Mixed Bag

Well, if there is one thing I have learned as a mom, it's that every day is a mixed bag of blessings and challenges. At one moment, I'm watching Finley tell Ryder how she's so proud of him for sharing, smothering him with kisses and hugs. And, the next moment, I see her throw him to the ground, ripping the toy straight out of his hands. There are these really sweet magical moments peppered by aggrevating ones that make my life interesting. One day last week, I was having a day of "survival." So, while the kids ate lunch, I hid in the pantry and ate chocolate. I felt so sneaky, and so ridiculously crazed....being a mom can do that to you.

Finley is truly hilarious, always going from one extreme to another. Somedays, I ask 'how could someone be so capricious?' 2 year olds definitely have their own social order, and it is everything BUT predictable, or should I say logical? I can't tell you how many times I have looked at Ted with his "what in the world?" face and said, "She's two!" The funny thing is that she can verbalize more than she really understands. She got upset the other day, ran to her room and slammed the door like a teenager. I could hear her saying, "I don't want my LAMBY, I don't want my BOOK, I don't want my BLANKET...I don't want ANYTHING I need....I'm having a BAD ATTITUDE!" Oddly, I find myself enjoying these moments...watching this little person cope with hard things. She's trying so hard to understand life and how to get the most out of it. I keep repeating scripture to her because she is like a sponge right now. She quotes phrases from videos and sings complicated lines from songs: "where troubles melt like lemon drops, high above the chimeney chop is where....you fiiiiiiiiind me." Maybe one of my favorite moments was after we watched Nemo and I heard her telling one of her toys "I'm gonna have to go on without you now, because you cause delays." I'm so thankful that I get to be her mom.

Ryder is my little koala bear, stuck to my side everywhere we go. It helps that he loves to snuggle. His love language is definitely touch because he is always grabbing my hands and sitting on top of me. Every night when I rock him to sleep, he plays with my hand. If I ever get down on the floor, he is right there with me, chewing on my arm or pouncing on my stomach. He just wants to be close, all the time. It is really sweet to be loved by a baby...such a pure love...totally unassuming, and yet all consuming. I think his only thought throughout the day is, 'where is my mama?' I'm enjoying it while it lasts. He is walking all over the house now and is so proud of himself. I just love watching him wobble around with that sweet little beaming smile. How is he so cute? I want to nibble on every one of those chubby little toes.

Since I haven't blogged in almost a year, I thought I'd post a few updated photos of my two busy bees: