My Beautiful Mess

My youngest is his own man. Some would call him “strong-willed”…his dad and I like to say “he has fire.” From the time he came out of the womb, he has always let you know exactly where he stands…on everything. You never have to guess - you ask him a question, you better be prepared for a straight answer. This can obviously be good and bad. I’m kind of a straight-forward-kind-a-gal myself so that works for me…until it doesn’t. Until it is Halloween and he tells our neighbors as he trick-or-treats at their doors “I don’t like that kind of candy; do you have anything else?.” Just tell them “no thank you”, sweetie. Until I ask him the name of the boy sitting next to him at school and he says “That’s so-and-so. He’s not my friend; he doesn’t make good choices.” We need to show love to everyone, sweetie.

But he really is so full of love! Both of them are. Lately, Little Man has taken to giving random hugs to people he hardly knows. And I just now received my nightly “night-night kisses.” He is so in tune with others emotions; he doesn’t miss much, even if you think he isn’t listening. After we were home from Texas, after Dad’s funeral, Little Man prayed that night at dinner “…and please make a new Papa for Mimi (my dad’s wife).” He was so worried about Mimi being by herself. Just last week he told me, “Mom, I saw a star outside and thought of Papa.” Childlike love - there’s nothing like it. They are so fresh from heaven, so in tune with His love.

And then when you bundle up that little love of yours in all of his snow gear so that he can sled down the icy driveway, you see that subtle balance of a little boy and a big kid. I feel so honored to be a witness of this journey from little boy to big kid and then - oh heaven help me - beyond. Motherhood really is walking around the world wearing your heart outside your body, isn’t it. Oh how I love this boy!

I’m sitting by myself this morning in one of my favorite little places, sipping coffee by myself. I unofficially decided last week that Friday mornings were going to become my time. A time to be still. Not a time to clean the house, not a time to run a bunch of errands. But a time to do something I want to do that I normally wouldn’t be able to do if I was with someone else. Make sense?

Last Friday worked out great because there was a Dad’s Celebration that morning at the boys’ school. My husband took the boys early to go get donuts which was of course more of a bonus. I didn’t even have to shower until 10am! So I crawled back in bed and read a book…for an hour and a half! It was awesome! I even resisted the urge to turn on the tv or radio as I got ready to pick-up the Little Man. It was completely silent in my house. And I was O.K. It is amazing how much you can hear from God if you turn off all the noise…though the “noise” it my head is sometimes harder to turn off.

Today, I’m feeling really cool as I sit with my laptop at a little table by myself, hooked up to the free wifi. Maybe I’ll even Twitter in a minute because…well, that is what cool people do. I may even pull out my book again …because….well….um…I’ve become addicted to these books. I have to admit that when I first heard about people reading these I thought, I am not reading about vampires - how dumb! Well, look who is dumb now! But maybe the laptop will still make me cool!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Yesterday, my baby turned 5….I think (more on that in the next post!). Ever since we went to Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch last October, I have wanted to do his birthday party there this year. And, needless to say, we had an absolutely fantastic Saturday Birthday Party last weekend. The perfect weather we had was like God smiling down on our day!

This place is fantastic! The kids and grown-ups alike had a blast! I highly recommend that you go. They set us up with our own party area with tables and fire pits for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.

A big portion of our family was there and about 3 kids from his Pre-K class, along with their families, came too. We started off on a hayride all together, and everyone sang him happy birthday. Along the route, they have placed pumpkins hidden in the trees, numbered 1-20 something. The kids loved hunting for all of them.

All the kids also got to do pony rides. Birthday Boy first though….

They have a corn maze that The Boys took Nan through…

They have all kinds of animals to pet and feed - goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, a llama, and bunnies…

There is a hayfort to climb on….and have everyone pose on :)….

Me and The Boys made cookies instead of cake…

…and he opened packages…

….and I got lots of great cousin pics….

Drew, you had an incredible party for an incredible kid. I love your sweet heart, the funny things you always say, and the way your speak your mind. You love being home and just hanging out. You love your Big Brother and chocolate chip cookies and spaghetti and meatballs (probably in that order!). And your mom, dad, and brother love you “bigger than the universe!”