The Moments of Motherhood

Sometimes the moments of motherhood frustrate and overwhelm me and other times pass by almost unnoticed. Sometimes the moments of motherhood make me laugh and shake my head at the messiness and beauty that is family.

Sometimes they make me do both in the very same moment.

My oldest child makes me laugh at his many funny phrases and silly ways. He can be moody and despondent. He can be hyper and engaging. He is all four seasons in one hour sometimes. And I love each one for what it brings. He is charming and such great company. Lately we have seen amazing strides in how he handles being frustrated at us. We have seen him back down from a fight with us...something unheard of months ago. We have seen him get over things more quickly. We have seen him respond to us with respect instead of escalating frustration. Today he will loose something. He always does. Tonight he will go to bed in a tornado of a bedroom and will come home from the rec smelling like stinky boy. Today I will look at him like I do every single day and think:

I am so very lucky to be his mom.

 And then there is Isaac.

Oh Isaac.

My wild impulsive child. The one who rarely puts his name on his school work, hardly ever puts his clothes in the hamper or his trash in the wastebasket, but will usually be the only child in a day who remembers to say 

"I love you, Mom."

Isaac is my heartbeat and our comic relief. He is the thorn in my side God has given me to keep me on my toes in motherhood...and dependent upon Christ for all things.

His mouth gets him into all kinds of trouble.

In this way and many others, Isaac couldn't be more mine had I birthed him.

One day I believe this child will do something BIG for the kingdom of God and make us so very very proud.

Today we are hoping to just make it to bedtime.

Vivianna...our curly girly.

The once unborn baby girl we prayed and prayed God would grant us the honor of being chosen to parent. 

Our tender heart and tattle tale.

Today Vivi will complain about some kind of physical ailment. 

She always does.

She will no doubt ask for a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich for dinner and claim the dinner I do give her is too spicy.

My daughter who cried for an entire day this weekend when her fish died, and still has a death fear of people dressed in animal costumes.

She is sneaky and sensitive.

She talks with a slight lisp that I secretly hope she never overcomes.

She is responsible and remembers everything.

This child gets me giddy with excitement to pick out adorable little shoes, dresses, and hair bows...and to listen to her beautiful Spanish language develop.

She is my pink on a very grey day. 

 My baby boy flies under the radar.

We say he lives somewhere between here and there.

There being the place we refer to as "Jayden's World".

He is quiet and relaxed. He maintains the exact same state of mood no matter what the circumstance.

He has a dimple that will charm the socks off of every adult he meets. He wets the bed and all over my toilet seat.

He is exhausting.

He has a giant sweet tooth and nothing puts a smile on this kids face more than wrestling his dad and brothers....and eating cheeseburgers, of course.

He is my most playful child. He includes everyone.

He takes his immunizations at the Dr. like a champ and is willing to try any new experience. Jayden makes my heart swell when I see him on the basketball court and loving on his baby sister. 

This child may just quietly change the world one day and no one would have seen it coming.

 
And we are left with our little fire pistol, whom

we lovingly refer to as The Beast.

Jasmine is loud and wild and as cranky as you-know-what.

One never has to guess what she wants.

She is so imaginative and outgoing and friendly that older kids take a shine to her right away and want to carry her around and pull her in wagons which of course she happily obliges. 

She is a princess and a diva.

She is spoiled.

To. The. Core.

Today she will swipe snacks from the pantry and make a mess.

She might flood my bathroom....again. 

She will likely find herself planted in time out.

A lot.

Billy says, "there has never been a naughtier child in all the world"

But I am not sure there has ever been another child more attached to me either. Everything she does she does with fierce determination.

She has mood swings stronger than any tween.

I have joked that someone broke my baby and I want a manufacturer's rebate check.

God gave me this child to humble me. I needed it. 

I was getting quite too proud in my mothering ability.

I believe Jasmine Faith will step out into the world and people will take notice. Because they already do. 

These moments of motherhood will one day pass by.

It will just be Billy and I laughing and remembering the way Vivi would say "Gickey" for "Mickey Mouse" and how Isaac had his entire Awana book memorized by mid semester.

One day we will laugh remembering Keishun's know-it-all answers to life and reminiscing about how Jayden would take a year to put his seat belt on every time we left the house.

The girls 6 am wake-up calls from birth will one day be a small memory of the past.

Today I will laugh and cry all in the same 12 hour time frame while I  begrudgingly wash and fold 3 loads of laundry.

And I will not forget to thank God that I can get up out of bed to do it all over again tomorrow.