reasons 3 & 4.

there has been so much going on in our lives lately that i haven't been on top of my blog. so much so that it's rather embarrassing to call it a "blog." i feel like that implies that there's some sort of upkeep, when in reality barely have two seconds to shake a stick at let alone sit down and be witty.

reasons why i'm busy:
1. full-time school.
2. full-time job.
3. a three year old.
4. a four year old.

numbers 3 & 4 come with a considerable amount of clean-up attached.
last week we had birdseed spill all over our floor (someone found a wayward craft project), and due to impeccable timing and the imminent departure for daycare/work it was not cleaned up until about two days later. every time i walk past the kitchen table there's the crunch of a dropped cheerio now found by the sole of my shoe.
also, i should be doing our dishes right now.
(please relay to me your sympathies for a moment as i do NOT a have a dishwasher).

alas, i'm not doing the dishes.
no, i'm going to tell you about liam and his little potty-mouth.
we had this conversation earlier this month:
liam: pillow is stupid.
mommy: liam "stupid" is not a nice word, we don't say that word.
liam: stupid, stupid, stupid!
donovan: liam, when we say that word it hurts Jesus's feelings.

i didn't really have much to follow up with after that, donovan kind of rocked that one.
speaking of donovan and grasping the whole "Jesus/God" concept, we were sitting in the bathroom (because let's recall that there is no such thing as privacy/solo bathroom time when you have small children) and this happened:
donovan: mommy, was i made?
mommy: what do you mean, sweet-pea?
(yes, i have taken to calling him sweet-pea...is that too feminine???)
donovan: i was made.
mommy: yes, do you know who made you?
donovan: God did!!

it was beautiful i cried a little bit.

then we're walking inside from the car just a few days ago and van says to me, "mommy, can God hear us even when we're inside??" and continued to giggle and smile and get so excited when i told him that God can hear him anywhere and he can ask him for help whenever he needs it. he thought it was pretty dang cool.

sigh.
not to do a total one-eighty, but remember liam the potty-mouth? well luckily we don't have much trouble with him repeating things more than once. it's more of a "can i get away with this?" then "nope guess not" and he never says it again.
one of the biggest problems is i have trouble keeping a straight face when things come out of his mouth.
for example, we were sitting at the kitchen table coloring the other day, and.....
van: i'm going to use the red crayon for his wheels.
liam: you're shitting me donovan. you're shitting somebody.
(are you kidding me!!?!? i immediately let out a snort)
mommy: liam! that is not a nice thing to say. those are mean words.
donovan: what words mommy?
mommy: um, er...the ones liam, just, er, nevermind donovan keep coloring. liam!
liam: what mommy?
mommy: we do not say those words, liam.

i haven't heard anything out of him since. it's like he tries it out, it backfires, and he moves on. then he's back to being the little boy who tucks in his stuffed animals at night and likes to hold onto your arm when he sleeps and will follow you anywhere if you're holding his hand.

it's so beautiful and amazing and scary and wonderful and terrifying to watch them grow. 

it's such an incredible miracle when i sit and think: i grew you inside my tummy!! how freaking incredible is that?? you used to be a single cell inside of me and now you're writing your name and coloring inside the lines and counting to thirty.

how could something so incredible be anything other than a gift from God?