Littlest...

Another heart melter. Ian is so easy to be grateful for. I am grateful that he made it to this earth, in spite of the doctors meager 5% odds. The things I love about Ian are too many to list, but here are a few:

He is just stinkin' cute. He has a cute smile. Cute, squishy cheeks. Darling dimples. Kind eyes. He has a cute run. His feet move very quickly, but he looks like he is going nowhere fast. He has darling, crazy curls. I love his long hair, and hate to depart with a snip of it!

Ian is super good natured. Such a blessing in a fourth child for a mom who is spread pretty thin. He is patient. He is easy going. He loves running errands and being in the car. He cries very little. He is happy doing anything. Really. Especially if he gets a little treat at the end. It has been such a blessing to have time with him alone while M and M are at preschool. We have so much fun together. He loves the one on one attention, and I love giving it to him.

He is kind to others. Mostly. He gives hugs quickly when he isn't. And, it's impossible to be mad at him. Ever.

He loves trains and airplanes. And we all love watching him play with them! He self entertains better than any of my previous kids at his age.

He is super cute with his siblings. They all love him. Olivia is his best buddy and caretaker. Molly is his helper. Max is his playmate as of late. He's everyone's buddy.

He loves his Mommy! This guy has been super attached to me from day one. Maybe it was the 13 months of breast feeding, but we have a great connection. I feel like I know him so well and can read what he wants, and maybe that's why he is so easy breezy. He is just a joy and makes me smile and laugh every day, which I consider a huge blessing when the weight of the world starts to descend!

Here are more cute pics from super talented Kristen!''

This is the award winner! Of course, he adores Daddy.

Dang it. I can't believe I made him! Good thing we are done, because they just don't get any better than him!

obviously...

I know this could possibly look like just an excuse to show off all of our fun new pictures Kristen recently took of us, but they just capture my children so well, so I am not stopping!

Obviously, obviously, obviously I am grateful for Max. It is no secret how I feel about this boy. How I have always felt about him. He is super special to me. I have a very strong connection to him. He is my first son. The first boy who looked up at me, as a four pound infant, and just melted me. He has always had that ability. And, though I joke sometimes, no, I do not love him any more than my others, but he definitely has a little part of my heart that I never knew existed.

So, there are a million reasons to be grateful for Max. He is a good boy. He is sweet. He notices when people are sad and he helps them. When he is angry and I ask him not to yell, or hit, or take things away aggressively, he always comes back with, "well, what should I do?" Which I find so intelligent. He loves his little brother and they have recently started actually playing with one another, which is too darling for words. He looks up to his sisters. He likes them to protect him. He is the little brother, even to Molly. He loves to learn new things and is full of questions. He asks what a lot of words and phrases mean, like, "what does it mean when you say everyone except Olivia has to go to bed?" This is unique, because often when children hear something they don't know it just doesn't register, but he asks good questions, and figures things out, and then remembers them. He is smart. In a different way than his sisters. He loves to build things. He builds amazing things, with and without models, from Trio blocks and Legos that are symmetrical and useful, and artistic all at the same time. I am always amazed at what he creates and the focus he gives to creating it. He has gotten really into drawing lately, too, and draws very cool things with whole stories behind them. He tells me about the "scary bone guys" (skeletons) and what they are shooting at the boats (obviously from Pirates of the Caribbean in Disney). He drew this dog that was so happy and detailed and more impressively actually looked like a dog. I love seeing him sit for long stretches at the table creating things. He has an amazing mind.

I love that he doesn't say his "ls" yet. His sister is "Mowee", and he loves to build with "Wegos." He told me the other day how much he "wuvs" his friend, Eva. I know that will go away too soon, so for now I am grateful for it, because it means he is still a very little boy who I wish would never grow up.

Max is very unique, and that makes him special. I hope people see that in him, because sometimes he is shy. My dad got a big kick out of Max, and used to say, "that Max, he marches to the beat of his own drum, that's for sure." And he was right. He does. And I am grateful for that.

He loves, loves, loves his daddy.

And, really, is there anything cuter than my boys?

Second day of gratitude

And then there is Molly.

Molly-heart.

Molls.

I am so grateful for my Molly for so many reasons! She is a funny girl. Really funny. She has a sense of humor. A real one, at a young age. I love it! She has wit. Sarcasm. Silliness. Physical comedy. All of it. She is totally entertaining. She loves to tease (sometimes that doesn't go over super well, but she means no harm). She likes to make us laugh. She has a great laugh herself, and often gets the giggles with Max or Olivia over their made up words that just dissolve them to the floor. She keeps us smiling and laughing and there is no greater gift!

She is also a great dancer and is so fun to watch. I am so grateful that she loves to dance and loves to watch others dance. The highlight of her year last year was going to the Nutcracker and she is already counting down the days until she goes this year. She loves her dance class and her dance teacher and all of her dance friends so much. She entertains us all of the time with her "shows" where she dances to whatever is on the ipod with serious intent, as if each step were choreographed just for us!

Molly is a smarty. I am grateful that she loves to read, and to learn. It brings me great relief! She loves books and loves to write notes and spell words and learn about anything new. Her joy of learning is inspirational and I am grateful that she has reminded me of that part of myself that has been on a shelf.

I am so grateful for Molly's ability to lead. She is the one in charge of her and Max, and he is OK with that. He always looks to Molly for guidance and approval, and she is quick to take his hand and protect him. I love that she is the "big sister" to him, even though she is only three minutes his elder!

I am grateful for Molly's loving and forgiving heart. She teaches me so much each day and she is a perfect second child and second daughter.

*photos, of course, by Kristen*

Gratitude...

Today I have felt grumpy and blue. Could be the rain. Could be Monday. Could be the wicked stomach virus that attacked me this weekend. Excuses, excuses! So, I decided that I need to start some "gratitude posts" (original, right?) to get my month on the right track and refocus my thoughts. Since my children pop into my mind right away when I think of what I am grateful for, I will start with them. From the top!

I am super grateful for Olivia. She is the greatest OLDEST child. She is super responsible. She is always willing to help. She takes great pride in her "jobs" and does them with such attention to detail. She loves her baby brother, Ian, and is always watching out for him, playing with him, offering to get him dressed, and sometimes sneaking him out of his bed at night when he is sad to snuggle him (and sometimes he is still there in the morning when I wake them up!). She loves to be a part of any project and is always willing to try new things. She is a great listener and tries to get things right each time she attempts them. She loves school and learning new things. She loves to do projects, write stories, and draw. She also loves to write notes to people. I get to be on the receiving end of lots of her notes, which I really enjoy. She recently wrote a letter to the tooth fairy inquiring about her life and hobbies. So cute. She is such a believing, innocent girl, which I am so grateful for. She has a simple ability to trust, and it is a great strength.

As daughters and mothers go, we have our struggles, but Olivia teaches me every day a little about patience. I appreciate that about her. She is always quick to apologize to me and quick to accept my apologies!

Olivia is super affectionate, too. Which is so sweet. I hope that she never gets "too old" to hug and kiss her mom and dad and siblings.

Olivia has lots of enthusiasm for the sports she plays, which is what makes her so fun to watch. She doesn't compare herself to the rest of the crowd, yet, which is such a great thing, because it helps her to enjoy every game. I am grateful for being able to sit on the sidelines and cheer for her and hope she always enjoys sports and being active.

Olivia is such a blessing in our family, and we are grateful every day that we are lucky enough to have her!

*photo by Kristen*