As I contemplate the arrival of my newest boy I find myself lost in nostalgia watching the older ones. The feeling is especially poignant as I watch my big seven year old boy. He's at an exciting age and one that is so fun to parent. He loves school, soccer and playing with his friends (though his cousins maintain their super star status). His confidence has grown so much over the last year, something I worried about as we toted him around the country and he started over so many times. One recent development that I have been loving is the increased attention span for reading. He's always loved to read but would put the book down after a chapter or so and was ready for the next activity. Now he reads and reads and reads. At night I have to give him a ten minute warning before lights out and then after lights are out I sit and listen he chatters away at me, telling me all about the plot and characters of his latest book. He just finished
Holes, which I loved hearing about as he read. He just started
Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It's amazing to watch him go.
Remembering the velvet headed newborn that made me a mother seven and a half years ago makes the whole thing even more astounding. I have invested so much in him, especially him-- because I could. Even with the huge investment I feel a little more like a spectator and cheerleader than anything else as I watch him grow. He's his own person and all I can do is gently steer him in the right direction and then sit back in amazement at the person he is becoming.
I was praying last night and thanking my father in heaven for the wonderful boys he has sent me and I was struck, again, with what a gift they are. Luke is so sweet, curious, and just so full of goodness and a desire to do what's right.
Watching each of the boys grow and become these wonderful little people makes me anxious to meet the next one. I look at each of the boys and wonder whether this one will be dark haired and brown eyed like Isaac or blond and blue eyed like Luke and Noah. Will he be a snuggly one like Luke or independent like the other two? The mystery of who these little men are and who they are becoming is so exciting. I love it.
I do love a trip to the pumpkin patch this time of the year. We went on a darling field trip with the kids from Isaac's little preschool. It included a ride around the farm, animal viewing, pumpkin picking and then lunch in the car with the air on because we were so hot (it was almost ninety degrees today). I love these guys. 
As I contemplate the arrival of my newest boy I find myself lost in nostalgia watching the older ones. The feeling is especially poignant as I watch my big seven year old boy. He's at an exciting age and one that is so fun to parent. He loves school, soccer and playing with his friends (though his cousins maintain their super star status). His confidence has grown so much over the last year, something I worried about as we toted him around the country and he started over so many times. One recent development that I have been loving is the increased attention span for reading. He's always loved to read but would put the book down after a chapter or so and was ready for the next activity. Now he reads and reads and reads. At night I have to give him a ten minute warning before lights out and then after lights are out I sit and listen he chatters away at me, telling me all about the plot and characters of his latest book. He just finished Holes, which I loved hearing about as he read. He just started Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It's amazing to watch him go.
These pictures are actually from Isaac's second day of mama-led preschool. I taught last week and didn't manage any pictures. He talked about school all week, picked out his outfit for school on Monday and couldn't wait to go to Cash's house today. I packed his lunch at about eight thirty this morning and he carried his lunch box around until it was time to leave for school about two hours later. When I opened it up right before school the graham crackers had been reduced to little pieces from being toted around. He was happy to have his picture taken, just like his brothers had done. Then he was off and I had to run to catch up with him. He's two going on six, this one. I could eat him up.
Noah started his second year of formal preschool last week. He was very brave, given how shy he can be sometimes. He attends a preschool very close to home and one of our little neighbor boys is in his class. I heard him ask his little neighbor friend Isaac, who attended the same preschool last year, "Will you stay with me the whole time?" Isaac readily agreed to show him the ropes and I saw relief in Noah's little countenance. I dropped my Isaac off with Emily so I could walk the boys in that first day and Noah held my hand tightly and whispered to me that he was just, "a little bit scared." We walked through the door and he was immediately engaged by his teacher (bless those preschool teachers) and I had to remind him to say good-bye to me. The report was that school was good, he loves his teachers and they get to do science experiments everyday. I love watching these guys grow up.
Because Noah is a fall birthday, I made sure to do some mama-led school with him in Maryland. We had a darling group of little boys (we couldn't round up any female children that year) and we traded off once a week, learning a new letter each week. We loved mama-school that year. This picture was taken on our first field trip. 
Here he is heading off to his first year of official preschool (the kind with tuition). He was a little (and sometimes a lot) hesitant about being dropped off for the several weeks at the beginning of school. I credit the absolute chaos of our lives for this rough transition. It's nice to see that the consistency and security of our lives now has paid off in terms of confidence for all the boys as they venture outside our home. Blessings abound.
Would you look at that huge boy? It seems laughable that I could possibly have a child that tall and that old. Looking through these pictures was just a little shocking. He's really moved on and up in the world. He seems so much more big kid than little kid these days. Then we'll have moments where he still wants to sit on my lap or snuggle in close while we work on homework and I feel comforted, knowing he still needs me and longs to be close to me.
