How they grow!

My boys; my pride and joy.  How blessed I feel at the privilege of being their Mom, and how astounded I am at the responsibility God has given me to raise them.

 Words can't describe how grateful I am to have this wonderful man at my side, to guide us through this life.  I am always amazed at his capacity for love and how devoted he is to me and his boys.  He's my lifeline, my rock, and an amazing role model to these boys. God has blessed me more than I ever deserved. <3

 William 4 1/2 years old:

Ah William...this boy is growing so quickly and what a big heart he has.  He loves his brothers and loves to take care of little ones.  He's Sanguine/Melancholic which makes him a sensitive soul with a focus on pleasing others.  He is a social butterfly, loves playing with other children and stopping anyone who will listen to him chatter on about his new belt, what he had for lunch, or whatever else is prominent in his little world at the moment.  He has a killer laugh and loves books and cuddles.  Daddy is his hero and his favorite thing to do is follow him around "helping" him with whatever task he's on.

He knows his alphabet, how to count to 20, and is now working on writing his letters independently.  He loves to learn, although his mind is often "off with the fairies" so getting him to focus is a different story.  He will be starting kindergarten the next school year and is very excited.

Marcellus 2 years old (3 in less than 2 months!):

Our little Marcellus...he never stops making us laugh.  He is such an active little fellow and is always on the move (and into trouble!).  He's quite impulsive and has a hard time controlling those urges to touch and play with things that he's not supposed to (and somehow those things end up in the toilet).  He's the child who loves to color on furniture and the wall, despite lots of consequences to those actions.  Yet, as I walked into their bedroom and saw the crayon marks on their nightstand, I couldn't help but smile.  I pointed out to Zenith that in a way its a reminder that we have children and there's something special in seeing those crayon marks.  I would rather have those crayon marks than an empty, clean home with none of the joy that comes with those mischievous moments of having children.  Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have angel children who never tested the boundaries and nice clean walls and furniture.  But God sent me Marcellus...He's trying to get me to Heaven! I'll learn patience one of these days.

Anyway back to the little guy.  He's getting to know his colors and shapes, he loves animals and learning how things work.  And whenever this kid is in trouble, his little face tells me how sorry he is.  He is such a sweet little boy and never does anything out of defiance or malice.  He's just a curious little guy with a heart of gold.  Those sparkling blue eyes never cease to bring smiles to us all, and does he love to sing!  He actually can sing quite well too.

Dominic 11 months old:

What a special little guy he is.  Full of smiles and laughter, he brings joy to us all on a daily basis.  The boys can't wait to go in to say good morning and love playing with him.  He has a lot of energy and I think I might be detecting a choleric streak since this boy is persistent!  He has two bottom teeth and finally eating solids along with breastmilk.  His two little teeth must be "sweet teeth" since he only likes fruit and not a lot of veggies, but hopefully he'll grow a "savory tooth" one of these days.  He crawls all around the house, following his brothers everywhere.  He stands himself up on everything and has finally learned how to put himself back down on the ground (it's a long way back down, you know!).  He's just starting to travel a bit on furniture but is much too cautious to try standing in his own yet.  He responds well to "no" and understands when Mommy and Daddy are telling him not to do something, although he still sometimes tests the limits.  He loves to talk and babble and knows some signs by sight but refuses to sign it himself.  He has now once or twice, but that stubborn streak comes out and he will not oblige Mommy on that one.  William was signing at 7 months, Marcellus at 8, but this kid?  He knows Mommy wants it so he just grins at me with a gleam in his eye.

What a job it is to be a Mom...24/7, never a break, minimal sleep, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  It has molded me into such a different person and with the grace of God, it will continue molding me toward sanctity.  I've always thought about it as being opposite...we mold them.  We form them into the little people they grow up to be.  But it's a two sided coin and we learn so much from them and from the process.  First I must learn to be stripped down to my core in all the dirty work, struggles and hard times.  Then I can start building back up into a stronger, more grace-filled woman, and only then will I be able to allow God to mold my children through my actions.  

May God always help me to remember that and stay focused on the real focus of life; doing all for the greater glory of God and doing all I can to get my family to Heaven.  These are all but detours along the road...may God aid me in straightening out my path so we might take the most direct road!

My little kitchen helpers