Superman or Batman? NFL or NBA?

Dallin B asked the question, "Mom, what's it like being an adult? I kinda can't wait."

At which point I slammed on the brakes and whipped out the stop sign I carry in my back pocket for moments such as this. "Whoa whoa whoa, Dallin B, don't go wishing your childhood away! Being an adult is great, it's just a LOT more responsibility. But being a kid? Being a kid is AWESOME, so lap it up."

I mean, it's the LITTLE things.

Someone asked me if we were free the other day, and I- the grown ADULT- looked down at my baby 6 year old with deer-in-the-headlight-eyes: I didn't even know what day of the week it was. And he knew I didn't know. And then graciously saved me, "It's Wednesday, Mom."

Little things, like kids actually know what day of the week it is.

Our cousin came and stayed with us, and before the first backyard basketball game, they were getting all the basic get-reacquainted-questions out of the way. At least the important ones. "Alright, Kobe, so what team are you going to play for when you're bigger?"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Wait, are you going to play in the NBA? Because we are."

"Yep, I'm playing for the Clippers." Porter says....MATTER-OF-FACTLY.

"And I'm playing for the Heat. Who are you going to play for?"

When you talk to my kids, so ahead and skip the step of asking them what they want to be when they grow up, just ask what they're going to be. In their eyes, ain't a single impediment standing in their way. Except practicing. And they make sure to get a couple hours in every day.

The little things, like dreaming and just full on believing.

As Deeter stood in front of the open refrigerator, supervising my job of getting him a sippy cup of milk, he stopped me mid-reach and was all, "No. I want that milk," pointing to the little mini-carton.

"Deeter, that's cream."

"Yea, I want that one," he whispered, with a big ole smile.

Little things, like drinking straight cream, because why not?

Yesterday morning, I sat at home ALL ALONE- 3 kids in school and baby girl sleeping. And my heart hurt just a little bit from my last blog post. Did you all know it is so hard to be honest and open? Especially when you're honest and open...and know that you're also at least... a little bit wrong? When you're sitting there admitting that you pass judgment, but are crossing your fingers that people won't do the same to you for being honest? Maybe it was even harder than I expected. Hard, but totally worth it. Because my honesty bred some very honest responses from some of you. And guess what that did? Allowed me to understand a little more, invited me to consider another angle, helped me see how I was looking at some things through the wrong lenses. That exercise- of having my opinion critiqued- I actually loved it. It's the only way to grow, to see another side. I get the phrase "brutally honest"- it's definitely brutal, and definitely necessary to grow. Just not so sure I like being the instigator of the exercise!

In my time alone, I turned on the TV just in time to hear Sherry Shepherd's good-bye speech from DWTS. And what was she saying, "Go towards the thing you fear. Because if you don't, you won't be able to say you lived. Even if you fail... That thing you fear in your stomach with bubbles in it, run towards it."


"Do you wish you were a kid again?"

Dallin B wanted to know. And then, I wanted to know. Do I wish I were a kid again? "I'm definitely glad I started out that way. And there's a lot of things I'm holding on to."

Sherry Sheperd found a little bit of being a kid to hold onto. That dreaming and just full on believing and going for it. And guess what? I'M GONNA DO IT. I'm gonna keep on dreaming, and fearing, and hurting, but full on believing and DOING. Even when it hurts and is hard.

Can't do the drink-straight-cream thing, but I'm gonna hold on and sometimes have my 10 a.m. Oreos and milk session.  And a bag of Munchies Cheese Fix Snack Mix for lunch. Dang it.


I'm gonna hold on and not be scared to post absolutely horrific pics of myself.

{Wait, why would I want to do that? And yes, I still have my retainer. At least it's better than this.}

I originally wanted to tell Dallin being an adult is like going to school and being a kid is like going to Disneyland. But I'm not so sure. Is it like that? Or the other way around?

What do you miss about being a kid? What are you gonna hold onto?