Having It All

Recently, my friend Lisa S. sent around a NY Times article in which the author questions the conventional notion of "having it all".  Reasoning that perhaps having it all should not be synonymous with having a successful career, marriage and children (because why should all be fulfilled by the same three things), but likening it to a metaphorical eclipse - brief moments in which what we want lines up with what we have.

Well, as someone who often finds it difficult to live in the present, always looking ahead and always wanting more, I love this notion as it encourages you to stop and appreciate the now.  I was reminded of this as we were flying home on Saturday night after our whirlwind travels over the past week.  (I have lots of pictures to share - I just need to find the time to sort through them all!)  Anyway, the last leg of our trip - the flight from Chicago to New York - was the one I was dreading the most as it was the first time we were flying as a family of four (we drove to Indiana to turn in our car and then Josh, Odette and I flew to California for a short trip while Olin stayed back with Grandma and Grandpa all to reunite back in Chicago on Saturday for the trip home, but more about our actual travels in another post.)  

As is the case with most things in life, I worried unnecessarily because that flight back was about as good as it gets.  Olin having missed us while we were in California insisted that he sit on Josh's lap rather than in his seat in between us and I had Odette on my lap.  And then it happened - just after take-off, both babies fell asleep.  So there we were - him asleep on Josh's lap, her asleep on mine, and Josh and I with our headsets on watching a rerun of Mindy on the little airplane TV laughing at all the same parts.  Raising kids is hard and having two has been exponentially harder, but during that 1 hour and 45 minute flight, I couldn't help but feel like I indeed had it all.

Hope everyone is well and I promise to post photos soon.

Olin giving Odette "big hugs" for about the 100th time today - I think he missed his baby sister.