Love Hurts...

My very first CD I ever bought was Def Leopard I think - was the album called Love Bites?  I dunno.  But as I here thinking about how much a LOVE my children - that song comes to mind - you know in a funny ironic sad sort of way.

It is STRESSFUL how much I LOVE these kids.  Not everyday.  A good amount of the time I'm occupied trying to get life stuff done - dishes and working out and trying not to make cupcakes.

I know loving them to this degree - or at least telling them I love them to this degree is unhelpful - so you know - I don't make them too crazy with pronouncements of adoration.

But these faces - lips and eyes and eyelashes and noses and voices and jokes and hugs.  I hope I do them all justice.

In the middle of the night...

I hear Abby listening to Jeannie Roberts (or music or the penderwicks or...) on repeat. I find this incredibly endearing and is probably sabotaging her for life.  

I hear Jack talking in his sleep - mostly complaints about not being able to race, someone is hiding a toy from him, or general anger toward whatever his subconscious is doing to him... sometimes a huge laugh.

And Finn loud breathing thru his nose that he refuses to blow. (Sometimes he giggles in his sleep too)...and he's probably fallen off the bed but hasn't noticed.

Wind beneath their Capes

When I was a child I daydreamed about what my life would be like- love and marriage and kids.  Now, if I have the mental space, I daydream about my children as adults- not just their lives but how they will function as siblings.  I have no idea where life will take those relationships but I wish fiercely that they stay loving and close.  Because of course I want that.  But also because of how it started.  And how it is now. Abby and her boys.  Boys if you could only see how wonderful she is to you.  She is literally the wind beneath your wings.  These pictures are Halloween night.  She's not in the corner eating her candy or wishing her friends were there.  She's loving how much you love to be superheroes.  She's making your cape fly dramatically in the wind.  She is flying you around the room to music.

 She is the damsel in distress when you need to rescue someone.  And lovely Abby, maybe you did wish for more time with friends but look at your face.  You love this.  You love them.  And I love you all.

Homework

Jack has settled into a groove with school.  Don't get me wrong he still resents that it takes so long, that he has to be away from his toys - worse that they are susceptible to being played with by Finnin his absence.  But every day after Monday he happily sings to school.

 And... oddly enough he LOVES homework.  Like LOVES it. 

Checks the instructions... Double checks his work.  It's pretty awesome. And hilarious.  Very, very hilarious.

In Between

I do not feel the need for retreat because I often find myself on mini retreats.  As one shoot ends and the next arrive.

Legos and Star Wars

Two things that I've always equated with youth.  Glad we're getting into it finally in my family.

If they named Photographers like they do Serial Killers

My media name would be "The Face Collector"  (thx to Adam for realizing this and telling me)

Faith in Gramma's Cooking

Jack looked in the pantry for a long time this evening.  Finally grabbed the entire bottle of Mrs. Buttersworth syrup and headed to Gramma's.  Once there he asked her to make "French Toast and Pancakes... all mixed up like."

Oh this gif thing is dangerous

Just One Kid

It is so weird to just have one kid with me for any length of time.

We went to Abby's Girl Scout Camp last weekend and it was both lovely and disconcerting to have all my mommy energy and instincts trained on my first born for a couple days.  I learned a lot about her in that time - nothing maybe that I can verbalize - innate things that you learn about someone when you pay attention.  Mostly I saw that her instincts are right on.  She's been her own person from day one, but it was helpful for me to see just how capable she is and how clear it is that she's got a strategy to life, and it looks to be fully endorsable by me ;).

Finn is my just one kid everyday after elementary drop off and pick up.  Really seeing him is still hard for me.  Those males are just so different to start with and add to that he's so sweet tempered and yet so very true to himself.  So far, at his tender age of 4 I feel like I would recognize his soul anywhere - it's true and sure.  But I'm not sure how much I could describe him.  Sweet doesn't do him justice, and yet - good Lord he's a sweetie.   He's just as strong as the other two, but has figured out innately how to get things without butting his head against a wall.   I keep staring at him, wanting to figure him out... and yet, he's the most transparent of the three of my kids.  Actually, I think I've got him figured out - I just don't have him pegged. ;)

Singing Five Year Old

I have to say that it was no surprise to me that Abby went around singing her heart out all the day and all the night when she was five years old.  It was pretty much the best thing ever.

What I find hilarious is when Jack sings his heart out.  And it's not just limited to the rescue bots theme song.  Thanks to Wii dance he has quite the repertoire of songs to sing randomly as he's playing or you know- just walking from room to room.

We are in that rare window every year in which Jack and Finn are only a year apart in age.  And Finn is just starting to recognize song as a boredom reliever.