A toddler lives here...

...a freakishly strong one at that!

Yes, this is what our living room entire home looks like much of the time.

(Except from the hours of 8pm-8am when the person responsible for the destruction is tucked in for the night.)

I have a toddler.  A VERY active, adventure-seeking, risk-taking, furniture-flipping toddler.  I love it.  My husband and I giggle as we watch her try and flip over another small piece of furniture...or drag a 10lb turkey across the living room floor.  We encourage her to pull out toys, "cook" for us & climb on the boxes of diet coke that used to be stacked up neatly.

A toddler lives here...and call me strange, but I like that it shows.  I could worry myself sick about toys being scattered about, not being able to have "nice" things sitting out, or the fact that the toys are usually never ALL picked up.  But I don't...because I have a toddler.

...And years from now, I won't.  I'll have grown children who have (hopefully) left the nest & aren't scattering toys from every corner of the house.  I'll be able to have nice things sitting out & a home that always looks clean & "company ready."  Our home will look like only adults live here...because that will be the case.

No need to rush the inevitable.

I can live with a play kitchen in my real kitchen, blocks on my floor, furniture flipped over, animal crackers in the couch cushions and every stinkin' blanket we own gathered into a huge pile in the living room.  I can enjoy this season of couch cushions pulled off because apparently it's REALLY fun to do that, magnets shoved in my purse, flashlights in the crib & everything being torn off the fridge.

Because someday,  I'm going to miss this....