The Rugrat

I love...
how you run to get the dustpan when I am sweeping and crouch down to hold it for me. It's a job that's just your size.

I laughed...
when I asked The Hero to do a favor for me and you pouted and stomped your little foot and said, "No, Mommy! My favor you!"

That does beat all.

The Hero

I laughed...
when I sent you down to the cold room to get me an onion and told you to be careful not to drop the flashlight (you can't reach the light down there). You came back with the flashlight safely clutched in one hand, and the top and skin of an onion in the other. The onion itself having fallen out somewhere along the way. You were utterly "surprised" to realize you were holding nothing but a skin.

Prairie Poppet

I love...
your songs. the words you write, the tunes you invent. the heart behind the words and music. this song you wrote today brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. I'm keeping the original in my memory box, but here is the text in all your phonetic glory.

"the lord is my sheperd
but I am a lam
and I Folow him throow his word
I shall nevr Gow of his traill of words
Satin will tri two temt me
two wondr of in the woods
But I will not
becus the lord is my shepherd."

Prairie Poppet, 6 years old.

Prairie Guy

I love...
that you woke up in the middle of the night and gave me an amazing back rub on your own initiative when you knew that my back was bothering me.

Thank you...
for getting the christmas lights up and running for me. they bring me daily delight, and I love that your hands were responsible behind the scenes for their merry glow.

I'm glad...
that you are feeling better. it's just no fun when you are sick, and I mean that empathetically, even if it is cloaked in a mantle of humor.

I'm thankful...
for your thoughtful caution in making decisions and directing the course of our family life. I'm glad you're in the driver's seat and that you trust me to help navigate. Together we can make it wherever we want to go.

Prairie Hero

I love...
seeing you appear in Sherlock Holmes costume, or any costume for that matter. You are so passionate in your dress up and role playing, it's truly entertaining.

I enjoyed...
an afternoon alone with you in the city. I didn't enjoy the city. but I did enjoy you.

I laughed...
when I asked you what you would like for a special treat on our "date". You replied, "Cake." Of course. "Where shall we get the cake?" I asked. "At the bank." you matter of factly insisted. "The bank?" asked I. "Yeah. You know, where you get the money out?" "Um. Yeah. Well, I've never seen cake at the bank."
Your eyes got big and you launched into a "tale" of having seen a fantastic spiderman cake last time we went to the bank. Apparently while I was getting money out of the bank machine you were drooling over this cake you saw in the window. Only problem being I have never taken you INTO the bank with me. So I asked you, "I don't remember you ever coming into the bank with me. Are you sure that wasn't a dream?" You were adamant that it was *not* a dream. You did come in once and there WAS a fantastic spiderman cake at the bank. You were so sure, and I am so prone to be scatterbrained that I *almost* was ready to believe that you had indeed seen a spiderman cake at the bank. Then... sheepishly... "Oh.... never mind." My face starts to break into a grin, "What?" Even more sheepishly... "Never mind!" Oh this is good. "Why never mind?" I ask. With an embarassed air, "I remember now... it *was* a dream." Oh the dreams of childhood... so real you can taste them.

Prairie Rugrat

I laugh...
at the things you put up with. one day I am sure the tables will turn and the girls are gonna have some dues to pay. but for now, they rule the roost.

I love...
hearing your little feet come stomping across the dining room towards the kitchen when I am making supper and hearing you say, "My help you Mommy?" every evening without fail. I take you down the cups and silverware and you grunt and huff and puff your way over to the table. Then you hunt down the sock box (your personal stool), push it over to the counter where I am working and climb up to keep me company and snatch any stray pieces of food you can get your little mitts on. It's become one of my favourite rituals in the day.

Prairie Poppet

I was so proud...
when we were at friends for supper and you politely said, "thank you for supper, may I please be excused?" and then proceeded to clear their table and take the empty dishes to the sink. You are the woman.

I am so thankful...
for how helpful you are with The Pumpkin. You know exactly what he needs and know how to take care of his any need. Sometimes I have to tell myself to stop you so that I can actually do my job of mothering him, and giving him the cuddles and snuggles he needs. I can't even begin to tell you how much your help and concern for him helps me every day in so many ways.

I love... how you find fun in the simplest things (like 6 month olds and stickers). I adore that about you.

My heart melted... when I asked you guys if you feel you are missing out at Halloween. You snorted and decidedly replied, "Nope." When I pressed you, you insisted, "it's a silly holiday... it's about nothing but candy." Nothing but candy?! My jaw just about hit the floor. A six year old recognizing that candy is an empty momentary pleasure that doesn't hit the spot? I just about cried after. The more we talked the more I realized that already, at such tender ages you have come to realize that meaningful celebration begins in the heart, and is focused on a person, and His goodness and grace towards us. When I realize that our efforts to instill the heart of celebration within your little lives is already bearing fruit my heart just about bursts with thankfulness and delight.

