As I write this, my two feral little kids are running around our room chasing each other. They both have plastic bowls atop their heads, “it’s a crown, mama” they told me.

They are screaming their heads off, laughing at each other, pausing a bit to jump on my back, pull my ears to whisper something I don’t understand while holding a piece of paper they’ve been shoving at each other’s faces.

I don’t know when we can make them move out of our masters bedroom and into their own rooms,  but until then I’ll just let them invade our space which looks more like a playground cum toy storage where all dreams of peace and quiet go to die.

As of this writing our walls are adorned with colorful circles and other shapes I don’t recognize. Our cabinets have doodles that resemble ancient writing. And there’s a green line that goes from our door onto the wall along the hallway. Who knows how many Lego blocks are inside our pillow cases or toy soldiers are hiding inside our drawers.

The other day, I almost had a heart attack after opening the fridge. A doll with black circles around her eyes was sitting inside. My 2 year old used her brother’s crayons to draw sunglasses on the poor doll. How it ended up inside our fridge is beyond me. And honestly I’m too exhausted and overwhelmed to ask.

Needless to say these are some crazy times. And this year, in the spirit of making resolutions, I hope we can make it our goal to enjoy our little kids, our crazy little kids and their antics.

When we get irritated from their loud giggling, or overwhelmed by their never ending stories let’s remind ourselves that these moments are fleeting.

Soon they won’t want to tell us every single detail about what they watched, they will stop dancing silly in public, and singing made-up song lyrics outloud. They will stop looking for us every 5 minutes, and giving us kisses even in front of everyone.

Soon they will have other friends and we will stop being their best friend. They won’t want to hang out with us 24/7, and they won’t bother us while we’re in the bathroom.

Soon they will move out and finally leave us alone. Finally leave the house to be clean and quiet. But then we will miss them.

We will miss the doodles on the walls, the way they would scream “I love you”  out loud. We will miss the sometimes embarassing predicaments they put us in.

Someday their silly antics and the mayhem they bring into our lives will all just be stories we tell our grandchildren. Stories that will make us miss them more.

So this year, while they are still here driving us crazy, making our house messy and noisy, let’s enjoy them. Take lots and lots of pictures, groufies and wackies. Record many videos and save as many as we can.

Cherish the sound of their giggles, the look of wonder and innocence in their eyes.  Enjoy the way they look at you with so much love, adoration, and awe. While they still think you are the most awesome, most powerful superhero in the world.

This year, even with all the pressures from work and other responsibilities, let’s make it our goal to prioritize enjoying our little children as often as we can,  while we still can.