The Good Stuff

So, I realize I have been kind of a Deborah Downer on the ol' blog lately (I say Deborah, instead of Debbie, because I am fancy).  So, I decided I would write a quick somethin' somethin', lest those of you that read my blog think my life is anything but awesome.  Because, though sometimes I forget to mention the awesome, there is a lot more awesome than there is not awesome (read that sentence again, it was, well, awesome).  So, I thought I would write a little Top Ten things I love about being a mom of two.

1- I love naptime

This is funny, because you probably misunderstand, clearly every mom loves naptime.  But, the reason I love naptime with my two boys is as follows.  We have a ritual.  I first put Joey down in his crib, Aaron comes with me.  Then we both say 'shhhh'  and lil' Aaron takes my hand and leads me out of Joey's room.  Then, we head to lil' Aaron's room, and when he is ready, he says, 'up' and I put him in his bed.  When everything goes as plans, usually, lil' A gives me a smile right before I leave....it makes my heart melt.

2-  I love our night ritual

The past two weeks, we have actually put together a night ritual.  At around 7:00 pm, we put the boys in their pajamas and then we head to the 'Big Bed'.  There we read two books, sometimes do a song, pray with both boys and then Big Aaron puts one to bed, while I put the other to bed. I love this small bit of family time before our boys tuck in.  I love us together touching base at the end of the night.

3-  I love that Lil' A is becoming a helper

When I sweep, he likes to hand me the pan to gather the dirt.  When I change Joey's diaper, he likes to bring it to the diaper pail.  When I ask him to, he will bring me my shoes.  When I ask him to, he will bring me various things in the house.  He is FINALLY understanding the joy of cleaning up after oneself and clearing one thing before moving on to the next.  He is basically just a really sweet kid that likes to help (wonder how long that will last?!?!).  It brings a smile to my face.

4. I love the toys all over the house

Who knew that one thing I would love about being a mom is finding toys all over our house? The thing is, I am sure at some point it will REALLY annoy me.  But, right now, it is a reminder that all my dreams have come true and I have two sweet little ones to pick up after.  At the end of the day, if I am heading to my room and I see one of lil' A's matchbox cars on the ground in the hall, it brings such a feeling of completeness to my life.  Is that weird?  

5.  I love snuggles

Joey is a cuddler, he tucks himself right into my neck.  It is such a fantastic feeling.  Lil' A is getting to the age where I can say, 'first give me a kiss' and for a hot second he is frustrated, but then he gives me a kiss (or a head crash, because that is his version) so he can move on to whatever he was doing.  It is adorable.

6.  I love little boy clothes

OM lowercase g.  A coworker just gave us a bag of clothes for Aaron and it had like seven turtlenecks in it. As though life in overalls couldn't get any cuter, today he is wearing them with a turtleneck underneath.  Be.still.my.heart.  She also gave us some flannel pajamas.  I do love my some footsie pajamas, but apparently, flannel pajamas are a close second.  Joey, today, is sporting this super hip sweater his auntie annie gave him for Christmas, with a pair of jeans. I mean, my boys ride in STYLE.  It's awesome. And don't even get me started on these matching outfits that Grammy gave us!!!!

7.  I love that lil' A is finally talking

It is so cool to hear this kid talk to himself.  Big A said it a few weeks ago, and it is so true, probably the coolest time is when he is in the backseat, in his car seat, discovering the world as we drive.  He will say things like, 'Car' and 'Wow'.  When he says 'wow', no joke, it is the coolest thing ever.  He says it with such wonder and excitement.  It's perfect.

8.  I love how Joey looks at his daddy

Joseph Michael is probably the most loving kid of all time.  His smile can stop a heart from beating (don't worry, they always start up again).  I adore watching him, but probably my favorite thing is watching Joey watch his daddy.  He follows him, and loves to give him really big, wide, smiles.  The husband isn't always the most emotionally expressive man (even though he sobbed like a little girl at our wedding) but I can tell when Joey flashes him one of those grins, Big Aaron feels a pride that he can't even hide.  It is fantastic.

9.  I love family days

I adore when we have a chance to do things together as a 'just us' family.  Even if it is just grocery shopping. Taking both the boys out with just Big A and I makes me so proud.  When we are crusin' with our fabulous double stroller, it doesn't matter where we are, I feel so blessed to call this family mine.  When we are together, just us four, I am so aware of how God has showered blessings upon me in the past three years, starting with the gift of my husband.  

10.  I love how lil' A is learning to say sorry

The thing about my eldest is that he is SO filled with energy, he can't help himself sometimes.  He will be running around the family room like a crazy man, laughing and dancing, and then, without even really realizing it, he will run over to me and slap me, or slap Joseph.  I truly don't think it is to be mean, he is just excited.  BUT, we are staying on top of it, so it ends quickly.  Whenever he does it, I hold his hands really tight in front of me, I firmly let him know it is not allowed.  His face is always so bummed out, like he knows he did something wrong and he didn't mean to.  But after, and this is the good part, I make him 'show me gentle' or 'show his brother gentle' and he has to gently stroke the face of whoever he hit.  Now, just in the past week, I am also making him say 'sorry' which comes out more like 'ssssyyyy'.  It is adorable, but don't worry, I don't even crack a smile, until after he completes his apology. Then I give him a big hug and let him know how proud I am of him.

Basically, bloggers, being a mom rocks!

the.end.