He Likes It

  One of the things I love to watch as the kids grow is what their special talents and interests are.  I have some that live for anything that involves a ball and winning and others that sit alone for hours playing the guitar or keyboard.
  Recently I've noticed that Jeremiah has a little farmer in him.  He plants all the pits from the fruit he eats (does that ever work for anyone?)- he has a pine tree that he has tended for years and was thrilled when it reached beyond the wire cage that protected it.  He enjoys nothing more than going up and down the isles in our local nursery and somehow loves each flower more than the one before.
  Today we planted some cute pink flowers that I don't remember the name of but he probably does, in our window boxes. He hauled potting soil, gathered tools and gently planted each box. He told me when we finished that it looked "so amazing" and that we did a good job.  
  I like this boy and his dirty little fingernails.

The Mom with the Big Yellow Hat

  Some of my kids have a hard time making it through the day without falling apart.  Anger and attachment stuff spill out of them, starting first thing in the morning over their choice of cereal.  Afternoons are often a series of fights with siblings, rage over being disciplined and thinking the whole world hates them.
  Jeremiah had one of those days today and I was relieved to see it was almost bedtime.  When I went in to tuck him he was sitting with his favorite Curious George book, waiting for me to read to him.  I was tired and not delighted with him at the moment, but I had promised.

  Amazing how a story and some snuggling in bed together can poke little holes in our hearts and let all the hardness out-his and mine. 
  And I can't help but love a child that looks like Curious George.