Loving my Loves

10 Things I Love About My Sweet Ones

1. Bug is such an amazing thinker!  I love listening to him tell me about how he figured something out - it's fascinating.

2. Basil has such a darling heart for others.  When someone is sad, she always moves to comfort.  And her little hugs are magic.

3. Bug is strong willed.  Sometimes that's very challenging when what he's passionate about something that conflicts with that we as his parents are telling him needs to happen, but I know that strength can lead to him doing great things for God one day.

4. Basil is a snuggler.  She loves to curl up and read stories with me.

5. Bug is a reader like me.  We both love just hanging out on the couch enjoying our books.

6. Basil acts out the cutest stories with her stuffed animals.  She can build elaborate "picnics" complete with food, stories, and bedtime (not sure how those come together), it's so much fun to just sit back and watch.

7. Bug is constantly in motion.  Ok, not constantly, but some days it feels like it.  I admit that this frustrates me more often than not, but it's also really cool to me when I see so many kids who spend far too much time in front of TV or gaming devices.

8. Basil is also very strong willed.  I don't like it when it comes out as defiance, but like her brother, I know she's going to do great things with that passion some day. 

9. Bug has the cutest grin.  He's missing his two front teeth right now and it's even cuter.

10. Basil loves to sing.  She makes up songs and she sings along with the stereo in the car. 

Pieces

I prayed hard for Bug's kindergarten teacher.  He's all boy -- rough and tumble, perpetual motion, and more.  And he's advanced academically.  As a teacher, I have seen this combination in various forms.  And while I enjoyed those students, I also knew the challenges of teaching them.  So I prayed for someone with understanding and wisdom.  And when I knew we'd be moving before his kindergarten year, I added prayers for a neighborhood with kids his age for him to play with.  I'd also hoped for a place centrally located for church, school, and work.  I was asking for a lot!  And while I know God can do it, I also recognize that the heart, I want my prayers to be about His will, not mine.

In the end, our house is a farther from work, school and church than we'd really like.  But, Bug is in a great school with a great teacher who values who he is and is working to challenge him where he's beyond his classmates and support him where he needs the extra.  And he has not one, but three buddies from his class that live within two blocks of the house.  Combine that with a preschool that's exactly what we wanted for Basil directly on the way from home to work (that we might have missed if we'd lived somewhere else).  It all came together so beautifully.  As I have been thinking of all these things in the last few days, I am reminded that I am so thankful for God's control instead of my own.