I am therefore creating a snapshot of this moment in time. Of my beautiful children and my beautiful life.
Matty
Matty is currently 9 and in the 3rd grade. She is really something! Her body is growing up - and so is her mind in some ways. In other ways, she is still just a little girl. A beautiful little girl that loves to live in fairy tales and make-believe. With Disney's newest film release, her fairy tale of choice has gone from Tangled to Frozen. Where she once dreamed of having beautiful long hair that had magical powers and sang "When Will My Life Begin" over and over, she now triumphantly informs us every time it snows that she made it happen with her magic. The Elsa dress that Santa brought her just last month is already well-worn and falling apart at the seems. Because she is Elsa - and cannot be Elsa without that dress on! She belts out "Let It Go" at the top of her lungs and watches clips of the movie over and over on YouTube. Imagining herself a beautiful, magical princess makes her happy. :)
She is doing well in school. She is steadily meeting the goals that her Special Ed team sets for her. And we are so proud of her progress. She still loves music and demands that we turn it up every time we get in the car. She sings along with such feeling and gets all the words right in her concerts at school and church. When she is all alone she has conversations with people that she loves - or people she has only met in her movies. Sometimes we catch her on her knees in prayer when no one has suggested it. Reading is difficult for her - but she pretends to read her scriptures. It is adorable. She still gives the best hugs ever. All of her almost 70 pounds crawl right up into your lap and melt into you. I dread the day when it will officially be inappropriate for her to do that anymore.
She loves her sister. They have a very sweet friendship that makes me happy. As for her brother, well, at this point in time I would say that they have a mutual agreement to put up with each other. :) They mostly compete for Mom's or Anastyn's attention and butt heads a lot. They are slowly growing out of this phase though. I am excited to watch their relationship grow.
Matty is becoming increasingly stubborn and strong-willed. And sassy. Oh boy is she sassy. Traits that make her who she is, that make us giggle and fall in love with her; but at times can pose problems both at home and at school. Her classmates accept her for who she is and are so sweet and caring. It warms my heart and comforts me.
Matty is a blessing to our family. She has challenges and gives us challenges. But she makes us who we are. She makes us better.
Anastyn
Beautiful. Those eyes. Deep. Brown. Clear and bright. And there is a light that seeps through them and makes them sparkle. That light is her soul. Anastyn has a beautiful soul. I am proud of her every day. I appreciate the young lady that she is. It isn't easy being a middle child. It isn't easy having an older sister with disabilities. It isn't easy having a younger brother to help with. It isn't easy having so much expected of you. But she handles it all with grace and willingness and love.
Don't get me wrong, Anastyn is a typical 7 year old. She gets herself in trouble. She likes mischief and she talks a lot. A lot. She's smart and spunky and full of life. She bounces around and is so fun and happy. She loves to learn new things and does it with such excitement! She just started piano lessons this month. I think she is going to love it!
It is important to her to show love. She is thoughtful. For Christmas this year she spent time thinking about what she could give me and her Daddy. She thought about what would be useful to us. She spent a lot of time locked in her bedroom with a twinkle in her eye as she used paper and all the ink in her markers to make special and meaningful gifts for us. It brought tears to my eyes.
It is important to her to be shown love. Last night her dad told her to clean up around the house. With some prodding she helped Matty clean their room (which basically means she did it herself). After that she helped Mason clean his room - that was her own idea. Kyle didn't know all of the hard work she had already done, and she made the mistake of pestering him in the kitchen. So he told her to go clean up the toys in the basement. She went downstairs with tears in her eyes at the thought of having to do more work. I explained to Kyle what she had already done, so he sent me downstairs to tell her never mind. I said, "Daddy changed his mind. We can work on the basement tomorrow." She smiled and said, "Mom, did you change his mind?" I replied with a wink, and she said, "I love you, Mom."
Anastyn really is the "older sister" at our house. She takes care of everyone. She plays with everyone. She helps with getting dressed and brushing teeth. She helps with cleaning and chores. She bosses and mothers. She hugs and comforts. She reads to Matty and Mason. She sacrifices. She has always seemed older than her years. Even when she was a baby she seemed older somehow. I admire who she is. She makes me better, too.
Mason
Mmmmmmmm......Mason. Lovable, squishable, cuddly, sweet, Mason. Mason is my baby no matter how often he reminds me that he is not a baby. I think because Mason is my last baby I feel so sad that his baby-ness is dwindling. He became a Sunbeam at church in January. No longer in nursery. My heart broke.The memories of my girls as babies are fading. I need to remember how special this time is. His so-soft skin. His tiny little teeth. His little hands that hold mine. His giggles. The way he just bounds around more like a puppy than a little human. He wants me to hold him and rub his back. He wants me to kiss his cheeks and he wants to kiss mine. Sweet, slobbery kisses. Hugs that mold around my body with no hint of reservation. I love his sweet little voice, especially when he says the word "mommy". He's getting bigger every day and I am so grateful that I can still pick him up and hold him for just a little while longer. This little boy brings me joy. And lots of it.
Kyle
Kyle is amazing. Simply amazing. Seemingly endless energy (or a supernatural ability to hide being tired). Middle age I guess is where we are at. He is still young and strong, but starting to feel the aches and pains a little. Not quite as invincible as before - but still determined to be. He is doing such a great job taking care of our family. He works hard. He provides well. And I know why he does it. It's cause he loves us. We appreciate that. Being a husband and father can be a thankless job - but it still gets done. He spends endless time and energy chopping wood, hauling it, and keeping it burning so we never feel cold. He pitches in with dinner when I'm busy or tired or lazy. And he's still a looker, that man. I'm a lucky gal.
This man knows how to do a lot of things. He is so handy to have around. And Mason will learn so much from him. Kyle is Mason's super hero. He can't wait to grow up to be big and awesome just like his Daddy.
Me
I am busy, but not. It's great. I get to be a mom. There is no better job in the world. There really isn't. There isn't a harder, more challenging, more overwhelming, more frustrating job in the world. But so rewarding. I love it and cherish it and am so grateful that I get to do it. I have other jobs too, though. I sub at the school, which I love. It's a fun change of pace - good to get out there in the world. I work part time with the Kids program for Meeteetse Recreation. It's a blessing. I get to be creative and silly and have fun - and the best part is that all of my own kids get to be there with me. We're together and I'm getting paid for it. What a blessing. And I also do a little bit of bookkeeping on the side. Keeps my brain working a little bit. That's good for me too.
We like Meeteetse. It's a good place to be right now. The school is wonderfully small and the teachers are so great. Our ward at church is small but strong. It's quiet and beautiful here.
Life's good.
