What do you want to be when you grow up?

I had just spent the day in Joseph's 2nd grade class helping to sort through hand drawn self portraits of "What they Want to be When they Grow Up." They were adorable. As I flipped through each one I couldn't help but smile at the diversity in each child's dream. I've known many of these kids for years and so it was fun to see them imagining themselves in future careers that seemed incredibly fitting, even at this young age.

Another observation I noted was that none of the little girls had said that they wanted to be a mother. I found this very interesting and frankly a little sad. It made me reflect upon our modern world, realizing that being a mother and homemaker is truly becoming a lost art. Many people today don't view motherhood as an acceptable occupation simply because there is no monetary gain.

That same day Lauren walked into the room with her toy phone wanting to have a pretend conversation.

"Pretend I'm at college Mama,"

"Okay," I said.

After a few exchanges back and forth, I began to wonder about what she dreamed of being when she grew up.
Given her girly nature I could imagine her saying that she wanted to "do hair." She loves using her pretend flat iron and hair dryer on anyone who will sit for her long enough.

So I asked her,

"What do you want to be when you grow up Lauren?"

Her reply came after a big sigh (apparently I should have known the answer, but I'd never asked her before.)

"I want to be a Mommy." she said wrapping her little arms around my neck in a backwards hug.

Her answer warmed my heart and reminded of a favorite poem that I heard years ago. And although my little ones faces aren't quite so pudgy or smudgy anymore and they fight and bicker all the time, I still would rather be a mother than anyone or anything on earth.

I'd rather be a mother than anyone on earth,

Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth...

I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed,

than twine a chain of diamonds about my [carefree] head.

I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright, baby eyes,

Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise.

-- Meredith Gray

Public Display of Affection

Something I don't want to forget...

Saturday, I dropped off Jacob and Joseph to their soccer game early so I could take Lauren to her game which was scheduled at the same time.  Just before pulling out of the parking lot I rolled my window down and yelled to them standing next to their team.

"Bye boys, good luck on your game!"

Jacob yelled back first, "Bye Mom!"  followed by Joseph, "Bye Mom, I love you Mom!"

I wondered for a minute if he had accidentally said I love you since he was standing next to a bunch of his friends...  My heart swelled anyway.

Later that evening I brought it up when we were home.

"Joseph, did you mean to say 'I love you Mom' in front of all your friends this afternoon or did it just slip out?  I hope they didn't tease you about it after I left."

Amused, they both smiled and said...

"Why would I/should he be embarrassed about that? You're our Mom and we do love you."

I feel so grateful that the boys still tell me they love me every day, hug me in public and aren't too "cool" to publicly display their affection. I hope it will always be this way.

Fight or Flight

Sometimes Jacob likes to pretend he's asleep and then scare us when we come to check on him just before we go to bed. He's a night owl and often won't fall asleep until we do.

Late last night I was taking our babysitter home when Aaron had a great idea to get him back. Jacob had gone downstairs to use the bathroom so Aaron quietly slipped into his bed and waited in the dark for him to return (with the intent to scare him). When Jacob came back to his room he closed the door (making it pitch black) then proceeded to climb into his bed. At that moment Aaron jumped out from under the covers and growled a fearsome "Raarr!!!" Jacob gasped then immediately started yelling and punching him as hard as he could. After a few moments he realized it was Aaron and sunk into his arms crying. ):

So I know it's really bad but I when Aaron was retelling the story to me later that night we both had a heck of a laugh. Aside from scaring him to death we also learned some important lessons about Jacob.

Lesson 1- Find other ways (during the daytime) to scare him because we probably scarred him for life. (I don't think he'll ever climb into his bed again without first checking to see if anyone is in it).

Lesson 2- If there really is such a thing as the "fight or flight" instinct, I know which one Jacob has. It kind of makes me proud that he didn't scream and run off. He makes me so proud to be his mother- my little man in the making.

Taco Time

When the kids are cold I like roll them up in a warm blanket them carry them over to the couch to get cozy.

I frequently hear them say......"Mama, can your roll me up like a taco?"

Things Lauren does that make me smile...

-Pose like this when I let her know I'm going to take her picture. (I was trying out our new camera and wanted to test the lighting in this shot). She was happy to oblige.

-How she pronounces "remember." It sounds like 'B-Member.'

"Mama, B-member when I was a little girl...when I was 4?" (Something she started saying only days after turning 5.)

-The little songs she makes up when she is playing or doing things around the house, then how she gets embarrassed, (then mad) when you tell her you like her song.

-The way she hops up and down with delight every time she gets excited. She does this for a lot of things but I especially love it when she does this after seeing me put on something pretty (especially if it's a new outfit).... It's how I know that I look really nice.

-That she comes into our bed in the middle of the night at least 3 to 4 nights a week and always come over to her Daddy's side of the bed. One morning I asked her why she never came over to my side and she replied, "Because Daddy is always so nice and warm."

-The sassy way that she talks back to her brothers and refuses to be bossed around.

-The way she "decorates" her room with bouquets of artificial flowers purchased from the dollar store.

-How quickly she can trash her room but at the same time how well she plays with her toys independently.

-The grumpy face she makes when she doesn't like something someone has said or done.

Teamates

The best part of Saturdays soccer game was not the goals Jacob scored... It was when he actually passed the ball to his younger brother, and then Joseph passed it back.

Oh, and when Joseph roughed up that dirty player on the other team (who was twice his size)...that was pretty cool too. He's feisty like his mama. (:

Wrestler Ben

I've always thought Ben would be a great wrestler and this year we got the chance to find out. Ben's soccer league changed the rules for his age group so we decided to try a different sport this season.

The first time I saw Ben wrestle I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The combination of his stocky build and fiery spirit make him perfect for this sport. He fearlessly tears into his opponent muscling them to the floor with absolutely no technique. When he comes across a more seasoned wrestler (who actually knows how to use proper moves) if he can't muscle them down he'll give them a heck of a fight. (I knew that stubbornness would come in handy).

I can't wait for him to get good and actually learn some technique and wrestling moves. I have so much confidence in his potential, I think it could be the beginning of "his thing."