Last night before bed I started looking through some pictures.

I came across this one of Anna and could not stop looking at it.

She looks so grown up to me.

Her face structure has changed so much in the past few months.

She is no longer considered a toddler.

She has moved up to preschooler status.

I'm currently in this very weird stage in life.

I feel too mature for the younger crowd and too immature for the older crowd.

I can't really figure out where I fit.

I just turned 27 and I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old.

WOW

It feels really weird to be younger than every one in the room but have the oldest kids.

Once a young mom, always a young mom.

I have changed a lot with each year that I have been a mother.

I assume I still have a LOT more changing to do.

These kids have REALLY done a wonderful job at teaching me patience, humility and self sacrifice.

Being forced to come out of myself to serve others at such a young age has taught me a lot.

However, being a mother can be EXTREMELY draining and frustrating.

Over the years I have found that the best way to make it through the hard parts is to cling to other mothers.

I become tribal.

There is a WONDERFUL program called Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) for women with a child or children ranging in age from 0 to 5.  They meet once every other week for a 2 to 2 1/2 hour meeting that starts with a prayer time and devotion, continues on with some sort of interesting speaker and then ends with small group discussion.  The weeks they aren't meeting are full of play dates and mothers nights out.  It is a wonderful way of surrounding yourself with women who KNOW what it is like to have a child attached to the hip 24/7.  

Child care is available at the meetings so the women drop the kids off at the children's program and then head on into the meeting room where they enjoy a nice warm breakfast together which is typically full of detoxing from spending so much time with little ones without adult interaction.

With all that said..... MOPS starts back Aug 19th and I am SO READY for it to begin!

I've been mops hopping to find the right fit for me so I have my fingers crossed that this one that I am about to hop on into is going to be the right fit.  There are several meet up groups in town that all meet at different times. This new one I am trying out meets on Friday from 9:30am to Noon. 

I think you can go to the MOPS international website to find a MOPS near you!

Until then, here is little Anna taking her afternoon walk with her watering can.

stopping to water a neighbors tree

sweet smile

we found a lottery ticket

lunch time!