Adventuring with Littles

Adventuring through life one sunset after another...

There are so many things I absolutely love about parenting, but something that is at the top of my list is how it helps me to slow down. I’m seeing my oldest son, Luke, finish his first year at school. The growth he has made is incredible to me. His pride in his growth is evident in how he carries himself while talking about his day, his chest puffs up while he has this shy smirk on his face, and it about makes my heart just burst with love.

Luke can read small words! In pre-k. Is that crazy to anyone else? He wrote the sweetest "I love you Mommy" on my Mother’s day card this year, by his own hand, I stared at it through my water filled eyes. I couldn't help but think how could this be already? I feel like I just left that hospital, feeling the relief of finally taking him home. James and I started our parenting journey with Luke quickly going to NICU... and while we were so thankful for the technology that helped our little survive, when you scrub in for the first time nothing is scarier. After a week of being in the hospital we were released with our sweet little Luke, and a whole other set of fears...and I swear that just happened!

I love watching him ride his bike through our cul-de-sac and how much he loves his little sister. I see how his little brother is his buddy and also his mortal enemy on a daily basis... I’m hoping and praying that they just become best of friends. When I get him started talking about trains his eyes light up and he gets more animated with every sentence. Let me tell you for such a little guy- he has HUGE passion. He's an intense dude and I love it so much... oh man do I have stories to tell about him already!

Trains, long socks, and river adventures

Coo-bug, Coo-bug a boo, or sometimes referred to as Corban, is my middle. He’s a free bird. Most times showing the sweetest smile with just a little bit of mischief. He has a love for animals and his big brother. I love that he still has little chubby fingers, but they are fading fast, just like his dependence on me. His laugh is contagious and so is his joy. Gosh I love him.

Coo can ride his own bike without training wheels, is surprisingly fast, and is our comedian. He has a little lamb stuffed animal that he carries with him most places, stuffed in one of his little pockets. He's even claimed that his love for lamby is bigger than his love for me, because, "Lamby is sooooo cuttttee"... that statement was later retracted, and my Momma's heart was restored.

Then there is Hadley Hope. Haders. Sis. She’s a fierce one. Oh man does she hold on tight to her own way of thinking. With that though, is this humorous little girl who at two, gets the jokes. And makes them. She is the peacemaker. The one who melts all the testosterone down to manageable levels. She came and somehow our family has glue. I am somehow still holding on to being her person. She loves me despite my faults. She holds on to me like she does her blankie, coming to me when she needs that reassuring hug, someone to chill with, or someone to get her ALL the snacks.

Haders Hugs

Having a 5, 4, and 2 year old makes the pace of life a race to feed the little starving savages, let alone meet all the other needs... but as I am flying around, I am also slowing down. Taking pictures. Sitting with them- not as much as I’d like- but like I said they think they are always hungry. The sand is slipping away right through my fingers. So I snap images. I hold on tight to these little suckers. Because they own so much property in my heart. I hold on tight so they will know that I love them. That I see them. And man are they beautiful to me.