My Girl

There are still moments I can't believe that you are mine

I love how you crinkle your nose

clap your hands

sign more, please, and all done

I love how you say, DaDa, MaMa, BuBu, Baby, PaPa, and More

I love how you always want me

I love every quiet moment I get with you

I like the loud moments too

I love that you pull out every cookbook, pot, pan, and utensil while I cook

I even love how you take out all of my toiletries from the vanity while I get ready

There are times I act exasperated by your constant movement and destructive ways

(Daddy calls you "The Ella Twister"--you can always tell where Ella has been)

I really just want to stop that silly "perfect mommy behavior" and love you for who you are right now

I'm not supposed to have a tidy house, I'm just supposed to love you with all I have

I will slow down this Christmas and cherish every little part of OUR LOVE

Picture taken by my dear friend Erin Keith

Thoughts from Owen

I'm sure I've written posts before that talk about how smart my kids are and I know if you read this you may think that I'm being arrogant.  I also know that most of you think your kiddos are nothing short of amazing, so I'm going to brag again! 

My Owen is very bright.  He thinks so deeply and figures out things I never dreamed he could.  A while back we were playing a staring contest game.  You know, "Made you blink!"  He asked why we blink when something comes close to our eyes and I simply said, "It's human nature.  Our eye-lids are protecting our eyes from potential harm." This seems to satisfy him and we moved on to other things.  Several months later, while getting the boys ready for bed, Owen explained that he could never sleep without his fan on because a really quiet room makes him feel a little lonely and that makes him feel scared at night.  I told him that I am the exact same way and that I have needed "white noise" since I was his age just to fill the space with sound.  Owen responded with, "That's human nature Mom.  We need things like noise to protect our minds from scary things."  I had forgotten my little speech from a while back so I asked him how he knew about human nature.  He quickly retold my story about eye blinking and explained how the two were similar. 

Maybe that doesn't sound smart to you, but it does to me.  As I thought about it, he made a connection between physical response and emotional need, something some grown ups never understand.  I love that little boy and how his mind works. I love that he constantly wants to learn and goes at it with all he has.  And of course,  I love that he is mine!

Ella