Let's Hear It For the Boys

Warning: this is a kid update post. Let's shake it up a bit and start with the youngest for a change. Justin! He's 14 and a half months old now and has been crawling around for maybe a month or so. In the last week he's conquered stair climbing and goes up our stairs pretty much 20 times a day now. He's starting to look pretty skinny from all that climbing and crawling (no worries, he doesn't seem to be in any danger of losing his cute thigh rolls yet...). His favorite room to play in is the kitchen. I don't know why exactly, but he seems to have a kind of routine down: go to fridge, throw off all magnets within reach, turn stool over and put magnets in slots, throw magnets as far as possible, open tupperware cupboard, get into recyclables under sink, then finally make way to last cupboard in kitchen to see if there's anything worth pulling out. I know, sounds like fun, to Justin it's grade A entertainment. Justin has also discovered the bathroom and pulling himself up into a standing position. He usually leaves the toilet alone, but can't resist sometimes. He also loves to close doors then cries when he can't open them again. He's been pulling himself into a standing position at his toy chest and pulling books down. As you know, I'm always eager for more things to clean up. It's fun to see Evan and Justin interacting more. In some ways Justin wants to be just like his big bro: has a growing attachment to a blue blanket, doesn't like white milk, and sticks to mom like glue. Justin is still my happy little guy and I'll be sad when he's a full fledged toddler because I still can't help calling him my baby. sigh!

Evan and I are still so much alike sometimes it's scary. We know what the other is thinking and the same things make us mad. However, it's not fun when we are both mad at the same time, but we are working on that! Evan's favorite thing to do is to build. Building with pipes is number 1 but he'll build with legos, castle blocks, and his kinex too. He also likes to draw and recently has discovered video games. I honestly thought I was in the clear on that last one, after 4 and a half years in a house full of video games and NO interest in them, I figured he just wasn't going to ever like them and I was happy about that. Alas, I was wrong! It's become our newest battle: how long he can play, when he can play, what he can play. Ugh. At least he likes going to preschool finally. He rarely fights me on it (a day I thought would NEVER come) and I've seen how he's grown and learned from his experiences there.

Even though raising kids has been the most demanding, exhausting, and frustrating job I've ever had, I know it's what I'm meant to be doing right now and there's things that only my kids can teach me that I need to learn. I've found, especially in my struggles with Evan, that even though I wish I could just snap my fingers to make things better on the bad days, I know it's not in vain, I'm not being punished, but molded into the Mom I need to be. It's a hard process, one I'm not always eager to go through, but with Heavenly Father's help, I know it's one I won't regret and one I'm determined not to fail at. I love my kids and even though I don't always love myself for the shortcomings I see in myself as their mother, I know there's a reason we're together, and I think it's mostly for my learning and growing benefit at this time. So kids, thanks for loving your imperfect mother, just know I'm trying!!