My Little Man has hit the Double Digits

My youngest has hit the double digits - the big "10" and I'm filled will lots of different emotions. I've always been more protective of my little man, he was our surprise, we almost lost him when I was 19 weeks pregnant, he was premature, and he is a sensitive soul. We share that bond - he feels his emotions, but he feels the emotions of others just as strongly, and it can be maddening at times. He is aware of everything and quick to react to it all, which at times can be overwhelming for him.


What I love most about my little man is his spirit - he looks for the positive and good in all and he tries to bring that out. He is my funny man, he loves to make people laugh and he knows exactly when I need to laugh, when we all need to laugh. He's not afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve and I remind him how sometimes people may use this against him, but I tell him not to change, to be just who he wants to be. We tell him to chase his dreams regardless of what those dreams are. He is the treasure keeper - he keeps tokens of best moments in life, moments he is proud of, moments close to his heart. For the last five years, anytime we travel somewhere new, we collect rocks and then we bring them all together and vote on which ones we will bring back to put it in our bowl. I love how he will pull them out and take us back to those moments when he shares the story of the rock, "this one, he says with a sneaky smile, everyone voted against this rock and I pretended to throw it back, but while you guys weren't looking, I put it in my pocket and carried it home."

I love what he brings to my life, I love how my kids teach me about living, about love, about what I am teaching and passing on to them - they keep us grounded.
He's not afraid to say what's on his mind, to share what's in his heart and to remind us of the blessings in our life. It's hard for me to look at him as anything other than my baby, my little man. I just hope that we are giving him the tools necessary for him to tackle the world - to conquer his dreams.


So, happy birthday my little man. I love you more everyday for all you are and all you want to become. May you continue to surprise me through the years.








“There is more to a boy than what his mother sees. There is more to a boy then what his father dreams. Inside every boy lies a heart that beats. And sometimes it screams, refusing to take defeat. And sometimes his father's dreams aren't big enough, and sometimes his mother's vision isn't long enough. And sometimes the boy has to dream his own dreams and break through the clouds with his own sunbeams.” - Ben Behunin. 

The Mighty Eleven

Eleven - seriously, she is eleven. It seems unbelievable that eleven years ago we welcomed our first child into the world, that this beautiful soul is part of me. Where did the time go, where did my baby go, where did that inquisitive toddler go, when did she become this young lady?
She is strong willed and fiercely independent and I admire her. I look at this creative, young lady that stands before me and see her wild spirit, her curious nature, her spirited self and as challenging as she can be sometimes, I try to fuel her fire, to let her be her.

She is at the crossroads of girlhood and entering the teenage years and all the wave of emotions that come with it. She is finding where she fits in the world, she is pushing boundaries and sometimes she gives me attitude and I sometimes find myself pushing right back, right or wrong.

After one of these episodes, I sat her down and we had a girl talk. I told her that there will likely be more of these moments when we disagree and that she will display her displeasure with big o'attitude. She said she didn't like it when we argued and I told her I didn't either, but that when we have these tense moments, she needs to remember that I love her, that even when we disagree, I love her and I love her spirit. I told her she will always be my baby and nothing she says will change how I feel about her. She hugged me tight and said, "I don't want to grow up." I told her I didn't want her to grow up either, but that we all do and that my job is to help guide her.
I want her to be free to express her frustrations, her emotions, her anger, her joy, her craziness and I want her to know that I will be here and that I will love her after all of it.

And I learn from her and grow as a mother myself and isn't that what it's about? I gave her life, but she and my little man have taught me so much about life. Happy 11th Birthday - she is and will always be my sweetpea.

My cousin took this photo of us when we were visiting in NZ

"The process of shaping the child....shapes also the mother herself. Reverence for her sacred burden calls her to all that is pure and good, that she may teach primarily by her own humble daily example."- Elizabeth Elliot