Nourishment for this mother's heart (TTT163)

As we start our walk, I reach my hand out. Her hand grabs mine. It feels small inside my hand. But the touch, the hands holding on to each other, grabs my heart and makes it swell. She's three. She won't be small long. I marvel at the simple, beautiful feeling of her hand in mind. I eagerly pick her up when she requests it. I treasure the connection we have. I adore the way she looks at me when we are going somewhere together.

He runs to me. He a six year old full of energy and excitement. He seizes my hand and swings my arm. His enthusiasm makes me smile. He squeezes my hand. One squeeze, Two Squeezes, Three Squeezes, and then Four. He says, "Do you know what I said?" I smile knowingly and say, "No, what?" He says, "I said, 'I love you most.'" So, I squeeze his hands back, four squeezes. Sometimes I'm saying "I love you, too" but other times, I kid, "I love you more." We are addicted to this game.

He grabs my hand and pulls just me just a bit. "Hey, Momma, can I show you something?" He takes me and shares a discovery or shows off an accomplishment. Other times, he quietly takes my hand and then begins to talk, "Momma,..." It's as if when he has my hand, he knows he touches me deeply. He knows he has harnessed my attention. I listen. I savor the moment. I know that at 8, he won't want to hold my hand in public much longer.

I walk up to him and touch him gently as he is reading. Depending on how he is sitting or laying, I rub my hand over his hand or gently on his back. He looks up, smiles slightly and says, "What?" I say, "Oh, I just want to tell you I love you." At 10, he will hug enthusiastically when I ask for a hug. He enjoys my affection but I usually instigate most of it. That's okay. His expressions tell me everything. I don't stop reaching out to him.

~ ~ ~ ~

Moments like these, fill my mothering heart with joy.
I am thankful.

This is my Thursday Thanks Tank.

Wordless Wednesday: A little whipped cream on top?

Has it really been 8 years?

Where does time go?

On Friday we celebrated my second son's birthday. He turned 8.

Each year on his birthday I am amazed by his growth and strength.

He was born 5 weeks premature. He was taken straight to the NICU. That is where I held him for the first time after my surprise c-section. He endured a year of physical therapy, twice a week for 6 months and then once a week for six months. I used to worry that he'd be weak.

He's an active kid
- that loves soccer

- who rides his bike every chance he gets

- and loves to play


He requested chili for his birthday dinner so that's what we had, even though the temperature reached into the mid nineties. He does not like to get messy. To that end, he prefers not to touch his food. He will eat chicken, if is it cut off the bone and corn if it is cut off the cob. He hates hot dogs. His new favorite candy is Sprees. His favorite veggies right now are snap peas. His favorite fruits are blueberries and strawberries. He eats all of the time. The boy must be growing because he requests seconds and thirds at most meals.

He doesn't get angry much.

He is a tenderhearted boy that puts others above himself. He is the first of my kids to yield when there is an argument. He likes to make others happy. I have to tell him that sometimes, "you can't please everyone so you have to please yourself." On his birthday, he got a gift bag of goodies from his teacher. His younger brother and sister were jealous. I had to stop him from giving everything to them. Every time he opened a birthday gift, he shared the excitement by saying to his siblings, "we will have so much fun with this" and "You and I can..." He is so unselfish; I love giving him gifts.

His biggest challenges right now are his sensitive nature and his health. He is sensitive. He cries easily, especially if you are stern or strict with him. He is also worrier. He faces daily challenges with his peanut allergy (though he has a wonderful attitude about it) and his asthma. He also has a surgery scheduled for Nov. 2. I'd love your prayers for him leading up to Nov. 2. He knows about the surgery but I know when it gets close, his worry could consume him (and maybe me, if I am not careful). I'd love you to pray for that day and his healing, too.

My son is a joy to me. I am extremely thankful for him - and for his love of all things Alabama.

If you are wondering from the pictures- yes, he really does where his Alabama jersey all the time.

Sunday Snapshot: A Milestone

My 10 year old cut the grass for the first time today.

I am a little excited about this.