With that being said, I don't want to forget what this season has been like. That's the beautiful part of blogging, that I'm sharing snapshots of our memories from a very specific season of life. I love looking back on when Devin and I were newlyweds who went camping multiple times a summer, and seeing what I was thinking and writing when Aiden was just 6 months old.
Yes, having a colicky newborn and a not-even-two-year-old was really, really hard. Potty-training a two-year-old while having a 3-month-old was also really, really hard. But this season? Of a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old? It's been SO sweet, and my favorite season so far.
Of course, there is plenty of chaos--Aiden suddenly wants the exact toy Emma has picked up. Emma resolutely says "NO" when Aiden very patiently asks to have the next turn with the toy she has. One of them kicks the other on the couch (because a couch meant to seat 3 grown adults is, actually, FAR too small for two toddlers to have their own space.) Aiden mysteriously can't find his shoes when we're trying to leave, and Emma has already taken her shoes off while I try to help Aiden find his. Neither kid wants to eat the dinner I've made and are loudly protesting while I try to listen to Devin tell me a story about his day.
Sure, there's some mayhem.
However, amidst the very real chaos, there are mostly sweet interactions and precious things I never want to forget. When we pray together before bed, Emma starts off: "Thank you [God for] CLARK! Thank you [God for] CLARK! .Thank you [God for] CLARK......." and Aiden whispers to her suggestions of who else to thank God for.
When we go to any playground, all the two of them want to do is ride the swings together.
With toys at home, they play near each other, and Emma usually wants to do what Aiden is doing. She knows how to hold a nerf gun, and she pretends to build alongside him when he has the Lincoln Logs out. And he's (usually!) so kind to her. "Here's another nerf, Emma!"
Over the baby monitor, I can hear them in their new bunk beds, talking after we've put them to bed. Emma will ask, "Why, Aiden?" and he launches into an explanation of some item I don't understand. The elementary conversational back-and-forth of her asking a question and him trying to answer literally MELTS me.
Sometimes Aiden will just decide Emma must be thirsty (usually when she's already holding her own cup in her hands) and he brings his spill-proof cup to her and helps her take a drink. Even if they both already have the exact same thing in front of them, he still wants to share with her what he has.
Last night, in an effort to really tire them out before bed, we played tag in our new backyard. They were both laughing SO hard as they ran away from me and from each other. Emma sort of understands that you have to run away from someone and she kept trying to tap her own back (a funny sight!) and kept saying "tag!". Aiden didn't stop laughing the whole time, as he chased his sister through the grass or ran after me. It wasn't lost on me what a blessing it is that we can all play games together because they're close in age and finally in the stage where they're sort of doing the same things.
In these last 6 months before I have the baby, I'm excited for our adventures together in the last chapter of it being the four of us.
No comments