My Favorite Season Yet

Why yes, Spring is my favorite season, but that's not what I'm talking about.

The girls are in a season of life that I am loving.

Yes, they throw fits when things don't go their way. Yes, there are lots of tears, the occasional tea pot stolen or shove when they think I'm not looking. And yes, mama's patience is being tested more than she cares to admit. But they are also leaning and growing more and more each day. They love to sit and read books with me and to each other. They have tea/coffee parties. They are slowing learning to play independently and together without me being ever-present. They LOVE church. Being outside is always more fun than being inside. Bedtime isn't as much of a shock when it comes at the same time every night. And I absolutely love that I can purposefully teach them things.

We have slowly worked with them on colors, shapes and the alphabet. No, I'm not doing any type of homeschooling, we just learn while we play. But now they are at an age where I can go out of my way to teach them things... and it sticks! Well most of the time it sticks... ok, sometimes it sticks, but I'm excited nonetheless.

I decided the other day to teach R a memory verse. Randomly throughout the day, I would have her repeat it back to me and we did that for a couple of days. And while I haven't been able to get her to put all the phrases in the correct order unaided, she remembers it as we say it together. That just boggles my mind. Can she really be old enough for that? And now even Baby Girl is joining in on the fun!

The power a parent holds in the education of their child is truly amazing. I don't mean to sound ignorant. I knew as a parent that I would be teaching my kids, but until you have kids and they really start to catch things, that just doesn't sink in. I'm excited and overwhelmed at the realization that their basic academic and spiritual foundation comes from the home. What they learn in our home will be the building blocks that everything else will come from and I don't want to sit on the sidelines and expect someone else to teach them what they need to know.  It's a good thing at this age, everything is new, and learning can be fun and doesn't have to come with a text book.

With this new season has come new freedoms and it has forced me to step back ever so slightly and  give them little tastes of independence. R insists on climbing the highest spiraled staircase at the park and as much as I'd love to tell her it's too high and too dangerous, I just can't make myself do it. I don't want her to be scared to try new things and I definitely don't want her to live in fear, but as a parent I need to use wisdom. She is tall, she can reach every step without a problem, and if I chose not to let her climb I be doing so out of fear. So instead of instilling my fears into her, I let her go. I stand beside her every step of the way, my hands so close they would catch her if she falls, but not so close that I do it for her.

We took a hike this weekend for the first time with the girls. I want them to love adventure and not to be scared of a little dirt. I knew that they would both fall at some point on our trek, and of course they did. Only a few tears were shed, and by the end the scratches turned into battle scars they proudly showed off and both girls were asking to go hiking again. Is hiking my thing? I'll be honest, no. But being with my family, seeing my girls try new things and teaching them to love a challenge even through the falls and tears is more than worth it. Who knows, maybe hiking will become our thing.

I am enjoying seeing my babies become little girls. I absolutely love to see their personalities and preferences come through- to see them become individuals. It all goes so fast and I'm doing my best not to dwell on missing the babies they once were, but instead focus on the beautiful little ladies they are becoming.

R loves pizza, horses, the park and a showed called - Sheriff Callie.
Baby Girl loves food in general, her blankie, cuddling and a showed called - Caillou.

They are individuals and they are unique. I might dress them the same from time to time, but I know that they are two totally different little people and am excited to watch them grow into the women God created them to be.

But for now I love that they both love to dress up in their tutus and go outside and play in the dirt. As much as it drives me nuts, I laugh when they end up covered from head to toe in spaghetti. And no matter how hard I try, they still look like little ragamuffins, and I love every second. They are perfectly imperfect and that is perfect with me.