"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today" -Stacia Tauscher
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance." -Franklin P. Jones
"A characteristic of a normal child is he doesn't act that way very often." -Author Unknown
"Boy, n: a noise with dirt on it." -Not Your Averge Dictionary
"Children seldom misquote. In fact, they tend to repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said." -Author Unknown
"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." -Angela Schwindt
"Any kid will run any errand for you if you ask at bedtime." -Red Skelton
I love these quotes. Life is such a gift and everyday offers so much happiness and so many blessings. Michael is starting to grow so fast that it's scary. On Sunday, April 18, we went camping and decided to make a big ceremony out of getting rid of the binky for good. We explained to Michael that it was time to become a big boy and that binkies are for babies. We told him when he was ready that he needed to throw his binky in the camp fire and say good bye to binkies for good. It took a few minutes, but he did. He threw his binky in the camp fire and he hasn't had a binky since. The first few nights were rough, but it's going much better now. He still asks for it several times a day, but he's pretty good about just letting it go once we explain that he's a big boy now and he threw his binky in the camp fire. It was really hard the first couple of nights, there was a lot of screaming, and he even ended up in our room one night, but it's worth the benefits now that we are on the downhill slope. Next big task: Potty training. :( Ugh.
Beyond the binky, Michael is so smart and continues to amaze me every day. He has the funniest personality and he talks all the time. I adore his words. He calls an airplane an "up high", a poptart is a "poppart", grandpa is "papa", and even the words he pronounces correctly sound like the cutest thing you've ever heard. He's a handful. He loves to play outside (and he doesn't care if it's cold and raining or 5 in the morning). He goes down slides face first on his tummy, he climbs on everything (we caught him standing in a window sill holding on for dear life today... luckily we got to him before he fell, and he was only a couple feet off the ground), he ALWAYS tries to drive when I tell him to get in the car, and his smile will melt your heart like butter. He's absolutely adorable and I can't imagine life without him in it.
You think about your life changing when you have a child.... you can't go to a movie without finding a sitter, you can't go out to eat unless it's a loud restaurant where your child can scream and get messy, you can't pamper yourself as much, you sacrifice your body, sleep, and sanity. But being a parent has changed my life for the better. I've never felt love the way I love my baby boy. I haven't been so excited about bubbles and play-doh since I was young enough to enjoy it myself, I haven't appreciated the simple things such as a good swing or slide in years, and I LOVE when he calls "mama" and kisses and hugs me. Being a mom is the greatest thing in the world.
Mike is doing wonderful. His leg is healing well and with physical therapy, he will be back to good in no time. Just in time for summer fun!
My school is going well and I only have 3 classes left! I'll be excited to have completed that milestone, and then it's on to the next step from there.
Life is good. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful family, a beautiful home, and an amazing life. There are always obstacles to overcome, but we get through them together and it only makes us stronger. And without hard times, you can't learn and grow. You can't really appreciate all the good in life, without experiencing the bad.
