Happy hour is what my husband and I like to call the hour of, “us” time we get, once our littles go to bed. The hour we spend together, without child interruption. We look forward to it each night. In the midst of literal chaos, raising our small army, we savor that hour. You see, before them, there was us, and after the they grow and spread their wings, it’ll be just us again. In the middle of all that, we try hard to remember how important it is to continue nurturing us. Happy hour is one of those deals to ensure this—because let’s be real, date night, out every night, would be impossible!
But, there are times, our middle little sneaks in and crashes the beginning of our happy hour. He usually comes in with a smile from ear to ear, telling a joke, carrying a surprise as he asks us to close our eyes, before he reveals the contents of what he has hiding behind his back or asks for a rub. Oh, and not just any rub, an under the shirt rub, that he specifically requests. My husband and I never turn him away. At every opportunity, we allow him to sit with us for a few minutes and entertain whatever shenanigans he has for us that evening. Why, you ask?
Because, these are the moments—when I dreamed of being a mom—this is what it would look like. I literally breathe him in, study every inch of his little face, and stare at him long enough to imprint a permanent image in my head. The ones that I’ll look for when he’s grown and gone. I find myself in a state of euphoria as I watch him and thank God for these precious moments that are only for such as a time as this. No matter how rough the day was, these impromptu dates with him, mean so much to me. I always want my children to remember the comfort they felt coming into Mommy and Daddy’s bed, not to camp out there, but to come for snuggles, love and laughter. Moments where they get to be the only one with mom and dad. It is these moments, I hope and pray he remembers so vividly too. For this child I prayed and most days, in the busyness of life, I forget to stop like I do in our happy hour moments. I need to remember to do that. But, I am reminded in these moments, just how fast time goes and how quickly these nights will disappear.
In the trenches of their toddlerhood, when I am barely staying a float, it is moments like these, I am reminded just how blessed I am to have these tiny beings. Sometimes it’s okay to derive from the plan to gain unexpected memories! I wish you many nights of uninterrupted happy hours but I also wish you a few interrupted ones too!
