.png)
Happy 2015! Switching things up this year. I’m going to try to blog weekly, rather than daily. One of these years I’ll figure out what works the best. Whatever I have to do to find the time and stay motivated to keep updating this record of your lives. A couple of months ago I printed up this scrapbook in yearly volumes, a hard copy library, the adventures of Adela and Josiah. Let us press on. We’ll see if I can keep it up until you turn 18. Here’s hoping.
Josiah, you are starting off the year obsessed with trains. Obsessed. It’s the first thing you ask for in the morning and what you do all day long. You call them “choo choo twains.” “Caws” are also big around here, and trucks, especially *garbage* trucks. We got to see the garbage trucks twice this week because of the odd holiday schedule. I caught you watching it go by through your window on its first visit. The second time we were headed to preschool to drop off your sister and got to watch it from the curb. You are boy, through and through. We’re really enjoying all the new boy things that we now get to witness. You’re so different than your sister, in just about every way. The moments I never really got with your sister, the wakeful, cuddly, rocking chair moments. You eat those up. You ask to “rock a bit” repeatedly whenever it’s nap or bed time. And you love it. For being so high energy, so wild, that rocking chair is your calm. You will stay on a lap indefinitely, enjoying back rubs, or book readings, or cuddles or singing. Those moments are the eye of the storm that is your personality. And it creates such tenderness in my heart towards you. We need those quiet times. God knew we’d need them, because so much of the rest of your personality is battle-ready. Figuring out how to discipline you in a challenge. You’re harder than your sister. She tends to change her mind and *want* to do the right thing because it’s right, because she wants to please us (at least for now.) You really have your own mind, and you aren’t easily swayed. I am out of my element a lot with you, feeling like I don’t have a totally firm footing, but that makes the victories sweeter too. You do come around. You’re just more complicated. Different. A constant surprise. I am still figuring you out. I’m sure it will be a lifelong journey with many beautiful twists and turns. You’ve been saying “‘licious!” lately (delicious), and you can count at least half the numbers up to 10 most of the time, more than that usually. You say them with us when we count. It shocked me when I heard you do it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t try to teach you that. You picked it up all on your own. Feeding you is still exhausting. So exhausting, that’s all I’ll say about it. You will grow out of it I’m sure. May I live to see that day.
Adela, you are sweet and girly. Mimi says you are “such a diplomat,” and she’s completely right. You always want everyone to feel included, loved, accepted. I think that’s why you’re so good at sharing. You’re sweet. I wish there was a better word for it. Nice, maybe. You’re nice. You are tenderhearted and much of the time, unselfish. More unselfish than I would expect any 5-year-old to be. You surprise me. I hope you hold on to your innocence and sweetness through your teen and adult years. You will make for one compassionate person. I’m excited to see where that takes you and feel the weight of responsibility to not do anything that might damage your sensitivities. You’re so good, such a good girl. Oh, and you no longer want to be a “life saver” (your professed profession of choice for close to 2 years now.) You have now told me that you want to be a Mommy to Josiah. When I told you that Josiah would be a grown up when you are a grown up, you said you want to have your own baby and name her “Christmas.” When I told you that, if you want, you can be more than one thing, you said you might also be a Mommy and a Photographer, like me. Aw. Something else cute you said recently in the car driving somewhere about 20 minutes in, you exclaimed with incredulity, “Josiah is awake… AND he’s quiet! That never happens.” So right, my child. So right. 🙂
Those are a few things standing out to me as your Momma, here as we start a new year. I love you both. May God give me the wisdom and patience, the creativity and grace to be the Mom you need me to be this year. Without meaning to sound self-deprecating, I truly don’t deserve you. You are God’s grace to me. May I seek him more so that I can learn to serve you more. XOXO
