Dear Gabriel, For our Saturday activity we have been cleaning the food storage room inside and out. Weevils were discovered, which thus lead to the referred to cleaning. All day I have been scrubbing, repacking, scrubbing, repacking... over and over and over again.
Your dad left for some work late this afternoon and we hadn't had a chance to clean up yet. The kitchen was filled with rice, beans, popcorn, wheat... lots of stuff on the floor, cupboards, sink - the usual food storage mess whenever a project like this happens.
About 30 minutes after your dad left you came running into the room next to the kitchen, blanket in hand, and climbed up on the couch. I was watching you out of the corner of my eye, and I could see you were arranging the couch to be a particular way, you wanted to make sure it was 'just so'. You rearranged the blanket a few times, got your favorite dog stuffed animals, put them in place, then went and got a coloring book and crayons and put them on the arm of the couch. I thought at that point you were going to sit on the couch and color.
But you did something completely different.
At that point, you stepped back from the couch and surveyed your work. Then you came bouncing over to me and said, "Mommy, snuggle time." Immediately I looked around the kitchen, with everything I was right in the middle of doing. Then you looked at me again and demanded, "Mommy, snuggle time now." It was exactly what I needed. So I took your order and direction, emptied my hands and allowed you to lead me to your prearranged date.
You sat me in the place you wanted me and then climbed up on my lap, snuggled in close and covered us with the blanket. Then you got the crayons and started to color. We sat there for about 45 minutes snuggling, coloring, reading and relaxing. While we were sitting there, all of a sudden I had a 'flash forward' (as I call them). I could see myself in my minds eye as an old woman, thinking back about this moment and being so glad that I left my mess and snuggled instead.
I know that I will remember these moments more than any others. I just want you to know that I will always want to snuggle and take quality time with you - and as a busy mom there are going to be many times that you will have to remind me, and come and demand, "Snuggle time now". But I am so grateful that you do - it helps me remember to just sit down, love and enjoy the moment.
I love you,
Your Mom
One thing Casey's mom told me that will always stick with me is she said "I wish I spent more time snuggling and less time scrubbing". She said she regrets not snuggling enough because with 8 kids it's busy but she said that "scrubbing" was a priority over snuggling. Whenever Tate needs some snuggle time and I'm in the middle of something I will always remember that.
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