Snapshots: January

In an attempt to blog a little more this year, but also realizing that I will be even less capable of coherent thought than I've been thus far, I want to take some "snapshots" of who the kids are and how they are changing throughout the year. Even though this is a crazy-busy time of our lives, there are times when I look at my four and wish (even if just for a moment) that I could freeze time and keep them at exactly the stage they are now.

Truth be told, I want them to keep growing and changing, and I wouldn't survive it anyway if Lillie was a toddler forever, but I do want to remember this stage of life. (And I have a sneaking suspicion, that I may wind up a bit fuzzy on the years 2010-2012!) So, in addition to taking way too many pictures, these are my "snapshots" of Sophie, Will, Lillie, and Lucie.

Sophie: I am learning so much about Soph right now. Always my child who, like the little girl with a "little curl, right in the middle of her forehead," is very, very good or...not so good, she and I have definitely had a rocky patch in the past few months. Because she is our first, she's always the one that enters a stage, we figure out a strategy, and then she enters a different stage. She is also my most intuitive child, and I know she has felt and responded to a lot of the stress that our family has been under this year. Anyway, I have definitely needed to take a step back from how we are relating to and disciplining her. By praying through some things and reading some great books, I am learning lots about my firstborn (and actually a little about myself as well.)

Sophie is a definite dreamer. She is artistic and intense, and she sees the world through

the lens of creativity. When she colors, she mumbles/talks to herself the entire time is coloring.

Once, I asked her what she was saying while she colors, and she told me that she makes up stories about what she is coloring. She loves art and is enjoying her art lessons. She is incredibly messy, and selectively forgetful. She also loves to write and illustrate her own stories. She is still an avid reader, and though she reads about as well as I do, I am making a priority to read to her every day as I know that is something that she truly loves and a great way for us to connect. I make my biggest mistakes as a mom with Sophie, but I love her fiercely, and I am committed to learning from my mistakes and loving her well. The main thing I'm learning in parenting Sophie is to strive to be a good example of how to handle my emotions and to admit my mistakes when I fail.

Will: Will has come into his own this year. He is usually my guy who doesn't handle change well, and we've had another year of big changes, but my big buddy has really matured. My instinct is that his preschool teacher has provided him with a lot of structure that has helped him deal with some of the other big changes. He loves our new house and his new room, and he is adorably confident in his role as big brother this time

around! Will loves to know the rules, to follow them, and to ensure that everyone else follow them! He can't stand to be wrong or to have to apologize. Once he finally come terms with having made a mistake,

manages to force out an, "I'm sorry," the person he's apologizing to better be quick to say, "I forgive you" because those are the rules! Though he does struggle with perfectionism, Will has a heart that longs to be strong and true. He wants to be a "good guy," and I can't wait to see how the Lord uses his desire to be "good" to grow him into a man of godly character.

He lives and breathes for cars and racing, he loves to say "bathroom words," and he still uses head-butting as his primary form of

communicating both love and frustration! He loves playing cars, and because of him, I know the name of more vehicles than I ever dreamed possible. Will has recently discovered Mario Kart, a racing game on Wii that he loves to play with Matt, and this has only increased his love of cars and racing. I am basically putty in his hands, and after a trip to the grocery store where I had agreed to a $4 car, and we came home with a $20 spyplane, Matt and I agreed that I can't take Will to the grocery store anymore! I am always learning with Will, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a mama to my son. The main thing I'm learning in parenting Will is to battle my own perfectionism so that he might learn to strive for excellence rather than perfection.

Lillie: Oh, my goodness, our little Lillie. What she lacks in stature, she makes up for in spunk! We've decided she is part beautiful fairy, part naughty elf. If I forget Will is still three because he is the size of a five year old, I forget Lillie is not quite two because she carries on conversation more like a three year old! She is crazy verbal, amazing at the alphabet, and wonderful at counting. The most amazing thing about Lillie, however, is how relational she is and how she uses her personality to get exactly what she wants. Where Sophie and Will would exert their will to try and get their way, Lillie uses her charms and manipulates her way to what she wants. Matt is already praying about Lillie as a teenager!

Lillie is also very different from her older siblings in that she gets in to everything! She

is a total plunderer! Every bag, drawer, and cabinet I have has been emptied with its contents thoroughly examined! Her latest feat was getting bright pink lipstick all over our white bedroom carpet! And just today, she came out with toothpaste all over her hands, pointing her finger at me, saying "Stop, I made a mess. I clean up my whole big mess!" And to top it off, she has no fear! The higher, the faster, the wilder, the better! My little fairy is very different from her big brother and sister, and she is definitely keeping me on my toes, but along with lots of scares and messes, she brings incredible love to our family. Though the day can bring lots of surprises with Lillie, I can always count on waking up to "I wanna snuggle mama," with lots of sweet kisses and cuddles, and I know our day together will end with Lillie charming me into extra books then singing along on her lullabies. I'm amazed daily that I have a child as sweet and gentle as my little Lillie. The main thing I'm learning as I parent Lillie is how contagious attitude is. As Sophie recently told Lillie, "you can make a bad day, better," I'm learning as a parent Lillie that having a "merry heart" really is amazing medicine for the soul. I want to bring relief in stressful situations through my attitude as Lillie does for our family.

Lucie: What a good-natured, laid-back baby we have! Our Lulu is so very relaxed, can sleep through most anything, and is busy smiling, cooing, and trying to laugh! The only "milestone" I had a question about at her two month check up was "startles at loud sounds." I told our pediatrician, I've seen her startle a couple of times, but it takes quite a loud sound! It is funny, though, that Lucie is most alert and engaged later at night after her siblings are in bed! She doesn't worry about getting one-on-one time with mama, she just gets up after the crew has turned in! Or it may be that she can only relax enough to "talk" when she is not being so well loved on by her two surrogate

mamas and her big protector. There is no shortage of love and attention for this baby. I have no idea what Lu's personality will turn out to be, but I am so grateful that she been such a delightful baby. The main thing I'm learning and trying to remember in parenting Lucie is to treasure each and every moment. She is making that lesson a joy to learn.