When I look back at pictures from last year, at this time, I see three different children. It’s amazing what one year will do in the life of a child. It’s also amazing to realize that–even though at times you want to pull your hair out, that you could yell till you are blue in the face, that you might like to run away–you are incredibly blessed with the children you are raising.

This life of ours is crazy, but it’s crazy-good!

I’ll start with the baby because everyone starts with the eldest, and I’m all for breaking rules…from time-to-time. He’s changing so quickly. Everyday there is something new. Today he was laughing at the names of the dogs. He’s in the phase where he’s realized that everything–actions, people, body parts, objects–everything has a name.

“Dat?”
“Nose!”
“Dat?”
“Fan!”
“Dat?”
“Sadie!”
“Dat?”
“Drinking!”

This afternoon, when we were getting ready to leave the house to drop the big kids off for their sleep over, Michael was talking to him. He pointed to Michael’s mouth, and Michael said, “Papa’s mouth.” Very precisely Davey said, “Papa Mow.” Our baby is going to be a big boy before we know it and he’s getting there by never stopping. I’d like to get him to slow down, but that’s just not going to happen.

Next up: Benjamin, or he who has one goal in life. That goal? The computer and his Impossible Creatures game. The other day we went for Chinese and it was time for the fortune cookie. Benny got his open and yelled out in excitement.

“What is it, Benny?”
“This can only mean one thing!”
“What?!”
“They are going to start making Impossible Creatures toys!”
“Why’s that?”
“Because my fortune says that my greatest wish will come true.”

Then there is Olivia, our only girl, our doggy care taker, she whom is always seems to be bickering with two of her brothers. I guess that’s her job, though; to bicker with her male siblings. However, this behavior has been compounded by the fact that one of her best girly friends has been gone for five weeks. Five weeks of looking out the window and sadly lamenting how she thinks she might have forgotten how Kate looks. Five weeks of asking if it was time for Kate’s mom to go get her yet. Five weeks of wishing for just one day in the cul-de-sac. It was rather bittersweet. All I could do was tell her that her friend would be home soon. Emails helped, but didn’t help enough. She did, however, become the surrogate sister to Kate’s little sister. Almost daily little sissy would come over, or Livey would go over there; I think it was good for both of them.

What makes me the proudest of my daughter, though, is that I see so much [of me] in her. Sure she’s got her Papa’s spunk, but she somehow got my artistic ability. The girl writes like crazy, and is forever drawing something. I absolutely love this and believe-you-me it’s something that I’m encouraging.

Finally, we have Mikey. Mikey read Old Yeller this summer. He came downstairs the day he finished it.

“I finished the book, Mama.”
“Well, what’cha think of it?”
“It was sad. Reeeeeeeeeally sad.”
“Did it make you cry?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Ok, maybe just a little.”

I can’t believe that he’s going into 5th grade. It’s really amazing to me to think that he’s that old. Seems like it was just yesterday that I had this little boy who was deathly afraid, yet severely in love with volcanoes. This little boy who loved watching his Papa play “the helicopter game”. This little boy who exclaimed that he would go into the Army some day because they had guns and tanks. And now….I have this big boy who is reading big boy books, playing big boy games (his latest favorites are Rune Scape, Race to the Center, and Mario Kart Wii), and he still playing with his toy guns and army guys. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that he’d be an “Army guy” some day. Surely not a volcanologist, though!

Visit Karen at 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Benjaminism, Dude, Familija, Girl Power, Many Faces of Mikey, Silly Monkeys. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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