Spring Fever

My heart feels very full today. It's the second day in a week I've been able to sit in the backyard during nap time, reading a book in the sunshine, and listening to the breeze blow around in the empty trees and the kids scream at the school playground across the street. Sometimes the stay-at-home/work-at-home mom thing can feel a little isolating, but this was one of those days where I felt that the grass really was greener on my side of the fence:) I think I'm a Spring-lover:) Every season is awesome, but nothing gets me like Spring. (ironically, its not even Spring yet, and we had SNOW on the ground yesterday....and today I'm in a T-shirt. Oh, Indiana...)

I celebrated (I use the term loosely) my 29th birthday a couple days ago. We didn't exactly celebrate because I had a nasty sinus infection and cough, but the day involved lots of yummy cupcakes and lots of Ted, Jude and Ada, so I was happy.

The kids are growing up. Why do they DO that? Ada is learning the letters of the alphabet. She can repeat most letters you say to her, and can recognize and say several vowels from her ABC books without help. She can wear a ponytail and successfully eat chips with salsa or guacamole, and sing the chorus to "Old McDonald" and handle herself very impressively with a fork. She sits up in her room for long periods of time, in her chair with a stack of books you can hear her "reading" loudly through the monitor. She learned from Jude how to color, and every time we turn around we catch her running away from a large scribble on the wall, clutching a rogue pen or colored pencil or piece of chalk. Those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers were invented just in time! Even with her feistiness, she is easier to parent these days than Jude. (Can I say that?) She is easy to please and easy to comfort, and Jude is just at an age where feeling are flying around ALL over the place. And by feelings, I mean moods and opinions. Which are sometimes positive and lovely, and sometimes downright awful. Some days he's easy going, and other days, he HATES the errands we're running, HATES the food we're eating, HATES his outfit, HATES the fact that Ada is eating a cracker, HATES that Valentine's Day is over....all to the point of tears...you get the idea. It can get emotionally exhausting, and makes me thankful there are two parents! But at the same time, its opened the door for some meaningful conversations with him about life and love and truth and respect and all that good stuff. I've felt like a parent since the kids were born, but here lately with Jude has really been the first time I've felt like I'm parenting, you know? Like in the real, active and child-forming sense of the word. Like with my brains, and not just my hands! The first couple years, you spend all your time just trying to keep them happy. Then all of a sudden one day, there's so much more to it than that. Luckily, Ada is still in the phase where a cookie solves every crisis.

I've got good kids to parent though, that I will never deny! Yesterday when I was washing dishes I overheard Jude going:
"Ada, God made you special and he--STOP IT ADA!--and he loves you very much." I had a good chuckle at the sink. I love them:)