Revelation at the dentist's office...

Don't ya just love to go to the dentist? A piece of my tooth/filling broke off a few weeks ago (while we were in Disney) so I had to go in today to get it fixed. Four shots of novacain (sp?) later, my old filling was removed and new one was put in its place. This will prove to be a good thing, of course, after the soreness and sensitivity subside, but right now I'm cursing that I even went. Dental instruments are scary looking...especially the syringe that numbs you up. It looks like some kind of weapon out of a science fiction movie. And the drill!!!! The sound of it just makes me cringe. They told me they used every dental instrument on me today. Boy! I feel special...special and sore.

Now...getting to the "revelation" part of my visit...I was talking to the dental assistant, Nancy, about the kids. I've been going to this practice since I was in 8th grade so they feel more like distant relatives than just people at my dental office. We were talking a little about preschool and how I've been going back and forth about putting Abby in. I told Nancy I've really been leaning toward keeping Abby home with me & just waiting for kindergarten. As crazy as it can be sometimes, I know this time I have with them is so short-lived. They are only this little once & time is flying by so fast. Before I could even go into my explanation of why I want to wait, Nancy began reflecting on her own children and how much she enjoyed being home with them and how much the children benefit from being home with mom. She also said how the time flies by..."you blink and they're in kindergarten, then high school, then college...it's unbelievable." I thought I might start crying in the dentist office. Am I a sappy mom or what?

I think as moms we really need and appreciate encouraging words and praise for the work we are doing as mothers. (Thank you to Elder Ballard yesterday for his talk on motherhood.)Sometimes the world makes us feel like we could be doing something more productive than staying at home with the kids, making pb&j for lunch, going to storytime, doing the laundry, cleaning the house, going to the grocery store, making meals, etc..., etc..., etc..., but when I stop and think about all the teachable moments there are throughout the day, when the kids give me hugs and kisses, when they want to play hide and seek outside, when Abby asks me to color with her, when Noah wants me to sing the "Pooh bear" song, when they come in and snuggle with me in my bed in the morning, when we read stories and sing songs at bedtime...there is no other place I would rather be & no greater work I could be doing than spending time with my kiddos.