Wonderment & Awe

I think I've finally found my groove. At least the "groove" that comes with raising two kiddos. I'm convinced I'm deficient in any/all other "grooves".

Lately, it seems I just spend my days fascinated with Jonas and Addison. Don't get me wrong, we still have our moments but more often than not, I'm just amazed that these two cute and squeezy little human beings came out of me. They make me smile a lot. They are extremely well behaved and sweet and insert every other good quality here. I'm not saying that they aren't "kids" by any means and that they don't have their moments (as do I) but those moments pale in comparison with the good moments they have.

Even though Addison is a well-known "rule follower" I wouldn't have it any other way. She has such a sweet personality and disposition. Plus, it's always nice to know if I ask her to stay close to me, that she won't go darting into traffic while I get brother out of the van. Plus, even at 2 1/2 months old I can tell Jonas is going to be a sweet guy too. How lucky am I that I got this twice in a row?

So, I'm devoting this post to all the amazing things I notice/watch with Jonas and Addison as we spend our days together. Just those things I hope I never forget as the minutes, days, and years slip by.

BIRTHMARKS:
Ever since birth, Jonas has had a cute little divot in his earlobe. I always try to convince people that we pierced it when he was born and surprisingly some believe me! But, no folks, I wouldn't go piercing a newborn's ears - especially a little boy's ear at that ;-).


It makes me remember when Addison was born and her cute lil belly button made the shape of a sideways "H". I was convinced it was simply because our last name was Hufford ;-). I'm not entirely sure when she outgrew it but somewhere along the way she did. :(

And both kiddos have my two-headed toe. Trust me, it's not as freaky as it sounds. I didn't even realize I had it until John so kindly brought it to my attention. Basically the 2nd and 3rd toes come out of the same "trunk" from the foot. Personally I think it's cute and I especially think it's cute that my kids share the feature. Proof that my genetic code is in there somewhere!

CUTE SAYINGS:
One would think this section is mostly about Addison since Jonas can't talk quite yet....oh contrar! I may not be able to decipher his ramblings yet but he is jabbering. And I'm loving it. He mostly just tries to duplicate our sounds with his mouth but it is cute to hear his deep manly voice more often.

Addison of course always seems to have a new/cute phrase daily, sometimes hourly. It's so funny to hear what she comes up with to say. She's using sentences a TON lately and I'm still amazed she knows how to do so already. It's getting to be quite the game when I have to try and guess what she's saying. She's very patient with me and will continually repeat it until I have it just right. I have no idea where she is learning this stuff but it makes me realize just how fast they grow up!

I'm guessing part of her new vocabulary comes from her inquisitive mind and her jabbering mouth. She always asks what EVERYTHING is. Literally....everything.that.comes.across.our.path. She'll say "Mommy, what izzzz dat?" It's definitely teaching me some new patience lately especially when grocery shopping. I can barely answer one question before she's on to another. And, the little stinker is usually asking about something she already knows the answer to. Now, I just happily turn the tide and ask HER what it is so I don't have to identify every single object known to man.

Lately she has started volunteering the phrase "Daddy, I uv (love) you!" It's adorable to hear and turns us both into putty. She started using it more with Daddy but after a little coaxing from John, she is now using it toward me as well. She has also graduated to using the sentence "Mommy, I ike (like) you!" Talk about melting my heart! I LOVE hearing those words.

Even her speech is advancing before our eyes. She has started trying to pronounce those words that typical toddlers eliminate. Mostly it's the "L" sound.....which is cute because she has to slow down her sentences and roll her tongue just so to get it out.

SMILES:
Both of my kids have gorgeous smiles. We've been enjoying Addison's for quite some time now but lately Jonas' has given us more as well. And I'll be the first to witness - this boy can turn me to butter with his smiles. Probably because he smiles just as big with his eyes as he does with his mouth. He started by giving most of the smiles to me but lately Daddy has been able to squeeze a few out of him as well. And Addison? Well all she has to do is be near him and he's grinning from ear to ear while he watches her. Frankly, I have no clue how I will ever attempt to discipline this boy as he gets older. I'm convinced I'll be running to get him ice cream cones instead of trying to put him in time out.

BUDDIES:
It's a well known fact that Addison and her Daddy are best buds. Don't get me wrong, I know for a fact that she loves/adores me as well but her relationship with John is truly unique and special. I'm not jealous by any means. I love that she adores her Dad and he adores her just as much. But now I'm getting to experience this first-hand with Jonas as well. I've been told that the boy is always Mom's little buddy and they have a special relationship with the Moms like the daughters have with their Dads. Well so far I can attest that this is true. He is only a little over two months but we have some fun bonding/chatting/hanging out times as well. Can't wait to see this grow more and more as he gets older.

SIBLINGS:
These two adore each other and I love it. Never once has Addison shown any inkling of jealousy or malice toward Jonas. And never once has Jonas' looked at Addison and NOT smiled from ear to ear. It doesn't get much better than watching your two kids develop/share that special relationship with each other. I'm excited to have a front row seat as they grow up together and develop that friendship even more. Don't get me wrong, I totally expect them to argue and wrestle with each other as they get older - but I'll know all along that their relationship runs much deeper than any argument/fight they get into.

Anytime Jonas puts his arm on/near Addison she'll laugh and say "Mommy! Brudder's tickowing me!" Just this morning he managed to grab a wad of her hair while they were watching cartoons. She was a bit confused but Daddy and I were there to assure her that it's the beginning of many hair pulls to come. After all, that's what brothers do!

READING:
Ever since I can remember, Addison has always loved to read. She has a few favorite books in her collection that she'll repeatedly ask us to read to her at bedtime. A few we've read soooo many times that she now has them memorized. I was quite shocked to hear her recite one of her favorites - "The Foot Book" almost word-for-word as she read it to me for the first time. I even had her do it a few more times with John nearby and she still got the majority of the words right! "Weft foot, weft foot, right foot, right. Feet in da moaning, feet at night...."


She also loves to read to brother. One night when Daddy was home with them by himself, he noticed her reading this book to Jonas.

Apparently, she would jabber with her own words through most of it but she always said the words "back and forf, back and forf," while rocking back and forth at the precise page in the book. I'm amazed at her memory and her love of books. Even when she was blessed by her Dad as a little baby, it was mentioned she would always love books. I just didn't realize we would notice it so soon!

Here Addison is reading to Jonas. He is always enthralled with anything she does. I love that she would read the words, then turn the book around and hold up the pages for brudder to see.

It seems like these two kids are at such fun ages. Sometimes I am just simply amazed that I can keep a two year old and two month old alive - simultaneously. But more often than not, I love that I get to sit back and watch both kids grow up and develop into such cute little human beings. It's moments like these that make me realize just how much I love my job. I'm a lucky lady who is living her dream!