The Early Years: Jelly and Meatball chocolate

Spring: (1)the season of growth; (2) jump. move forward by leaps and bounds.

Its a simple word. Its a season you can always count on. And yet, in its definition, its the perfect analogy for toddlerhood. Its what every parent experiences on a daily basis. So much so, that at times it can be taken for granted. It seems almost incomprehensible, the amount of growth and change that comes out of children in these early years. I can only imagine that these changes will continue to unfold before me. But a mother's heart, as a mother knows, is big enough to take it all in, to appreciate it, and to love it. (oh, and a father's heart too! It just happens to be me thats writing it down:)

It was a rough winter, here in the Mid-Atlantic region. Sickness and weather took its toll on my family. So, I will give myself a pass on my little writing hiatus. And when I say weather, I mean blizzards. And when I say blizzards, I mean total whiteout, no electricity for days, digging ourselves out of it for weeks, holy moly if I ever see snow again I may move to Ca. type of blizzards....and yes, plural....as in more than one time!!!!! So, as you can imagine, Genesis 8:22, took on a whole new meaning. Yes God, thanks to you, at least I knew Spring was coming!!

And with this refreshing, renewing season, came such change. I went into hibernation with a newly one year old and a 2 1/2 year old. But what emerged was vastly different. If you think in terms of spreading thier wings and flying away at 18, then I guess for now they are earning thier feathers. And my babies did just that! Johnie emerged on his little Harley tricycle, as a rider! Yep! He got on.....and off he went. I even had to move the seat back so he had more room. It was one of those moments I stood there and thought, wow, just like that huh? They will grow in the blink of my eye. And of course little Luca bear, is right behind him. He came out of the dark and the cold and into a warmer world of walking...and running! It took only a couple of weeks for him to master the porch steps, onto the grass and into the world of fast mobilization. He took off, and stops only to eat and sleep, which for anyone who knows him, knows he will always stop to eat.

Of course I still have an early role call. You know that call that comes way before you really want it to. It specifically calls my name. Mooooommmmyyyyy. Its always the singsong version of my name. I am not a fan of singsong in the morning. Or of anything before 6:30. But there I go, to start our day. And the days have been flying by. Johnie turned 3. What an age. I mean who's 3? Still so new to the world. A week later, he told me "I don't want to wear that," in reference to his diaper. And, that was that. No more diapers. Onto big boy pants. It didn't require any library rentals, no bookstore trips. I didn't even do internet research....as in posing the question to my facebook friends. It was good ole' child development. You know, the natural way things are done that we sometimes forget about in our quest to be the best (parent.) He was ready, which is becoming a familiar subject around here. Being ready. "I can do it by myself" rolls right of his tongue these days. And suprisingly he can. And knowingly, he can't, depending on the task he tackles, but nonetheless, its for my viewing entertainment. Oh, the smiles this boy puts on my face.

Luca has become a sentence talker. Which, still, every time, amazes me. I think, did he just say that? But he does. Which, I have found out the hard way, they really do say everything they hear. Note to self: give up ALL cursing. But curse words are my best friend, in a fit of frustration. Heck, darn and frigin just don't cut it. Like at all. But.....mommy power must kick in and out of my vocabulary the bad words shall go. But unlike my choice of words at times, thier words really ARE funny. Since I put jelly on thier toast sometimes, Luca calls bread slices, "jelly." If he sees the bread isle while shopping he yells out, "ooohhh, jelly!" So thats our new word for it. Like, "hey John, do you want a piece of jelly?" This is our normal. And when Johnie was very quiet, for too many minutes, one afternoon, the million dollar question was, "what are you doing?" That pause before the answer is always the time to think, do I have a clear path to run to him? But the answer was relaxed and was, of course, "I'm having a meatball chocolate." And like you, I thought, a what?? I followed the direction of his voice. And he clearly had eaten some chocolate. When I asked what a meatball chocolate was, he took my hand and said "I"ll show you." Now the taking of my hand so he could teach me something new, was in itself, worth his chocolate ingestion. He walks me over to the decorative bowl that I hadn't really thought about, that had been out since his birthday party. It was filled with hershey kisses. "What are these?" I asked. "Meatball chocolates mom." Of course they are.

A month past three years old. Nineteen months old. These are the ages of my once little ity bity babies. I now have two toddler boys. I have days of trucks and dirt; climbing and bruises. I have excitment in the morning, just because its morning. I have more hugs than I can count, since they love me just because. I teach my two little companions on a daily basis. Little do they know how they have taught me. I respect the world more, because its the one they will be a part of. I love my neighbor more, because its the stanger they may meet. I am in awe of the f

lowers because they have made me stop, to literally smell them.

The laundry has continued, but the conversations have increased. The time-outs have, well tripled, but the playing overshadows it all. For every annoyance I have, and sadly I will admit they I do get annoyed by my darling children from time to time, there is double the amount of moments when I amazed that the Lord has given me this responsibility, this joy, this laughter, and this love. The spring air has been fresh, appreciated and enjoyed. It has brought forth growth in all of the creation that I see,