Reminiscing

This isn't my story - it is Molly's, but it just gave me so many flash-backs that I had to tell it.

This evening Molly was doing dishes in her kitchen and she heard Austin running to the bathroom a couple of times. She called to him to see what he was doing and he told her (both times) that he was washing his hands. Okay, so after this was his 2nd response, she got suspicious and went to see what he was doing.

Austin had climbed on top of a piece of furniture and gotten out her craft paints - deciding to do some painting on his own toys. By the time Molly got there he had painted his 3 ft superman figure, his floor, sheets, a couple other toys and his beautiful hand-made quilt! Needless to say, Molly was pretty upset. Austin wasn't trying to mess things up...he was being creative and trying to make something... but that doesn't help when you are faced with potential permanent paint spots everywhere.

So tonight Molly is running multiple loads of laundry, and I am reminded of similar incidents from when my kids were themselves that little. I am reminded of all the melted crayons we have had on carpets and in registers. I am reminded of stickers and even writing on walls. I am reminded of tipping over bookshelves and dumping toy drawers. I am reminded of secret potions and fashion statements and all the multiple times that the kids went to bed and I sat back and looked at the destruction of my house. And I am glad for all those times... they really permeate my memories as much as the so-called 'good' moments. And i chuckle a lot more at the memories than i did when they were in the present.