New phases

Kids just grow up way to fast. Sometimes I kick myself because I feel like I am wishing time away. There are the milestones like wanting them to sit up, crawl, walk, talk, and things like eating on their own, playing on their own, and the lists go on.  Also there are the days that I just don't have the energy to keep up and I am wishing for nap time and then quickly wishing for bedtime.  I really don't want my days to be like that. I want them to be filled with laughter, playing, and memories.  My kids are growing up so fast and as I step back and look at them I am reminded of how precious our time together really is. I was reminded of this again recently as I have been watching both the kids step into new phases of life. 

Leah has recently started to become little Miss Independent.  She is still overall her joyful, loving self but in the area of eating she wants nothing to do with it unless she is doing it herself.  This obviously also means that she has completely given up any and all baby food. Therefore she eats what we eat for dinner.  Kevin and I have given in to her new found independence and have resolved to having one very messy little girl.

If you can't tell, we had spaghetti for dinner and she loved every minute of it.  I still manage to get a few spoon/fork fulls into her every now and then but for the most part she does it all by herself.  This is also one of those parenting things that I said that I would never allow my child to do. That being making a complete mess with their food.  But other than all over her hands and face and, um well some in her hair and lap she eats all of her food.

Chase has reached two new phases of the "preschool" age.  He has reached a whole new level of curiosity and now EVERYTHING is "Why Mommy?" This phase makes me smile.  I love to talk things out with him and really get a feel for how his little mind works.  When they are young you read that they like little sponges taking everything in but now I get to talk to him about it.  I realize that at times this will be very annoying but I pray that I have the patience to always answer/talk through his curiosity.  The other phase he has reached is definitely annoying because it involves constantly repeating whatever it is that he wants. For example he wanted cereal and fruit snacks for lunch today. (not a typical lunch in our house but that is what he got at the store and he wanted it) I counted 47 times he repeated the request for cereal and fruit snacks even after I had acknowledged the fact that we would see about it when we got home.  I love his determination and persistence and I pray that I do not squelch those wonderful life skills but needless to say we are working on patience :).