slow down.  They've made us participate.  They've made us appreciate the life we do have.  I don't regret not having children but I sure am thankful every single day for the five ones we have been  given. Now that they're here, we can't imagine life without them.