There were moments, many moments, this year when I doubted. I wondered if I was giving him what he needed, if he was on par with where the public school was. I wondered what I was thinking, was it worth the battles, and the mess around my house. Days when I shoved school work aside as I put dinner on the table before quickly rushing out the door for practice.
One of my very first blog posts ever was on my children’s love of kidney beans. It is now 3 years later and my girls have moved on to baked beans. Seriously, the love my daughter has for baked beans can NOT be overstated. Last week I figured it was time to try the kidney beans out on number 4. (let the playgroup mocking begin).
What do you mean I shouldn’t eat too many at once?
The time had finally come for the tooth to be pulled. While our son was more than ready for it to come out, Dad was secretly uneasy about the venture. “He trusts me” Scott confided to me in the hallway, “What if I hurt him?” Then Scott got another one of his moments of sheer fatherhood brilliance.
“I’ll let him do it,” he declared.
He tied one end of the dental floss to his light saber and the other to his tooth.
Exciting things are happening round the circus parts this week and it’s only Tuesday!!
Sunday, I ran a half marathon with my FIL. My friend, who had to run a half marathon in order to see me in real life, also ran but she was so stinking fast that I am glad I caught her in line for the potty before the race, b/c there was no seeing her after that.
Look at those chubby hands stuffing his face
I seriously couldn’t stop clicking the camera
Oh, little man, you have captured your Momma’s heart
Reading has not come without its share of battles and tears for my son. Last year, he truly HATED to read and it was such a struggle for us. I at times found myself wondering if I was really meeting his needs by homeschooling. Part of me kept telling myself, “He is a boy. He’ll get it, it just takes time. Don’t worry.” But another part said, “Am I doing a good enough job?
My lil guy isn’t a newborn anymore. I’ve known it for awhile.. he’s eating solids, vocalizing, and working on crawling. But, recently, I also realized his days of simply sleeping in my arms are fleeting. He’s working himself into a rhythm… sleeping through the night… taking 2 solid naps a day…The days of just holding my tiny, sleeping newborn in my arms are over. So on those random Sunday afternoons when he falls asleep in my arms, I am going to stay put and savor the moment.
Dishes piled in the sink, pjs on till 2:00 in the afternoon, laundry waiting to be folded, counter cluttered…
But today, it doesn’t bother me. (ok, it doesn’t bother me too much anyway)…
because…
Today, I finally took the time to snuggle on the couch with my almost 5 year old and work with her on reading… and today that precious light bulb went off as she first went up and down the blend ladders and then graduated to three letter words.
Ever year it is the same… I beg and plead for just one small Christmas Eve miracle, a picture of my kids in front of the tree. The last few years as they’ve gotten older, it has actually gotten easier, thanks to a slight guilt trip from Daddy (do this for Mommy please, as your Christmas gift to her). I thought it might be fun after sharing this years picture to look back on Christmas’s Past.
You’d think doing this 3 times over already, I would have been prepared.
And yet, once again, my breath has been taken away. I have fallen, and hard.
With your irresistible smile, your easy going personality, and your snuggly hugs, I am smitten.
How can it be that 6 months have already passed since you joined our family? In some ways it seems like you were just born yesterday and in others it seems like you’ve always been a part of our family.