L&A

Lately I have been spending lots of time with my beautiful children.  Lately my heart has been full. 

My children are amazingly beautiful spirits and the more time I spend with them the more in love I am.  

Lyric loves.  So often I am astounded by her perception on life and depth at which she feels and understands emotions.  The first time I met Lyric (when I woke up from my emergency c-section) she was staring quietly up at me with her deep soul-filled eyes.  How could I have known that they would be one of the defining characteristics not only of who she is but of how she lives and loves.  She is my thoughtful thinker.  My assesser of new situations.  She still can unnerve people with her thoughtful stare but I tell you what...this little three your old understands each and every situation in her life in a way that much deeper than surface level.  Because of her speech and sensory issues I know that I am only tapping into even a small portion of understanding Lyric.  I know most of what I do by how she shows me on a daily basis, by momma's intuition and from the few times she clearly articulates emtional thoughts.  But I know that as she is able to communicate more clearly it is going to open up a whole new world to those who know her and for Lyric herself.  

Lyric performs.  She has never been the child to respond to 'Lyric do this' 'Lyric say this'.  But when she has a captive audience and she decides she is ready...she LOVES to sing and do motions to songs.  Some of her favorites are old songs I grew up singing plus classics like 'Old McDonald', 'the Itsy Bitsy Spider', 'I'm a Little Teapot', etc...  I get impressed and proud when she sings because although she cannot clearly sing all the words she knows quite a few and remembers them time and time again.  Plus she is SO adorable.

Lyric is my ordered/scheduled little girl.  She knows and loves her routine often telling me it's naptime, etc.  She doesn't often intentionally do things she knows are wrong.  And is very quick to tell Atticus and Roxy (our dog) when THEY are in the wrong.  In many ways it's a typical big sister thing I'm quite sure (having been one myself) but for her it also stems from her knowledge of what is right and wrong.  

Atticus knows.  He's 18 months going on 18 years.  That little boy NEVER ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of how things and life work.  He understands differently than Lyric.  Lyric knows WHY, Atticus knows HOW.  His see once, do always nature both astounds and scares me.  Astounds:  Like the time I watched him climb a full flight of stairs with confidence at 10 months...just from watching his sister do it a couple times.  Scares:  When I turned around to see him plugging a cord into the wall (cuz that's where cords go...right?)...at 13 months.  I will never forget hearing Atticus scream when he was first born and Ian telling me 'he keeps shaking his fists like he's saying 'why? why?'.  He screamed for an hour until I was able to nurse him.  Those early moments taught me two enlightening things about my son.  First he knows what he wants.  Second he gets super mad super quick and over it in a second. Both of those things continue to be true.  

Atticus is BOY.  Rough and rugged, trains and cars, dinosaurs and balls...he is BOY.  He loves to tackle, play hard and get dirty.  He loves figuring out how things work, exploring and discovering .  But did i mention he also loves to dance and cuddle mommy.  He works against the common misconception that you're either a rough boy or a gentle boy.  No I think he's just a boy.  A boy who will make a great man like his daddy.  

Atticus is mischief and joy.  He's funny and he knows it.  He also knows that 50% of the things he does he shouldn't do and does them anyway...until he gets caught and then he makes a break for it (ie. Runs as fast away as he can.).  He tries to laugh his way out of trouble and he is always discovering a new way to make it.  Because  he's all or nothing unless he's mad (which isn't often) he's 100% joy and happiness the rest of the day.  He brings smiles to so many faces...including mine.

I know all these things about my kids.  I'm around them all the time. But the more I get to spend time with them, as they get older and grow up I enjoy each of these things more and more.  I don't like that they're growing up so fast but I love the little people who they are becoming.

Lately I have been spending lots of time with my beautiful children.  Lately my heart has been full