This year for Mother Day I put together some albums about my children, for their grandmothers. Here are some excerpts from the journaling - mini bios of my children, youngest to oldest, a "letter" to the grandmothers, and a short reflection on the past year:
A H C
December 27, 2005
What would we do without A? Her little smiling face, two big front teeth and sparkling eyes bring us so much joy. A IS joy. She is happy most all of the time. Even strangers notice how content and peaceful she is. Of course, like all people, she gets grumpy when she’s hungry or tired. At 16 months, she is starting to get some opinions. She knows what she likes, and one of those things is Chocolate! Her pouting skills improve daily as does her ability to communicate her needs. She asks for so little, and gives us so much love in return. What would we do without our A H? We would be very sad indeed!
Q X C
May 9, 2003
If Q had never come to our family, boy would this be a quiet place. There would be less love, too. I can’t count the number of times each day that he says, “Mom, I love you too.’ He doesn’t say it lightly, either. He means. It is surprising how much emotion he can put into those four little words.
Q is very strong willed. Full of confidence, he fights for himself. He can also be very obedient and quick to obey. Unfortunately, there is no label on his shirt to quickly identify which Q we are working with on any given day. Thankfully, the days of throwing food have long since passed. Although he can still whip up a tantrum on the spot, he is much more reasonable now than he was just a year ago. He is growing every day in so many ways. I must convince him only to use his super powers for good, and I’m sure he could save the world.
E M C
March 10, 2001
E is girlhood at its zenith. She is drama, sweetness, shrillness and beauty in one small busy package. She constantly narrates the story of her life and it is exciting, thrill a minute stuff. If you were listening to E you might hear her say, probably into a pretend phone:
“Reading is fun! I love my teacher.”. . . . “I love playing Moms and Babies, especially with my friends.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “I like to have my hair done in buns, and look extra pretty.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “My mom is the meanest mom in the whole entire Universe and I am never speaking to her again!”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “I love my mom and dad so much!”. . . . . . . “I am the Queen.”
C D C
August 17, 1998
C was baptized on September 2, 2006. He has learned a lot already about the Holy Ghost and repentance. As his mother, I have been impressed by his willingness to seek the Lord’s help and guidance at an early age.
C is smart and kind. His teacher says that he is a brilliant boy, and just needs to learn to focus. He likes to make people happy. He enjoys playing with friends, and makes friends easily. He’s sweet and tenderhearted.
He’d rather do just about anything other than chores, but works hard if it means he will get to play his favorite internet games. He enjoys playing soccer, and has a great kick. He likes playing defense and he’s good at it.
T D C
December 1, 1995
T has done well in school, and his teacher says, “He’s a great kid.” He’s been playing baseball this spring, and has learned a lot: balancing schoolwork with sports, and not giving up when it gets hard, and priorities. He is learning that work has to come first, because otherwise, it doesn’t get done. He is learning that a little extra work in the “helping Mom” arena, can really pay off. I appreciate all he does for me. He really helps to care for A, and she loves him.
T is a good friend. When we moved, the hardest thing for him was finding a new buddy, someone that he could connect with on an internet game level. Having found a friend, he is now learning about limits. He’s learned that you can’t just “tell Mom and Dad” what you are going to do, and that family comes first. T is a fantastic teen in the making.
The gift of children
I’m grateful to be able to share the gift of our children with you, their grandmothers. I’m thankful to have been the beneficiary of your love and experience. Raising this group of five will probably be the greatest challenge of my life. I believe that it will also be the most fulfilling. My children’s childhood is something wondrous and precious that I hope to protect. I hope to teach, love and cherish them enough that they will be able to come to know and feel the love of the Lord for them. I hope that feeling the Lord’s love will help them to face their own face their own Goliath in faith, and to overcome the way that young David did. Everyone has a Goliath, just as everyone one of us has the Savior. My prayer is that these children will be able to see in us, their parents and grandparents an example of faith and trust in the Lord which will inspire them never to give up, and to truly believe that they are loved, by God, beyond measure.
This last year
We’ve been through fall, winter and spring in our new home and we are coming up on summer. Soon, a year will have passed from the time we decided to put our house on the market and move. The past year has been difficult for everyone. The kids have loved their new school, but missed their old friends. We’ve tried to find time for them to play with old friends while they got more comfortable here in the new neighborhood. Quinn did not like his stressed out Mom and wanted “to be Grandma’s boy”, or move back to our old house. I guess that I’m doing better now, because he likes it here, and doesn’t talk much about wanting to “go home” anymore.
To me, the thing that has changed most has to do with our family, rather than our location. We have all grown a great deal in facing these challenges. I have a deeper appreciation for my children. I can more clearly see their strengths and weaknesses - all the things that make them unique and special. I feel like the children care more for each other as well. They are looking out for each other and are concerned for each other’s happiness. Even with all the hardships, I’d have to say that this was a very good move. I’m glad it’s behind us and that we just keep making this new home better as each day passes.
No comments:
Post a Comment