Excuse me while I DOTE....
Dote: Adore, love dearly, be devoted to, idolize, treasure, cherish, worship, hold dear; indulge, spoil, pamper. It's the perfect word for how I am with my children. At this stage in my life, they are the center of my world.
Being a Mother isn't very glamorous, from changing dirty diapers to washing bed sheets soiled from stomach flu, or the constant cleaning that's required. It isn't easy. There's never a day off, and very little time for myself. One day I laughed with Aaron after I found something really stinky left for me to clean up, saying that I definitely don't have the most glamorous job, and he replied, "Yes, but it's the most important job in the world." It hit me hard when he said that. I'm not highly educated, I don't wear fancy clothes, or get my hair done very often, and I'd rather spend money on the kids than on myself any day. But what I do do, is make sure that every day, my four beautiful children feel loved, because it takes love to raise a child into a good human being. I make sure that they're safe. I help them learn. I nurture them, spiritually, physically and emotionally, so that someday they too, can grow up and give love.
I'm certainly not the worlds greatest Mother. I lack in patience quite often, and could do a lot of things differently or better. And although more often than not, I feel very overwhelmed and exhausted, I love my "job", and there isn't a Mother on earth that loves her kids more than I do. And I can't say all of this without saying how grateful I am that i'm married to a man that works hard for his family, allowing me to stay at home with them, doing everything that I want and need to do. I've been at home now every day since the day Abbie was born, there's not many Mother's out there that are quite as fortunate.
So now onto the doting; One of those great moments for a Mom, is when she's told by others how wonderful her kids are (when she's not around). That happens to me all of the time. I'm constantly being told how sweet and well behaved they are by their teachers, neighbors and friends parents.
Aren't they so beautiful.... every one?
Abbie's so funny these days. Aaron and I laugh quite a bit at the things she says and does. She's getting to be quite mature, and quite witty. There's a reason why everyone adores her.
Ava's the worlds biggest sweetheart. She doesn't make a single decision without thinking of other people first. Her kindness never ceases to amaze me. She knows more about the right way to treat a person than most adults I know. She has a very big, but tender, heart.
Little Adam is the joy of my life. I've never met a happier child, nor one that laughs as much as he does. He's what every child should be. Happy, care-free, energetic and loving. And one thing I'm certain of, living with all these sisters, someday he's going to make one fine husband. :)
And now for little Estelle. She's the heart of our home and she's got every one of us wrapped around her finger. She's spoiled rotten because we can't resist her sweetness. She's already a very determined little child and growing so quickly. Any day she'll be taking those first steps. We all adore her, and with good reason.
I took all of these pictures of the kids just the other day. I love them.
Here's the digital scrap booking pages I did with them.
I'm so so grateful for my babies. I'm so blessed that they're all healthy and I thank my Father in Heaven every day for this.
On a side note, I want to welcome Auntie Bev to my blog! We've recently been reconnected through face book and it's so nice to be in touch with her again! I know you're reading this Auntie, we love and miss you very much!