E-Loving on my babies

Today I thought I would take this opportunity to e-love on my babies a bit.  I know what you're thinking: OMG, is she talking about her kids AGAIN????  Yes, yes I am.  So if you are one of those Facebook people that gets "soooo tired" of people "always talking about their kids" then this is not for you.  One day I'll have a non-kid related post, I hope to see you back here then.  

(sidenote, anytime I use quotation marks I think of Joey):

Why do I feel the need to e-love on two kiddos who can't read?  I'm not really sure.  I dog on them quite often, but only because that is the funny stuff.  No one wants to read a bunch of statuses about "MY KIDS ARE SO AMAZING! THEY ARE SO ADVANCED FOR THEIR AGE AND I'M IN AN ETERNAL STATE OF BLISS ALL OF THE TIME."  Gag.  So I write when I'm frustrated or I think someone might get a laugh out of it.

However, I was shown the other day how my words are sometimes perceived.  Cheyenne and I had a night out without the kids.  We were talking to friends and I forget exactly what I said, but it was something to the effect of "it's nice to have a night out away from the devil spawns." I can't remember exactly.  What I do remember is her looking at me and going "um, wow.  You guys make it sound so awesome."  I guess that's when it hit me that even though I really don't care what people think, at the same time I don't want everyone to think I just loathe being a parent.  I don't.   But is it all roses and rainbows all the time? Absolutely not. Is having the kids the best thing I've ever done? Absolutely, without a doubt. I have ALWAYS  wanted to be a mother.  ALWAYS. That being said, I constantly find myself wavering between two thoughts with my kids. Some days I want them both to be 18 and OUT. OF. MY. HOUSE. and on other days I look at them and feel like I just might die if they age one more day.  

They've actually been pretty good lately so I have had a lot of "I just might die if they age another day" days, so maybe that's why I feel so compelled to write about them.  And who wouldn't?  Look at them...

P.S.- a lot of my pictures are terrible and blurry because they never stop moving... ever....

Ok, this one probably goes too far... but it just goes to show that absolutely no one in our house gets  bathroom privacy

Let's start in birth order.

The Lincolnator:

This guy gets funnier and funnier every day.  I don't think he means to be, it's just funny to watch him grow, figure things out, and find his own way to explain things.  For example, I was a grade A mom the other day and I DVR'd Toy Story of Terror that was on ABC (*pat on the back for ole Amy*).  So one night I told him I had a surprise for him and played the show.  He now asks every day if we can watch "Surprises Toy Story" (because I had told him it was a surprise for him).  We have now watched "Surprises Toy Story" 849 times in the last week.  He can now watch tv and understand it and and laugh at it.  I find that amazing.  It's not amazing at all really, but I guess I just still think of him as a baby so when he can understand and do things that he couldn't do before I am always amazed. Every time.  He thinks that Mr. Potato head on Toy Story is hilarious.  Mr. Potato head is also sarcastic and snarky, and this is who he finds so funny.  This makes my heart happy just a little bit and also scares me for the future sarcastic, eye-rolling teenager years in my future. (I will always blame that potato when he starts being snarky.  He could not have gotten that from me...no way... )

He is such a nice boy with a loving heart.  The other day we went to a neighborhood association gathering at a park where he met a 5 yr old boy.  The two boys played together and the other little boy shared his stick so Lincoln could roast marshmallows too (he just wanted to light them on fire, btw).  When it was time to go Lincoln got real serious and said to him "I'm gonna see you next week and I will bring you a stick and we will play at this park over there in that grass" and then hugged him.  And then my heart exploded.  The innocence and love of children has really impacted my heart.  It's so amazing to see such kindness and love come so naturally to a child.  It has really brought new meaning to this Bible verse I have heard so many times, but now I really GET IT.

Mark 10:14-15--“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

As an adult I cannot imagine having the kind of child-like faith that is being talked about here.  But after witnessing it myself first-hand through Lincoln, it's just really changed my perspective on a lot of things.  He just has the faith that everyone loves him, that everyone is kind and that the world is good. 

