I've said it a million times— "My kids are driving me crazy!" — and with good reason of course.

Emma is 3 years old and is constantly into everything. In the last month alone she has broken a lens to a very expensive camera, bit a hole in my lap top power cord and rolled toilet paper all over her bedroom and bathroom. She also used two boxes of chocolate pudding like it was confetti and she was in Times Square on New Year's Eve. But actually she was in my laundry room dousing two baskets full of clean and folded clothes with a fine and thorough chocolatey powder coating.

Aubrey is 5 and thinks she is The Queen. I have to tell her to do anything and everything at least six times. She is the definition of strong-willed; I have read the book "The Strong Willed Child," by Dr. James Dobson so many times I can quote every page from memory. Aubrey doesn't fit any mold, and I am constantly struggling to find the best way to parent, discipline and reward her.

Sadie is only 14 months old but she is full of challenges as well. Her favorite pastimes include smudging her sticky little fingers all over my windows, decorating my house with all of my tupperware, and trying to grab knives out of the dishwasher while I'm loading it. Sadie also loves water- as long as it's in the toilet and especially after one of her sister's has used it, and forgotten to flush.

My Mom raised me with a sense of humor, so I do my very best everyday to look on the bright side, to laugh when I can and to realize that these moments will fade all too quickly from my memory.

But this week I met someone online who changed me forever. I met Layla Grace Marsh, a 2-year-old in Texas who has stage four high-risk neuroblastoma, and for the last 10 months, Layla's parents have been watching her die. Layla's mother, Shanna, writes on her blog, www.laylagrace.org, about how quiet her house is while her baby sleeps most of the day, only able to wake up for 45 minutes at a time before needing to sleep again, and states with great emotion, "The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I want interruptions. I want Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I want to hear her playing with her toys. I want to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words "I just can't get anything done with these kids under my feet all day" I am eternally regretful.

Layla's father writes about the agonizing pain of watching his child suffer, "It's the most difficult thing we've had to cope with through this whole fight. Layla is literally dying before our eyes but not like how it works in the movies."

Since I've learned about Layla, I've gone to sleep praying for her and woken up in the morning thinking of her. I cried as I washed my windows this week, so grateful and thankful that my children are healthy enough to make messes. Because of Layla Grace, my attitude has changed. I rocked my baby to sleep just to savor a few more minutes of her sweet smelling baby skin, and watched her eyes grow heavy with sleep, instead of putting her in her bed to doze off alone.

Clean or dirty, crazy or peaceful- these are the moments I want to remember for the rest of my life. These moments are mine; they are precious and I thank God for them. To read the Marsh's blog: www.laylagrace.org.

(Robin O'Bryant is a former Mt. Pleasant resident and mother of three. E-mail her, zebandrobin@hotmailcom.)