Sunday, October 12, 2008
The kids have been trying for years to figure out a way to get themselves breakfast in bed and lots of presents for no reason at all. I guess they figure if we get Mother's Day and Father's Day, well then, they should get Children's Day. All week last week, Hunter kept pointing out that Sunday is Children's Day (hint, hint) and last night was no exception. I'm not sure when Children's Day actually became a holiday. Afterall, isn't that what birthday parties are for? And Christmas and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and Halloween? You'd think the kids get enough special holidays but clearly, they don't. Or maybe they do and the real problem here is that they don't get enough breakfasts in bed. Either way, today we decided to celebrate Children's Day and the kids finally got their breakfast in bed. Mean mother that I am, I refused to give them any presents even though I was tempted to make a picture frame out of popsicles sticks and stick a handprint of mine in it with some cutsie little poem about how they probably get tired of seeing my hand smacking their bottoms but that someday they'd miss it.
So today, on behalf of Children's Day, I give you six reasons why I'm thankful for my kids:
1)I'm thankful for Hunter because he read Fablehaven all by himself and he learned how to give really good backrubs. And on the days when I'm struggling most as a mother and I'm grumpy and shouty and pouty, he doesn't complain. He just quietly sits down beside me and gives me one of the most heavenly back massages a nine-year old boy could possibly give. I've never heard of another little boy that's more loving and caring than my Hunter. I hardly know how his heart fits inside that little chest of his.
2)And there's no one better than Noah to turn my frown upside down. He's funny. He's witty. He's just plain hilarious. Sometimes when I feel like I'm about to commit murder, Noah walks in and makes a joke or does something funny and by the time he exits the room, I'm laughing so hard I can't remember what was upsetting me so much. The other night, I asked Noah to say his prayer and instead of saying it, he sang it. I can't help but smile everytime I think about it. So, I'm thankful for Noah and the joy that he fills my heart with, daily.
3)Denver will probably forever be my biggest lover. Every night when we sit down to dinner, it's all he can do not to barf. He hates what I cook 6 out of 7 nights a week. But, he knows how it will hurt my heart if he lets on. So he does his best, every night, to choke down whatever it is I made and then he says, faithfully, "Thank you, Mommy, for this yummy dinner." And he looks me in the eye with those killer, baby blues and he smiles. And I know he loves me. And for that, I'm thankful for Denver.
4)My Mom once told Mark that I'm hard to love. And I was terribly offended. And then I had Caleb. But really, I'm thankful for him and here's why. One of my biggest regrets as a mother is that I haven't made enough time to just sit and rock my babies. Part of the problem is that I'm a doer--I've always got to be busy. Probably a little bit of my Dad's workaholic in me. But the other problem is that everytime I have a baby, it isn't long before I'm pregnant with another one and I'm so busy taking care of the new baby and pretty soon, BOOM! They're not babies anymore. But thanks to Caleb, I will always have the sweet memory of snuggling him. He insists I snuggle him, daily. And I will forever cling to the memory of his sweet smell and the sound of him sucking his thumb and the way he twirls the corner of his silkie in his fingers and his warm little body, curled up next to mine. So I'm thankful for Caleb and the daily snuggles he gives me.
5 and 6) Because they came as a package deal, of course. Once upon a time, when we lived in West Jordan, there was this girl I nicknamed, Perfect Girl. She was practically perfect in everyway and I hated her. Right about the time Hunter was diagnosed with Diabetes she gave birth to twins. I remember talking to her on the phone and I said, "I'd rather have two kids with diabetes than to ever have twins." That's how much I didn't want twins. Nothing scared me more than two babies at once. One was hard enough for me. Two, I thought for sure, would be the death of me. Then there was Jericho and Justus. And yeah, daily I feel the need to die. But I don't. And that's why I'm thankful for Jericho and Justus. They've taught me that what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. And because of them, I am stronger than I ever dreamed I could be. Plus, they are just so dang adorable--I'm thankful for that too. Like Jarrett McCurdy said, "They are so cute, I could just dip them in chocolate and eat them." And anyday I get to spend with two so adorable little people I consider myself a lucky girl.
posted by Shana # 6:03 PM 
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