But don't get me wrong, he's not so innocent all of the time. Yesterday we totally had to have this conversation before school:
Me: Lincoln, are you going to pull your pants down in class today and tell your friends to look at your butt?
Lincoln: No ma'am
Me: When do we pull our pants down?
Lincoln: Only in the bathroom
Me: Ok, keep your pants on today.... please!

Geez.... boys....

Miss A

Let me just start by saying that even though she is blonde, and we all have dark hair, she IS Cheyenne's child.  Scout's honor (and I was a Girl Scout, so I'm legit).  I am fully prepared for the day her or Cheyenne one ask for the DNA test.  I have nothing to hide but I can see where people might one day question Mommy's faithfulness. I don't know where she got that blonde hair.  I can't decide if I want it to stay that way or change.  I just don't know if I can handle a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beautiful girl in my house and all the trouble that could bring.  I don't know that Cheyenne can handle it.  Maybe we should get a permit to carry.....

Adelyn loves to be held and snuggle and gives a lot of love.  My favorite part of every work day is picking her up from daycare.  She is the absolute best pick-me-up to any day.  When she sees me she screams "Mommy!" and she dances in place and squeals and runs over and grabs my legs.  It really just does not get better than that.  I know one day she will not be that excited to see me, so I try to soak it up every time.  

Her answer to every question right now is "No."  Everyday we have this conversation:
Me: Did you have a good day Adelyn?
A: No *shakes head no*
Me: Did you miss Mommy today?
A: No *shakes head no*
Me: Do you want to go home and play?
A: No *shakes head no*

I don't know why, but I think this is hilarious.  It's the little things I guess.

She has become more verbal in the last 2 months.  She can now yell for Lincoln (and she only yells his name) she can scream "MIIIINNNEEE!" at the top of her lungs, and if you tell her you love her you will get a "La Lou" in response.  She is obsessed with shoes.  Super obsessed.  She is constantly taking hers off and trying to put them back on.  If we leave shoes out, she puts them on.  If we go to a friends house, she will find their shoes and put them on.  I see a large closet full of shoes in her future.  

Again, they're all blurry because she never sits still

She also does this really cute thing where if I'm not holding her at all times she basically just stands under me, while pulling on my shirt, crying at the top of her lungs.  I am now able to cook dinner, do laundry, and other household chores with her clinging to my shirt, screaming.  These are "out of my house" moments.

Aw... isn't your heart just melting right now?

So there you have it. I'll stop here because I could write about my babies for days. I hope I have relieved some of the people I have scared with my motherhood stories.  My kids are not awful 100% of the time like I may make it seem. 

I will say becoming a mother has been the hardest/most challenging/most rewarding thing I've ever done (as all mothers simultaneously nod their head in agreement). I'm excited to watch them grow up, I am also scared to watch them grow up.  I fear for the day Lincoln is really nice to someone and they are mean to him.  I am excited to see the people they will become, but also fear that they could become super douchey or mean themselves.  I hate that one day they will realize the world is not flowers and rainbows and that people can be mean and things will be hard.  I wish I could shield them from that forever.  I'm sure we all wish that. Though them constantly wanting attention from me and Cheyenne can be exhausting, I also dread the day they no longer want us around.  

They are amazing and I thank God every day that I get to be their mom.  I hope I don't disappoint them or let them down.  I hope when they look back on their childhood they don't hate me or things I said or did.  I hope that on my bad days they will one day realize I was doing the best I could do, and that sometimes mommies have meltdowns too, and that I always love them. The more I ponder these thoughts the more I realize I need to seriously thank my parents for putting up with my shenanigans all of those years.  Thanks Mom & Dad! (that makes up for everything, right?)

Alright, sappy moment is over.  Join me next week when I write about how "I'm leaving here and never coming back and you can take your stupid cheez its and shove them up your..."