I am blessed.

I am a blessed mommy. That realization never leaves, and sometimes it's enhanced. A girl that watches my kids at the gym recently told me I am blessed. It was nice to hear it from someone else, because I know my kids can be quite the handful. And sometimes I think only I, their mother, can handle (and embrace) their rowdy behavior or wild energy. Most of the time I love it, but sometimes, I don't know what to do (like when I find both kids with their heads in my toilet and then splashing around or when I run upstairs for 3 minutes and come down to a new bag of Ruffles opened up, being dipped in a new tub of chocolate fudge frosting, or when Stone helps Emerson get in my makeup and it gets all over my carpet...you get the idea). And quite often {at least once a day} I say outloud to myself, "Seriously? Did they really just do that?" And then...at the end of the day, as I lay down and close my eyes, I find myself laughing out loud {really, I do, and Cliff will ask what is so funny} and suddenly anything that may have driven me crazy earlier in the day, has quickly turned into a wonderful memory, or a Facebook status (that so many people find entertaining), and something I will always remember about my kids.

Every time Emerson is in this adorable mis-matched outfit (see above), I get told that she belongs on the store shelf as a doll. She does, doesn't she? This sweet girl is talking like crazy. Her mouth is always open, and she's always babbling! Cliff and I are probably the only ones that can understand her many phrases. She has taken a different approach to speech development, compared to Stone. Stone had more singular words at this point, but she has more phrases. She copies our tones and inflections to typical phrases we say all day long, "Hold my hand", "What is that", "That's mine", "I'm hungry", "I don't want to", "I don't know", etc. They are kind of slurred together, but she has done her best to imitate what she hears us say. Each day her little phrases become a little more clear. She has many singular words as well: mommy, daddy, ball, mine, milk, water, nuh-uh (she has yet to say no! it's always nuh-uh), uh-oh, baby, hot, two, doggy, me, eye, nose, button, etc.

She still loves animals, and she is still my cuddle bug. She is even funny, and doesn't know it! In the car, I said something sarcastic to Cliff, he had a come back, and in the back seat, Emerson said, "Ooooohhhh!!!!" right on cue.

As for this joyful kid...sometimes I just don't know what to do with him. My mom always says, "oooh, you've got Jordan on your hands." My brother, Jordan, was her rowdy one. But finally yesterday, when she told me that again (after I told her he pulled my bedroom curtain rod out of the wall by swinging on the drapes, telling me he thought it was a swing. ....ummm, no, he did not really think that!), I said, "Mom, I think he has surpassed Jordan. Hands down." Jordan grew out of his rowdy stage by 3. Stone is still going strong, with no break in sight.

However, he then says the sweetest things like, "Mommy, I need to send Heavenly Father a text. I need your phone to call him." or "Mommy, you're the best. I just love you." He also says "I love you" ALL THE TIME. I think I've mentioned that on here. He'll say it in public, and people will say, "Oh my goodness! That is the cutest! I wish my kids said that."....and it makes the curtain rods being ripped from the drywall not seem so bad.

I mean, really....I have a Stone story for every.day.of.the.week. But we love him SO much. We have tried all angles of discipline, and have tried so hard to teach him obedience. We've taken a "positive reinforcement" approach this week, and he has seemed so much more cooperative. What can I say, he has a mind of his own, knows what he wants, and works until he gets it. He really is such a joyful kid, and definitely keeps me on my toes. He is also such a good big brother.

I really couldn't ask for better kids. They fill our home with happiness and love. I can't believe there are people that don't want this. "This" is awesome.

below: Stone on his harmonica.