Today my baby turns 2 years old. What a wonderful two years this has been! I have just enjoyed Easton so much. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s my third and I’ve wanted to savor his baby-hood, or maybe it’s his inherent sweetness, but I have found so much joy in being his mother. At 2, Easton is a funny little guy. He definitely has a sense of humor and does a great job making me laugh during the day. He is also a snuggler, always wanting to be with me and do what I am doing.

Some of Easton’s favorite words and phrases:

“Uh-huh!” He says this with a very distinct chipper quality as if saying, “Yes! You understand! Good job!”

“Thank you!”

“Blank-et” with a definite pause between syllables.

“See it!” He always wants to “see it” and know what I’m up to.

Saying goodbye is a darling production. Usually, it goes something like, “Bye! See ya! Love you! Hug! Bye! See ya!”

And now for the pictures. I just adore these images of my sweet boy. Big thanks to my friend and neighbor Mandi Taylor for taking them! Sorry for the sheer number of them, but I can’t resist. I just love them and I love this boy!

Hi, there!

Sheer delight. Such a happy boy.

“Ooooo!”

If you’re happy and you know it…

Yay!

Cheese!

Contemplative.

Full of wonder.

Awww…Don’t worry, this only lasted a second.

“See it!”

Hilarious!

Happy birthday, my love!

You know, it’s so easy to allow yourself to get focused on the wrong things. Personally, I struggle with feelings of inadequacy as a mother. Maybe I wasn’t as patient as I should have been, maybe I checked Facebook when I should have read to my child, maybe I got frustrated at bedtime, maybe they spent too much time watching TV…whatever it is, it’s easy for me to feel like I’m failing. Thank goodness for the words of scripture, for a loving and insightful husband, and for the peace that a loving Heavenly Father sends–these three sources always bring me back up and help me see things how they really are.

So, how are things really? Well, yes, I admit that I am not perfect. I make mistakes and it is good and wise to work toward improvement and progression. However, I do a lot of things right, too. I love my children with all that I am. I try to teach them Truths that will lead to happiness. I care for their physical needs. I tell them that I love them, I hug them, and I let them know that they are special to me. I care deeply about their education, I take them to the park when it’s nice outside, and I remind them that they are children of a Father who loves them.

I wanted to take a minute to reflect on each of my children.

Amelie One truth is that she is slow as molasses when it comes to getting ready for bed. It can take this child an hour to get her pajamas on, use the bathroom, and brush her teeth. And this can be so frustrating when it’s the end of the day and I’m ready to relax for a bit! But here are the bigger truths. Amelie has one of the most tender spirits I’ve ever encountered. She is sensitive–both to her own feelings and to the feelings of others. She is so gentle and has a gift for helping people feel better. She loves to love and be loved. Mothering her reminds me to be gentle and loving myself. She approaches life with curiosity and a strong desire to understand. What a gift she is to me.

Calder One truth is that Calder is all boy–loud, always moving, goofy to the max. And it’s not always easy for me to parent all the energy and dynamics that he brings to our home. But here are some more important truths. Truths that I want to focus on more in our daily interactions. Calder is such a friend at heart. He is so eager to be your friend and share his enthusiasm for living with you. He is jolly and silly and has such a sense of humor. He is quick to laugh and this is a blessing when it diffuses an otherwise tense moment. He has a tender heart and just wants to be loved. At the most unexpected moments he will give me a hug and a kiss and tell me that he loves me. And even if we had a rough day yesterday, in the morning he is ready to move on and has every confidence that I will be a better mother today. Mothering Calder reminds me to not sweat the small stuff and to see the joy in this life. What a treasure he is to me.

A sneak peek at his birthday pictures!

Easton One truth is, Easton can be a handful sometimes. But, truth be told, I hardly notice most of the time. Here’s what I do notice. Easton is such a joy. He is so eager to explore and engage and discover. He is full of wonder and reminds me to take a breath, look around, and notice the beauties of this world. He is brimming with delight and love. What a joy he is to me.

Although there are times when I worry about having four children and my own weaknesses, I know that my weaknesses can be made strengths, that there are so many people (seen and unseen) supporting my efforts, and that these little ones are pearls beyond price. Today I am just grateful to be a mother.

This past Wednesday I hit the 38-week mark. Technically, my due date is April 10th. But after our experience with Easton (9 days past my due date), I’m trying not to get to focused on that date. Somehow, I’ve gotten this far into the pregnancy without taking a single picture to record belly growth. I got one today, though, just so this poor baby wouldn’t feel too neglected. For comparison sake:

38 weeks with Amelie. 

38 weeks with Calder. 

38 weeks with Easton. 

38 weeks with baby #4.

I am feeling very big and am looking forward to getting back to my pre-pregnancy shape.

July 2012.

Just before I got pregnant, I ran the Freedom Run 10k (a little over 6 miles). I was probably in the best shape of my life. It will be a long road to get back to that point, but I’m excited to get started! And I know this new little one will be worth every pound I’ll have to work so hard to lose. Babies are just the best.

I’m sure Amelie has inherited lots of things from me, some better than others, probably. But one cute thing that I think is kind of fun is that she often says, “amn’t”–a contraction I used as a child. Amn’t is short for “am not,” as in “I’m going to her house, amn’t I?” It actually makes a lot of sense. “Aren’t” should be reserved for plural subjects, right? It makes me smile to hear that sweet contraction coming from her, especially because my own mother has told me that I used to say that, too.

Ever since we got married, Bryce and I have tried to make weekly date nights a reality. With each child that’s come to our family, that’s gotten progressively harder. Finding babysitters can be a chore, paying babysitters can be a bother, and often we’re just tired from a busy week and not eager to go out and do something. We’d fallen into the habit of just watching a movie at home and maybe getting take-out from someplace local. This year, we decided that we wanted to make date night a little more special. We decided that we would really try to do something fun together one night a week, even if we didn’t leave home. To make sure it happened, we decided to alternate and take turns being in charge of date night every other week. I have to say, it’s been great so far! Just knowing that we’re going to be doing something special and that the other person is planning and thinking of ideas is wonderful.

Here are some of the things we’ve done so far at home for our date nights: a cheese tasting (complete with a selection of fine cheeses, sliced pears, and sparkling cider), a yoga night (with scented candles, a relaxing yoga DVD workout, and a documentary on yoga), a curry making night (this has turned out to be one of our favorite recipes to make now), a mystery themed night (we played the game MindTrap, ate a treat called Mystery Dessert, and watched a mystery movie), and a night of myths (we watched a couple episodes of the show MythBusters and played a board game called Urban Legends). You’d be surprised who was in charge of those. For instance, I hosted the cheese tasting and Bryce planned the yoga night! There have been other nights when we’ve actually gone out and that’s great, too. It’s nice to have a change of scenery every once in a while.

It has been so much fun! And I am proud of us for making it happen each week, even when we’re tired or sick. One week, I was really sick with a cold, so my date night plan was to simply watch some TED talks (really interesting lectures that you can watch online). But it was still something.

Here’s to 10 more months of date nights!