Prairie Pumpkin

I love...
how happily you go to bed. You literally sigh and bury your cheek against the sheet. It is delightful.

I'm thankful...
that you have discovered the joy of sleeping through the night. I didn't know what hit me when I woke up at 8:30 to the realization that I had not stirred or moved a muscle from the position I lay down in the night before.

I laugh...
when the girls treat you like a living doll and you just lap it all up.

I enjoy...
hearing you say "da-da"
the way you clap
watching you rock on your hands and knees
watching you eat. You are like clock work. Open O of a mouth, lean toward the spoon, close over it, pull back, plug your thumb, suck it down, repeat.

Prairie Girl

I love...
That you kept stopping to go back for The Hero in skating lessons. That you never want to leave anyone behind. That you were utterly unconcerned about your own affairs, and were solely concerned with being there to help him up everytime he fell. You are precious.

Prairie Guy

I love...
You. Everything about you. Even the things that drive me nuts.

I especially love...
watching you play with The
Hero, snuggle The Rugrat, pack The Pumpkin around against your chest and tease The Girl and The Poppet.

Thank you...
for sending me scrapping twice this week
for keeping your cool (figuratively speaking) while you fixed things gone awry outside all morning and afternoon on a bitterly cold and windy day.
for coming to the rink to help out at skating lessons
for making supper on club night

I can't wait...
for the inauguration of the hot tub tonight. Yeah baby.

Prairie Rugrat

I love...
your funny talk. "My stuck" "My do it" "My fall"
the way you say "hubs" for "love". "I HUBS oo, Mommy."

And the BEST? "My pray, mommy." Yes, baby. You pray. Always pray, and never stop praying.

Prairie Poppet

I love...
watching you play with Prairie Rugrat. you are such a natural and he adores you. yesterday you swung him up on your back and were spinning around trying to catch a glimpse of him saying "where's my little boy? where did he go? I can't see him, where is he?" and he would giggle and shriek and squeal "Here! here little boy!!!" It was the sweetest sight for sore eyes.

I laughed...
when I told you and your sister to "be like Jesus" to each other and that you didn't need me to referee and you turned to her and with that stinker twinkle in your eye bugged your eyes out in her direction and said "Like Jesus?!" followed immediately by a hip shaking, fist motioning rendition (in tune mind you) of "We've got the power!" Mercy me I just about split a gut.

I think you are growing into a serious rival who will have to battle Berry Girl for the position of my favourite comedienne. I'm sure she will claim I am exercising an unfair bias though...

I also laughed when you kept accidentally referring to the Sumerians as the "Samaritan's" in school the other day.

I adore... your stories, and your geography and your spelling.

Prairie Pumpkin

I laughed with tears in my eyes...
when you looked at me with sparkling eyes, raised your chubby hands up in front of your chest and clapped enthusiastically for the first time.

I love...
that you have finally settled into a schedule. 6 months. We did it baby. 2 hour morning nap, two hour afternoon nap 9 hours at night followed immediately after your feeding by another 3. YES.

Prairie Hero

I can't believe I am actually about to say this, but... I love....
your endless fount of exuberance. We studied definite and superlative adjectives in Language Arts this week... you my dear boy are superlative to the marrow. The biggest, the fastest, the loudest, the strongest, the happiest, the saddest... you are true to your pet name, you are my *super(lative)*hero. And that my dear boy, is your new blog handle, because "boy" just does but doesn't cut it. It's definite, but you are superlative.

watching you sword fight, with anything you can get your hands on, against anything you can get your hands on. I especially like it when you swordfight with a sword in each hand, because after all.... you *are* a superhero.

I smiled (and my heart melted)...
when I asked you to help the rugrat get a snack down from the cupboard and you managed to get one for yourself and conveniently "forgot" to provide one for him. When I went to the cupboard to get one for him you said, "Oops. I forgot. I promised myself I was going to be a good helper." Did I say SUPER hero? Talk about chalking up brownie points in a Mama's heart.

Prairie Girl

I smile...

at your literalism. The other day in school we were reading the biography of William Wilberforce and arrived at his grave prognosis of two months to live. Conquering the odds he was able to return to parliament some 6 months later, and somehow you missed the sequence of events. When he got the prognosis, that sealed his fate for you and you were unable to grasp how he could possibly be sitting in parliament six months later. "What do they mean?" you asked. "He's dead!" LOL! Doctor's orders you know... but God is the One who determines a man's days.