Occasionally we have been watching a set of twin 8-month-old boys. I like doing it because, one, I just plain LOVE babies, and two, it also helps my children who don’t have younger siblings around learn how to care for them. (This week I made R change her first diaper.š)
A couple weeks ago we had them for a lot of the weekend. They went home at night but would be with us during the day. Sunday made me remember just how hard being a Mom of young children really is. Luckily church wasn’t until 1 pm or we would have NEVER made it out the door. I thought I was doing really well. I loaded up the van with my two kids, Charlie (D’s service dog), the twins in their car seats, and the double stroller that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to collapse. Luckily I had one of the seats in the van folded down in the floor already so I ever so carefully smashed, wiggled and worked the stroller into the van fully upright. Success! 
We drove to church, and I was pretty proud of myself. Only a few minutes late! I got the stroller out (much easier than putting it in!) and put the boys in. My kids and the dog got out and we walked into the church. (I felt a bit like I was leading a circus….)
We sit down, and I suddenly realize I don’t have a diaper bag!š© I quickly asked a friend to watch the kids while I ran back home to get it. I got back just in time to see R just a little frazzled as she tried to keep both the babies from crying.
I sit down and take over.
We get both the babies happy, and one of them starts to laugh, which in turn makes my kids laugh, which makes the other baby laugh. After watching this being repeated multiple times (to my secret amusement), I tried desperately to get my kids to stop laughing. We left the chapel and sat on the floor of the foyer and let the babies crawl around. They LOVED that.
Suddenly it dawned on me that although I had the diaper bag, the formula was in the other bag, which was STILL AT HOME!
The main meeting was almost over so I waited until then and got my children off to class. I left the stroller there, I wasn’t going to try and put it back in my car just to drive home (AGAIN) and back. I took the babies and got their car seats buckled in the car, and again drove home to get the formula. I would have probably gone home for good after the main meeting at this point, except that I had agreed to teach a lesson during the last hour of church. Yes, I know. I’m a glutton for punishment.
I now head back to church for the 3rd time that morning and I am completely frazzled. I found some women to watch the twins while I taught the lesson. (Only after I had accidentally dumped the entire contents of the container of formula out on the floor.) Their Mom walked in in the middle of my lesson and I was SO happy to see her! I had forgotten how crazy it is with little ones, particularly at church.
So my hat goes off to all mother’s of young children. May you find people who will help you through this time when you really think you’d be better off staying home from church. May you find the courage, faith, and patience to keep coming every week. I promise it does get better. And a shout out to the angels who helped me along the way when mine were little.
