the kittens and their mittens

So, we get some little kids magazine, maybe "Turtle" or something like that. Anyway, there was a little story in the most recent issue about a mother kitten whose three little kittens are always loosing their mittens and it drives her crazy. They are always running and jumping and playing and they loose their mittens. She talks to one of her cat friends (obviously) who says that her kittens never loose their mittens because they don't jump and run and play. Honestly, I thought the story was pretty dumb! Ha! But, then Nick told me that he loved the story and explained to me that he thought of it in terms of our own kids. They make messes, get hurt, loose things, etc.... they do lots of things that drive us crazy! But, they do these things because they are active, imaginative, playful... and it really hit home. The things that drive me the most crazy about my kids are also the things I LOVE most about them!

Max can be very particular, very high energy, he always wants to wrestle and play rough, he argues everything... But, my favorite things about Max is how he is so smart and I find it cute that he remembers everything and can even be a little particular. He reminds me a lot of his dad, who happens to be one of my favorite people! And I LOVE that he is all boy. I always wanted a little boy and I think it is cute that Max is obsessed with dinosaurs, super heros, and playing like a BOY! I love that he is a little boy! And, honestly, I love that he is a thinker and has a hard time accepting things. While we need to work on teaching him to be more obedient and that he needs to respect authority I don't want him to become a person who follows the crowd or does things "just because". I love that he analyzes and thinks about things!

Sophie can be a total princess sometimes. She likes things a certain way and expects others to fall in line. She is totally girly and thinks that everything in the world that is pink belongs to her. She is NOT a people pleaser and is very strong willed. She loves to snuggle... but when SHE wants to. She is a DRAMA queen! But, I love how girly she is! And I love that she knows what she wants and speaks her mind. I love that she isn't a people pleaser and I pray that she never becomes one. I love that she is strong willed and I believe she will go on to use her strong will to do big things for a big God! And I think her dramatic side could come in handy one day! I believe she will have high standards when she chooses friends and one day a husband and I wouldn't want anything less!

And Jack. Well, he is still perfect. But, I know I will have a similar list in the years to come. I just hope that I remember that the things he does that drive me crazy will probably also be some of the things I love most about him.

I just pray that I can channel some of the negative things that they do in a better direction. But, I never want to crush or change who they are because it is who their Creator created them to be!