Memory Lane; or, I fell into the hole of pictures from 6 or 7 years ago.

We've been in a mad rush here this week - well, I have anyway - trying to get ready for our spring break trip to visit Matt's parents. For some reason, I can manage to clean the bedrooms and main living area, but the basement is like my personal white whale - always on the list, I swear I'm going to get to it, and yet it's so easy to put off - there is usually crap everywhere on the floor so you have to pick everything up before you can vacuum, and Matt's office is down there with his clutter - that's his domain and I don't mess with it - but it's not the easiest place to run a dust rag. BUT I DID IT! The basement has been cleaned, for the first time in I have no idea how long. Laundry is finished but for the load Matt has requested, taxes are FILED, and mail has been stopped. Road trip for the House of Harried Mom!

So I was going to talk about something completely different today, which involved going through old pictures from when William was a baby, and I got completely sidetracked by looking at all the pictures from back then. Evie and William have gotten so BIG! Holy cow. A couple of things struck me, as I looked through them:

- Our house seems smaller now for a REASON - we didn't have furniture for a house this size when we moved in, so it seemed HUGE to us. And when you go from 4 people to 6, you obviously need a bigger kitchen table. Not necessarily the counter-height monstrosity we bought that looked so reasonable in the warehouse at Costco, but bigger.

- I seemed happier! (And thinner, damn elusive 10 lbs...) Granted, the pictures with me in them are from beach vacations and birthdays, but still - I can barely remember what it's like to only have 2 children vying for my time and attention. It seems so much simpler, and heavenly. Mind you, I wouldn't trade Sarah and Jason for anything in the world, but having those 2 extra sucked away any bit of spare time there might have been. I didn't really believe my sister when she said that about 3 kids, and I don't really know what 3 is like because S&J were so close together.

- Matt wasn't shaving his head yet. I have to say, I'm so used to it shaved that pictures of him with more hair look weird :)

- William's always been a little goofy ;)...

 ...and his love of money started very young...

 - Evie is, and always has been, a hoot :)

I can barely remember the time when it was just the four of us, or even just the three of us, the days are so all-consumed with the craziness of here and now. I'm kind of sad, looking at these pictures, that I don't remember them better - I don't remember Evie at 4, or William at 2, as they are here. Maybe that's a good thing? I know even back then I was drinking wine while cooking dinner. What on earth made me think we were ready for 3 kids? Sarah was born about 13 months after this picture was taken:

Anyway - whether we think we're dealing the cards or not, we play the hand we're dealt, and I have to say, I think we have a pretty great hand. Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to saying what I originally intended to say.