an oldie {needing a little help}

I was looking through some old posts and came across this one that I wrote for Ashley's 10 in 10 series a year and a half ago. This post was pre-Griffin and Levi was just a baby himself. It is crazy how different life is now! I hope you enjoy this oldie. Have a great weekend!

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Do you have a little helper around your house? I do. His name is Levi. Levi is nine months old and he *thinks* he can help his mama with everything. It seems he is always by my side. And if he is not by my side, he is sitting on my feet, crawling up my pant leg, or wiping Cheerio slobber on the shoulder of my clean shirt. But I wouldn't have it any other way. 

As moms we often long for a little time to ourselves or even just an hour of quiet. I do too (because I'm only human you know). But over the past two years I have learned a lot about cherishing the everyday moments. There are amazing moments like when I first heard the words ma-ma again...this time coming out of Levi's mouth. There are difficult moments like when my little guy decided that standing up in his crib and screaming was more fun than taking naps. And there are moments that can be exhausting, like when my helper comes along and whatever I am trying to do takes twice as long. But, these are the moments I love. The everyday moments.

So in sticking with Ashley's 10 in 10 theme, I thought I'd let you peek into some of our everyday moments to see ten ways my little guy is so helpful...

He helps me wake up in the morning--sometimes a little earlier than I had planned. But, I would rather wake up to this sweet face peeking through the slats of his crib over the annoying beeping of an alarm clock any day.

He helps me get ready. No long, relaxing showers for this mama. Can you relate? My little guy is usually at my feet as I scramble to find ways to keep him busy and try to fix my desperately needing to be washed hair.

He helps me do the dishes. I think Levi is as amazed by our new dishwasher as I am. Yes, having a dishwasher is a new thing for us. I just have to be careful not to wash his toys along with the dishes!

He helps me feel like an amazing cook. This is the face I get when his bowl is empty. Apparently the way I prepare his squash is so fantastic that he wants more ALL THE TIME. Or else he is just a really hungry little big boy!

He helps me in the yard. Levi LOVES to be outside. And he loves to crawl around and pick up anything he can find. I am suddenly becoming a pro at digging things out of his mouth...and prying dirt out from under his fingernails. He is all boy.

He helps me put away his clothes. Sometimes I end up refolding the clothes three times. Sometimes we end up with a bigger mess than we started with. But we have fun doing something mundane together.

He helps keep me company in the car. I love peeking over my shoulder and seeing his eyes peering around his car seat when I am talking to him. He is a great traveling buddy.

He helps me do the grocery shopping. I'm pretty sure he likes Walmart more than I do. And usually by the time we make it back to the front of the store, he has managed to eat my grocery list. Nice.

He helps me keep his daddy entertained in the evenings. I think they are going to be good buddies. And pretty soon I am going to have to watch out because now I have two ornery boys in the house.

He helps bring me to my knees. Being a mom is one of the most challenging yet amazing jobs I have ever had. And there is nothing like a child to cause you to fall on your knees at the feet of our Heavenly Father pleading for help. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with my responsibility as a mom. It is a job that no matter how good my intentions, or how hard I try, I can't do on my own. I will get tired. I will get frustrated. I will mess up. I need the help of my Heavenly Father. And I need it everyday.

I lift my eyes to the hills--

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

Our children are an incredible gift, entrusted to us by the Lord. Will you seek His help today for whatever challenges you are facing with your little ones? And as Ashley reminded us a few weeks ago, don't forget to celebrate the everyday mundane moments.