Oh, What A Beautiful Morning

Seriously, it is beautiful.  Warm and sunny at 9:45, with a thick veil of yellow draped all over it, but beautiful.  Flowers are blooming and any time I'm pulling weeds Addison dances over and says, "A'son hep Mommy pull weebs!"  We're still working on the difference between a weed and Mommy's flowers.  Meanwhile, Caden is usually playing in one of his Cozy Coupes.  When I ask him to check and see if he has enough gas he will sometimes get down on one knee, open the gas tank cover, peer in intently and then say, "Looks goooood!"  Sweetest boy.

But we're not outside yet.  It's been a series of tantrums this morning for some reason, so we've been pulling out all the big guns trying to get back on track.  Pasta spirals and split peas in the discovery table.  "Sweet Potato" (this is what Addison has decided to call Mr. Potato Head and friends).  And cutting apart broken play necklaces with scissors.  (That last one was kind of a bust, it was too hard for kid scissors to cut through easily.)  And all of this before we head outside for snack and some outside play.  As the unpleasant behaviors decreased, they've been replaced by rather hysterical stuff.  Kind of balances out the loud whining and yelling that has been directed my way all morning...

• While Addison and I were trying to cut with scissors I could hear Caden playing away in the split peas.  Scoop and pour, scoop and pour.  Imagine my surprise when I turned around to discover the entire split pea supply had been transferred into a neat pile atop his tag blanket (on the floor a few feet away).  I dared not dash for the camera, for fear of him trying to pick up the blanket and dump it all back in.  But it was a seriously cute thing, that perfect little mountain of peas he had made.
• Before I agreed to take out Sweet Potato I asked Addison to help clean up the toddler table.  It was full of toy cars, necklaces and other assorted toys.  I handed her a few piles with the instruction, "Please take these toys into the playroom" and miraculously they made it in there!  She put the toys away, exactly 1 inch over the threshold.  But in there.  Should I be alarmed at how fast she is figuring out how to do stuff like that?!?

• I spent nap time yesterday making rainbow colored Knox Blocks for some sensory play (we've been exploring rainbows).  So after the above events, we headed outside for some snack and playtime.  I'll save the details for another post devoted to all the rainbows we've been making, but suffice it to say... we got out there, rainbows ready for action, and they...  largely ignored it.  I really did laugh a little to myself.  In between deep breaths and slurps of Diet Dew.
• And then, we took a walk.  Holding hands.  Together.  The whole time with nary a complaint.  And in the middle of the walk, Addison looked at the yellow fired hydrant at the bottom of our street and said, "Hydrant".  She said, "We're walking altogeder, Caden, A'son and Mommy!"  Caden noticed and then named the flags our neighbors were flying and the stop signs we passed.  Both kids, when asked what that sign tells us to do, thrust out their arms with hands out and shouted, "Stop!"  And they can both tell you the name of the street we live on.  Personally, I don't think "Clinton Place" rolls off your tongue easily, so I'm extra impressed.  

Granted, I didn't spend three paragraphs detailing the complaining, crying and whining that happened before all of this.  But nonetheless, see how fast you got caught up in how awesome the wonder of childhood is?  Well that's how my days go too.  As much as I struggle sometimes, the tide does turn.  Over something as small as a pile of peas.  And before I know it, I'm laughing.  I'm past the selfishness of my will and loving them all over again.

God, in all His infinite wisdom, made these babies endearing for many reasons.  His divine plan, His perfect will, His gracious gifts to one so undeserving as me... and to help keep me going on mornings like this one, instead of stringing them up by their toes.