Ten Kisses

I'm home from Blissdom '10 and EXHAUSTED. Blissdom can almost extrovert an introvert if that's possible. Everyone was friendly and kind to me. That is my kind of place.

When I went to fetch Finley from his Grandmommy and Pabba's house this morning (so I could take him to his OT and PT appointments), he walked fast to me, put his arms up and gave me at least TEN KISSES RIGHT ON THE MOUTH! He doesn't give out kisses that often. It was one of the happiest moments I have experienced in a LONG time. He missed me. :) Sweet boy. Grandmommy says he kissed her on the hand this weekend. Such a gentleman!

Kieran showed his love a little later... after his favorite Sprout show was off. :)

Finley did excellent at his appointments today. I am so proud of him. He amazes me and is awesome. We enjoyed a meal together. I think his Happy Meal and toy made him as happy as his 10 kisses did me!

Our Visit With Family and My Little Boys

I wonder if this is how each of my boys will remember their childhood?

I always remember mine in black and white.
This photo was taken at my sister's house.

Recently, we enjoyed a nice weekend spent visiting my parents, sister, her husband and friends. The boys had a fun time and were totally spoiled by their family and friends and loved experiencing different scenery.

My oldest son (he’ll be three in late April) really loves the farm my sister lives on. He wanted to spend the entire day outside today. It has been raining a lot over the last few days and he had cabin fever. He kept leading me around, showing me different things. He would eventually end up at the big area where the dogs were outside playing. He would stand at the fence for the longest time, just watching the dogs. I had to stand there too. If I walked away to the nearby carport to sit down, he would turn around quickly and walk the 30 or so steps (actually he almost ran) to get me. Once he fetched me, he would take me back and put me in my place. It’s funny because he struggles so much with his walking, but if he REALLY wants something, he can do really well. I think he over thinks it sometimes (as we all do in life).

He would also take his little Thomas and Percy trains that he hauls everywhere and line them up at the fence, facing the dogs so they could “watch” his furry friends as well. Once, I picked his dear trains up to put them away and he got frustrated and put them back, carefully arranging them, facing towards the fence.

At one point, I tried to take a nap while my family was awake to watch the boys, but my sweet son awoke from his nap and I was awakened with the ear piece of my eyeglasses poking me in the eye. He was trying to put my glasses on me while I slept. Once he got them on, he grabbed my finger and took me right back where I belonged… outside (and fully awake). At least he was thoughtful enough to get my glasses for me so I could fully enjoy the scenery. My youngest son was content watching football with daddy and rearranging his aunt’s house.

I sure will miss these days when they're all grown up.

The Many Kinds of Love and Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I pray that you and your family have a blessed day.

Yesterday, I was looking through the cookbook that my grandmother had when I was growing up. It is filled with recipes written in her handwriting (and mine too when I was a little girl). It has recipes from loved ones, friends and family and many that my grandmother, Nanny, made up throughout her life. Hidden in with the family recipes and potluck ideas was this little gem that my grandmother wrote many years ago. My grandmother is no longer with us on earth, but her love is still here.

My prayer is that your Chirstmas day is filled with love, joy, happiness and the true meaning of Christmas!

Like (Squeaky) Music To My Ears

I remember before I had my boys that I’d see parents with their kids and think, “Why on earth would they do that?” I think a lot of us are guilty of this, right?

I would see a mom with a toddler screaming in a grocery cart and think, “Why can’t she calm him down?” Oh, how naïve I was! Having kids sure does slap you with reality and make you understand things. If I observe that same scene now (sometimes involving me and my party of two), I nod with total understanding and empathy.

Before kids, I couldn’t fathom why a parent would put noisy shoes on their child. I would see children running through malls with squeaky shoes on and cover my ears. I never understood why the moms and dads would sit there with a big smile, watching their little one, oblivious to the offending noise.

You know what?

I now get it! I TOTALLY get it! Every child is different. Every family is different. I have a 2 ½ year old son with developmental delays. He walks, but struggles with it daily. Lately, he has been walking on his own more and more and he’s so proud. I get tears of joy in my eyes just thinking about it. He takes unassisted steps with a huge smile on his face and a look in his eyes that says, “Are you proud of me?”. Awhile back, I was given a pair of squeaky shoes for him. Let me tell you, that squeak squeak squeak as he walks little by little, step by step is beautiful music to this proud mother’s ears. He loves hearing the squeak and that helps him want to walk more and more.

So, the next time you see someone doing something you don’t understand, try putting yourself in their shoes (squeaky or not) for just a minute.

I wrote this post for the Naptime Blog. You can read all of my posts and posts from other bloggers here. There are lots of personal posts there from me. I will be featuring more of those at a later time to help you get to know me better.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

From the little country bumpkins in the pumpkin patch... Finleypotamus and Kierbear!