I like picking up the mess in my house because it reminds me of the LIFE in my house. A military house can get so quiet, we learn to appreciate the noise when they're around. There have been plenty of times when my house was lonely. Add in the fact that I almost didn't live to see this life I'm living, and the position of gratitude goes without saying. So now that I get to live my life with a spunky, sometimes-spastic toddler, a nervous-Nelly pup, and a big kid trapped inside a man's body, why would I complain? Why would I wish away this stage just to hit the next? Doesn't it all go fast enough?