Stings, Swimming, Stretches and Soap Boxes

My goodness, June has been good to us! 

Sure, Atticus got three more molars.  (Yep, you heard me right!  Three...)  But really, only the first one gave us grief.  The other two just came.  We had an extra early morning here or there but they weren't nearlyl as dramatic as the first two molars.  Thank goodness!  And oh, what an adorable smile this boy has got.  

Speaking of his smile, he's been experimenting lately with laughs.  He has one that is especially funny- it reminds us of Nelson's laugh in the Simpsons.  But they're all pretty darn cute.  

Other developments include the following:

Swim Lessons

He took survival swim lessons!  The great news is he can now float on his back for 30 seconds!  The bad news?  He doesn't like water anymore.  :(  Hopefully this'll pass as he gets more competence.  In the meantime, it's no easy task to watch him as he tearfully floats.  In fact, there have been a couple heart wrenching times when he has actually blown me kisses while floating and crying.  I'm not sure how I resisted the urge to jump in and "save" him!  What a little lamb!

Stings

He also got his first bee sting!  Pretty sure a wasp got him at the playground.  But after a minute or two of crying the tough little guy wanted to keep on playing and tried to resist going home!  Crazy kiddo.  He's doing just fine.

Helper

He still loves to help!  I actually caught him "cleaning" our window a week ago!  He went missing for a minute or two and then he poked his head out from behind the curtain with a rag in his hand and a smile on his face.

Words

He is talking and imitating SO many words and sounds!  I love all of his animal sounds (he's now imitating elephants and even was saying, "Ouch!" to a picture of a porcupine).

The newest ones that he says all the time include "Down" (often said as the garage door goes down with his hand out, as though he's using the force to push it down...)

Here he is the very first time he was working out "Up" and "Down."

He also says "Wow!", "No" (often comes out as "Nah!" or "Neh!" and he often will try to say "Jesus" when he sees pictures of the Savior.  It's amazing.

One of the most frequent (along with "Up" and "Out," of course) is "All done!"  The hand shaking is pretty much over.   He just says it over and over, whenever he wants to stop something, (ie eating, baths, swimming, grocery trips, car rides, stroller rides, etc.)

It also feels like he understands so many more words every day!  Unfortunately, he's learned the word "scream" and if he hears anything similar he loves to give us a high pitched sampling...  Eek!

But it's so much fun to have him learning to do simple tasks and identify a few body parts.  He can point to his head, his ears, his tummy, his belly button and even his nose sometimes!  My favorite is that he knows "arms"- and he promptly folds his arms if he hears "fold your arms" or if he sees people doing it.  They don't stay folded for long, but it is just the sweetest thing to see him starting to learn how to pray.

We also love our little comedian's developing sense of humor.  Here he was entertaining us one night.

So, yes.  It's really been a great month.

Another reason we've loved June is that we got to celebrate all of the amazing men in our life.  Here are a few shots of Atticus with his Dadda.  

He's becoming Dane's little minion.  I absolutely love watching them together.  

We also got to spend some time with my dad and his sweet wife, Terree.  We even got out on the boat two days in a row!  Seriously, what person in their 70's can still get out and slalom like a champ?!  My dad!- That's who! 

 Atticus loved it, except when Momma got in the water!  Then he was NOT happy!!   I'm thinking he was worried about me?  

We've also seen more of Grandpa Ernie than usual, which has been terrific!  

There have been breakfast burritos, gardening on Saturday mornings, and birthday parties for both of Atticus's bisabuelos.

He's so lucky to have great-grandparents!

And, of course, we spent time with Atticus's special buddy, Bobba.

 There's been plenty of horn honking with both Bob and Marti...

  And on Father's Day he learned how to squirt a water gun!  The only thing that could convince him to stop and come back inside was Bobba's whipped cream.

The last great thing about June?  The Copa America Cup!  I'll be the first to admit that, as much as I love playing and coaching soccer, I'm a terrible fan.  But what little we did see must have inspired Atticus:

I've got my fingers crossed that these videos are just the beginning...

Of course, after all that kicking, somebody needed to stretch his hip flexors...?

Ah, this kid!   I seriously love, love, LOVE our little man and his crazy sense of humor!

Warning: Soap Box Ahead

I was asked recently by a close friend if I regretted settling down and having a family.  For some reason, I got a little tongue-tied in the moment.  I didn't want to sound ungrateful by listing all of the things that go wrong on a daily basis, but I also didn't want to just dismiss the question and defend my decision with a simple, "Well, of course not!"  

But I feel the need (yet again) to record straight, if only for myself.  In essence, my answer then and now is absolutely no!  I do not regret becoming a parent at all!  Am I more boring?  Yes.  Less spontaneous?  Yes.  Would I like to be doing some of the things and having the adventures I had before marriage and our little boy?  Yes!  But would I do it all over again?  YES!  Yes, yes, YES!! No question!  In fact, the only real regret I have is that we didn't/couldn't start a family sooner!  My childhood dreams of having a big family might not be possible at this point.  

So, if anyone is struggling or is afraid of commitment (I have fallen into those categories in teh past and sometimes still do!), here's some food for thought:  

I miss waking up when I choose, going to the bathroom by myself, taking long, uninterrupted showers and all of the other things we parents lose out on.  Sure, I miss teaching, coaching, making money, feeling independent, smart, important, etc.  But it's all a price I am more than happy to pay for the blessing of being a mom.  I never, ever felt the joy, love, and deep content I have now as I look at this beautiful little boy.  Not even as a missionary!

The satisfaction we get from work and hobbies is all well and good, but jobs end.  Muscles and bodies deteriorate and weaken.  Minds and senses grow dull.  At some point we all get run down (unless you're my dad!)  Looks and beauty go.  Possessions break and go out of style.  In my case, students and athletes graduate.  But Atticus will always be our son.

Families really are forever, my friends.  And it is in this eternal investment I will put my time and talents into.