Just a Few Reasons Why I LOVE being a Boy Mama!!!!!

All these things happened within the last 2 weeks, and all of them made me love life all the more!!  Boys are soooo fun!  So, here are a few reasons that I love my job!

#1  Boys are affectionate....  I was teaching JCT something new in math.  And, as per my usual teaching method, I was explaining my heart out!!!  And, all the while I am explaining how to add and carry, he is kissing my arms.... constantly.  Think Adams family.  I kept saying, "James stop! Listen to me! You aren't paying attention!!!"  And, he would just smile, giggle, and keep kissing up and down my arms!!  Silly, silly!! :-)  I thought of his future wife.  One day she will be sitting there, pouring her heart out to him about something that is truly bothering her, and he will just be smiling silly and kissing her! Ha!

#2  They say things that are completely unexpected!!!!  On Tuesday I was teaching Joshua something, when I leaned down to pick something up, my hair spilling over my shoulders.  Joshua jumped up, eyes all alight, and said, "Mom, stay right there like that!"  He came over, played with a few of my curls, placed them just so over my shoulders, stood back, looked at me approvingly, and with great excitement said, "Now, there, that is perfect!!  You look just like...."

Like what, I'm wondering, a supermodel, maybe, Wonder woman.... A girl can hope!

But, no, he said...

"You look just like Troy Polamalu!!!!"

Like, seriously, I didn't even know what to say to that.  I mean what do you say?? "Thanks" just didn't seem right.  I mean my 8 year old son just told me that I look like a 200+ pound professional football player.  :-0

#3 Their creativity never ceases to amaze me...  I took Eriky up for our naptime routine of books and singing, and when I came down I found this....

Two wisemen on a camel, and in the back there, that is the little drummer boy!!!  And, they even created their very own manger using Jack's superyard and a Christmas ornament...

So, when Erik came home, we had to act out the manger scene.  I was Mary. Erik was Joseph, and Jack was baby Jesus!!  Erik Daniel was a shepherd.  Joshua and James were wisemen, and Elijah was the little drummer boy!  James Christofer had to memorize a portion of Luke 2 for his Bible class, so he quoted that as we all acted out what he said.  When he got to the part about the shepherds being so afraid, he looked over at Erik Daniel and cued him.  Erik Daniel took his cue and let out a huge and unexpected (to us) scream!!!  Erik and I laughed so hard!  It was sooo cute!! Love it!!!

#4  Sometimes they get things a cutely confused....  Lije and I were discussing the sweet baby inside me when all of the sudden he blurted out, "Well, maybe Uncle Sean's idea was wrong!!"  So, I asked, "What idea?"  To which he answered, "Sean's idea about the baby being a girl.  You know his pink cakes he brought us.  Maybe his idea was wrong.  Maybe it is a boy after all!!  Only God knows for sure."  Deana B made the cakes, and Sean led the boys in doing the cutting, so I guess Elijah just assumed that this was all just Sean's idea! :-)

#4 Sports somehow makes its way into everything we do...  We do school every single day from 8 until we finish.  If I am deep into teaching, I ignore my phone, leaving it in another room.  But, if the boys are doing work on their own, and I am just monitoring them and being present in order to answer questions and assist, then I will leave my cell phone on and answer texts as they come.  This particular day a friend and I were making plans for a Mom's Night Out coming up later in the week, so my phone was going off displaying texts with her name on them over and over.  The boys took notice of this.  Some of her texts would come in four at a time.  So, the boys would hear "ding, ding, ding, ding," and they would look and see her name.  Finally, Joshua announced, "Mom, she really likes to text! I'm going to call her Texter McCluster!!!!!"  This is after Dexter McCluster a very fast football player from Ole Miss who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.  I laughed so hard I nearly wept!  And, from then on when the cell phone went "ding," JCT would yell, "Textdown, Mom!!  It's Texter McCluster again!!"  Oh, these are fun days!

#5  From the biggest to the 2nd littlest, they love to help out!!!

Eriky loves to help me feed Jack stars...

He is so focused and has so much fun doing it...

Part of growing up in a big family is learning how you can chip in and help!  I love watching my boys grow up and learn to take pride in the fact that they are helpful and very much needed!!  I can use all the helping hands that I can find ~ no matter how small!!! :-)

#6  Boys love their mamas!!!  Someone once told me this, and it is so true!!!  Joshua had to read the first third of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths for his literature this week.  He had two pages of questions due this past Friday.  He finished his work, and I wanted to check over it.  There were several that I had to look up, and there was a 70 page span with which I had to search to make sure he had chosen the correct answers.  All the while I was checking his answers, he was hanging on me.  HANGING on my shoulders, hugging me, his face, cheek to cheek, against mine.  I was so smothered that I was having trouble turning pages.  So, I would ask him nicely, "Please, give me just a little space, so I can turn pages."  And, he would say, "But, mommmm, I love you!!"  And, then he would continue to hang on my shoulders. So sweet!!  Does he have to grow up???

#7  They just might be more impatient than I am...  Look at the progress on Erik's gym...

We are getting there little by little.  I took Rain out the other day while holding Eriky on my hip.  Eriky looked over at the men working on preparing the dirt for the concrete foundation.  He said with his eyes wide, "Mommy, why are they just standing there talking?  They need to be working!!  They are just standing around talking, Mommy!! You need to go tell them to stop talking and work!!" :-)

#8  Watching friendships grow....The other night Erik had Joshua and James Christofer at their Upwards Basketball practice.  So, I was home alone with the little 3, and I fixed us a little dinner.  As we sat at the table and ate, these two put their arms around each other and began chanting, "We're the best buddies!  We're the bestest buddies!" So sweet...

#9  They have pure hearts that see black and white...  Joshua and I were discussing Tim Tebow last night.  He was asking me about when Tim's mom was pregnant with him, so I explained it to him, my son who has never heard the "ab" word.  I told him that when Mrs. Tebow was pregnant with Tim she had Malaria and was very ill.  I pointed to my belly for emphasis.  The doctors told her that the baby in her tummy would not be a normal healthy baby due to her being sick during the pregnancy.  They told her that since the baby would not be healthy and normal that she should just let them go ahead and take the baby out of her belly before it was time...."  I put my hands on my belly, and looked up to see Joshua's sweet face turn as white as a sheet.  He didn't say anything he just looked at me like he was trying to fathom what I had just said. It was a brand new thought to him. Then, quickly, I asked, "But, what did they do?  Did they do what the doctors said?"  He answered, "No!"  I agreed, "No, they didn't.  They said that they would take whatever baby God chose to give them.  And, he gave them a perfectly healthy, normal baby boy."  Joshua added, "And, if they had done what the doctors said, then I wouldn't have a good football player to look up to."  Pure hearts, pure understanding.

#10  I just do!!  I just love the fact that I am able to get up each morning and spend my days with our little men!  The other day at school day's end, I sat at the kitchen table and watched my four older boys walk out the backdoor to go play.  And, I watched them run to the trampoline.  Oh, joy!  To see them playing all together, enjoying each other, laughing, talking, and chasing.  It makes a mama's heart so happy!! :-)