Learning and Legacies

This week has been a good one at the Carlson residence. Connor had picture day at school (after which he warned me that he "didn't smile") and Kylee has expressed mild interest in using the potty. I worked on Tuesday and had an incredibly SLOW day (only one patient in labor and just a few up on the postpartum floor--I had to be quite creative in finding learning experiences for my students!), and Brandon has been busy at work recovering from the end of quarter rush that he had last week.

We are convinced, as every good parent is, that our kids are INCREDIBLY smart and talented. Watching our children learn and explore new things is probably one of our greatest joys.

Let me share some of our latest "tricks"...

Kylee is very into counting right now. Order is of no consequence to her, but we are impressed nonetheless. Her typical counting spree goes something like "6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,9!" or "1,2,6,7,8,9!". Occasionally, she does get the order exactly right, but more often than not, the numbers come out in the orders listed above. :) Kylee has also started speaking in sentences, which has been fun. Examples: "Connor pushed me", "Winnie kissed me!", or "I want strawberry milk, please!". Kylee has also revealed a very compassionate side. When she sees a picture of someone crying in one of her books, she says "awww...he's crying!", and wants to know why that person is upset. She seems genuinely disraught in these moments and I am impressed at her ability to recognize pain in others at such a young age.

Connor is also trying out lots of new things. His speech is crystal clear, and he likes to spit out new words all the time (he incorporated the word "solution" into our conversation the other night). He is learning to write his name, and has also learned a lot about the calendar and the weather from circle time at preschool. His best trick is reciting "David and Goliath" out of his Beginners Bible. He can "read" the story verbatim and it is very cool to observe (of course, this is a trick he refuses to do when we are trying to get him to show off a bit to Grandma and Grandpa).

We spend a lot of time "playing with friends"--either in the neighborhood or with friends from church--which also provides a wealth of learning experiences for both the kids. Connor especially has become quite the social butterfly and loves to interact with other children. He will frequently wake up and declare, "I want to go to someone's house today!". We did have our first heartbreak experience last week when two little girls in the neighborhood told Connor that they didn't want to play with him or be his friend. You could tell that he didn't quite know what to do with this--he cried and couldn't understand why they didn't want to be his friends. This instantly brought out the grizzly bear in his Mommy, who wanted to drop-kick the little girls off the porch out into the cul-de-sac (I restrained because I didn't figure this would be the best way to model Christ to our son). We talked about it, and I assured Connor that he was a wonderful friend and that he had many friends who really enjoyed playing with him. Then, the moment of truth--Connor looked at me and said "but Mommy, I still want to pray for them". Then my tears started rolling. What amazing lessons our children teach us. Since then, the girls have decided that Connor is okay, and they have all played together happily again--and Brandon has informed me that I need to consult him before taking any action to avenge the tender spirit of our son (in order to avoid the aforementioned drop-kicking).

Of course, with all the excitement of the kids getting older, we are experiencing some of life's more painful lessons, too. This summer has been a difficult one for us with the passing of both Grandma Plummer and Grandma Haneke. Connor especially has tried to understand what has happened, but as you all know, the concept of death and going to be with Jesus is a difficult one for young minds to grasp. Last night, Connor noticed the locket that I wear around my neck and asked what was in there. As I showed him the picture of my Mom, he asked where she was. When I explained that she was in heaven, he asked if he could see other pictures of her. We took a few minutes and looked at some photos of Mom--a very special time for me. I am so thankful that he is interested as one of my greatest heartaches is the fact that Connor and Kylee will never know their Grandma Beth. I know, though, that both of their Great Grandmas and Grandma Beth are watching down on us, and I look forward to sharing the stories of these remarkable women with the kids as the years go by.

With everything that we've gone through this summer, I am reminded that life is short and that kindness is of the utmost importance. I hope that our children continue to desire to pray for those who have hurt them and to be interested in those that have gone before them. Saying goodbye to my Grandmas has led me to reflect on what kind of legacy I want to leave for my children..I hope it is one of joy, love, forgiveness, and compassion. I am thankful for the examples of courage and hope that these women have been, and will continue to be, to us and to our children.