Gratituesday: Growing Children

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

"When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14

Growing children are definitely a bittersweet subject for most moms. On the one hand, it's always remarkable and amazing to watch our little one grow and experience new things each and every day. On the other hand, we want them to cling to us as dependant children for as long as we can let them- and let them just be children, without the pressures of adulthood. In the last few weeks I've just seen my children do such remarkable things, and I don't know if I'm just an anomaly of a mom or what, but I swear each and every day I'm thanking God for the two most beautiful children on the planet. I really very seldom have those moments of disgust or annoyance, or those brief flickers that life would be easier without them. Because they are just such treasures, and it is so amazing to see the world again through the eyes of a child, and I can see each and every day that God is shaping them into some truly incredible people.

I just sent Abigail out the door on her scooter to school. It's the three day countdown, and we're all looking forward to the end of the school day on Thursday. This morning though, she woke herself early, got herself dressed, got breakfast, brushed her hair, and read a book. When I came downstairs at the normal wake time, she was fully ready to go to school. She had wanted to be super quiet this morning so she didn't wake Zander, who was feeling a little off yesterday. She is just so thoughtful sometimes! When she gets stickers or little trinkets for rewards at school, she almost always asks for two, so that she can share one with her brother. She is already planning that after school today, she'll play with Zander for the short time we have before heading to dance class.

And Zander, oh my, that little boy is just a little bubble of joy and love. There is nothing on this planet like a Zander hug. And there is nothing on this planet that fills my heart with so much joy as watching my son dance to the Lord. I don't get the opportunity to see that very often, as when we go to church, the kids go one way while the adults go another, but this past Sunday, the kids spent a portion of their time with the adults, and I got to see my precious son praising God with all his little heart. He also is an extremely thoughtful little boy, and he's very protective of his big sister, which cracks me up. My two children are like a little wolf pack- they go together, and every once in a while, when they're playing outside with the neighbor kids, I'll catch a snippet of talk and something along the lines of "we need to include mt brother/sister." Or "that's not what Abigail/Zander wants to do, let's do something else instead." And at the end of the day, their days are not complete until they've told each other good night and shared a hug.

So this morning, I'm joining in the Gratituesday event hosted by Laura of Heavenly Homemakers, because I am eternally grateful for the two children which God has placed in my care. I just love being their mom each and every day, and I am so grateful that they are loving toward each other almost all the time. They truly are remarkable little people, and God has really blessed us with them as our children.