It's Been Awhile!!

Shane: "Mom, come here. I have a surprise for you."
Me: "What is it?"
Shane: "It's a surprise."
Me: "Do you need help? Remember to wash your hands". (hey, when Shane has a surprise, it usually gets flushed... I know...eww gross)
Shane: "No, Mom. Here. I got you the little one, like me." And with a flourish he pulls out a little dandelion with almost no stem from behind his back. Wow. I am so loved!! All I could think was that one day I hope he treats his girlfriends and [much, much} later, his wife, with the same love and respect that he shows me. And then, of course, I hugged him tight, sent him back out to play, and cried for a good 10 minutes.

I read a quote on BabyCenter and I just had to post it. It was on a list of "30 Things That Change When You Have a Baby"......."You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late." Every day that I work ( I know, that's only about 5 or so days a month) and every day that I go to school (now only 2 days a week) I drop my boys off at Grandma's and shrug as they run for the livingroom to change the television to Nickelodeon or Disney. But always before I walk out the door (the storefront door has a chime that rings in the back so they know when I open it) they come running up to the front of my Grandma's store yelling for "please just one more hug." No job is worth missing out on those few extra kisses...I'm late every day because that one more kiss and hug turned into 5 or 10 kisses and hugs!!

Those kisses and hugs are one of the things I have been so thankful for as I've reflected on all the blessings in my life during this past week. A few other things I am thankful for include:

I'm thankful that, although Schylar just turned a very mature eight and is halfway to boys and bad taste in clothes, she still occasionally, albeit rarely, wants to snuggle up and fall asleep rubbing my ears. After months of encouraging her to break that nighttime habit that had begun when she was only a few months old, now I wish I had never once removed her sweet chubby little 3-year-old hands!!

I'm thankful that Sydney is just like me. I never liked much about myself until I saw me reflected in her. Not just the outer package, her personality is exactly like mine and I've discovered that the spirit and laughter and determination (my mil calls it stubborness) we share are gifts! She is amazing, beautiful, and quite unique!!

I'm thankful that I had the boys. If I had stopped with just two children I would never have been able to see the world through the amazing minds of Seth and Shane. I would have missed so much! Sometimes fun really can be measured by the amount of dirt in the bathwater!!

I'm thankful that my children have such a wonderful father. My husband is the best dad I've ever seen. I see my kids growing up secure and confident and I know that it's because Scott and I make sure they know they are the priorities in our lives.

I'm thankful that somehow I have been blessed with thoughtful children. Maybe it's how they've been raised but I don't feel like I should get the credit.

I'm thankful that my kids think I'm cool. I know it won't last, but for now there's nobody cooler than me. I'm even a favorite partner on the trampoline and they all want to fall asleep on or near me!

And finally, I'm thankful for the insistent toes that wiggle beneath the waistband of my pjs and dig into my stomach and the restless fingers that hold tight to my tank top making sure that I don't sleep too far away because one day far too soon he won't want to snuggle Mom all night and I'll miss it.

This isn't an exhaustive list, just the ones I've pondered this week. I have so much more to be thankful for!!