Why I Smile

My friend Patti just had a post on her blog about why she smiles. She has a 4 year old, almost 3 year old, 1.5 year old and one on the way. She posted a blog post about what she loves about each kid. Made me think about doing that for my own. Especially since Mercy is driving me nuts right now. Ha ha

Why I Smile:

Grace - Almost 7 years old and going on 17. But a helper. The other morning Bethy woke up and Grace made her a bottle, then sat in the little kid's room and read a story to Bethy while Mike & I got a few more minutes of sleep. She loves Legos and Barbies and wants to be an artist when she grows up. Or a horse trainer. She sees people she knows when we're walking to school and always says "hi" to them by name. She wants to be friends with everyone. She has a huge heart and as her name says, she's full of grace.

Mercy - This kid is the comic relief of our house. Every day she makes Mike and I laugh out loud. A lot. She's in "poop" and "butt" mode so potty humor is everywhere. But she will come up and ask for a big hug and a little hug and a big kiss and a little kiss. She says Bethy is her baby. She sings songs ALL the time from the ABC's to Call Me Maybe. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite clothes are pink. She pees her underwears but "just a yittle tiny bit". Yes that's spelled wrong cause she pronounces things wrong. Cereal is "yetil", Sally is "yally", we don't live in "our house", we live in "us house". She's afraid of carwashes. She's afraid they're outside in the backyard, in the dark. She'll full out body tackle Grace and then hit her head on the wall and get up laughing.

Bethany - When I come home from a long day at work, Bethany is at the top of the stairs, screaming, and bouncing and so excited to see me. That makes my heart swell with love for her. She says "night night" and "meow" and won't say "mom" but I know she loves me. She's my little bitty-bit with 15 teeth and no hair and the most ticklish armpits in the world.

Mike - He's not my kid. He's my best friend, my co-parent, my fix-it-man, my chef, my landscaper, my escape from the every day. He's my everything. He works 50 hour weeks and then comes home to make dinner and check homework and baths and bed. He's my hero.

That's why I smile.