Conversations with Seth...

I was helping Seth and Lily pick out clothes for church.  Lily was putting on a new dress....

Seth:  Oh I Love That!  I want one like that!

Me:  do you?  well, this is a dress... do you like the plaid?

Seth:  I just want that.

Me:  Well, that's Lily's dress...

Seth:  I don't want a dress... I want a REALLY long shirt.... that I don't have to wear pants with.


Later that night....

Seth:  (to Lily) That dress is so pretty.

Conversation with Seth...

We have just switched over to new hand me down clothes... and they do not fit perfectly.  I was trying to fix his jeans by rolling them up.

Seth:  OUCH!

Me: Sorry, What?

Seth:  You scratched my butt!

Me:  Sorry.

Seth:  I mean you scratched my back!

Me:  Sorry.

Seth:  I mean, you scratched my butt-back!

Me:  Sorry about that!

Seth:  Is there such thing as a butt-back?

Me:  I've never heard of one.

Seth:  Ok, well you scratched it.

Letter to Si....

I will be praying that I quit underestimating my baby boy.  I'm such a big talker about how much he can and will accomplish, in the same breath that I limit him.  

I erase one of those limitations today.

Over the years... and the children... I have written letters to each of my kids.  I write one on their 1st birthday and have written one on the 5th birthday.  I have kept up with many things kid after kid, but this one I have forgotten about for Si.  I will admit that I have remembered that I need to do it over this second year, but have put it off partly because I start to think that he doesn't "need" it as much... or if won't mean as much to him.

I've had a change of heart. 

I've become more desperate to catch up after a night at Taekwondo this week.  As I may have mentioned, when I signed Lily up for TKD a couple of months ago, I was sure I was doing the right thing after seeing that she would be in class with a 33 year old man who has Down Syndrome in her class.  I thought "perfect!".  And it is.  I get to chat with his mom and sister as I watch what and dream what mine and Si's life might look like in 30 years.  It's great to have Lily and now Ian being in class with an adult with DS.  It gives them a glimpse of what they have to look forward to with Si.  On Tuesday night Lily and I were watching Ray and Ian in class and Mrs. D says "Everyone line up behind Ray!  He's our leader!"  Ray immediately stood up straight, turned his face to his momma and he couldn't contain the biggest grin I have ever seen!  I looked behind me and saw his mom smile and wink at him then me.  I wanted to cry, I was so happy.  Then my eyes met Lily and she was looking at me with a smile just as big.  She had seen the entire interaction and she knew exactly what had happened.  She new that this 30 year old man had the pride and joy of a little boy.  She knew that his momma was just as proud and she looked at me and knew that I saw her baby brother in that moment.

So, this story leads me to why I'm sitting down to write Si's letter today.  He will need and want to know how much he has effected our family.  He will beam with that same pride and joy that Ray did when he reads my letter of how much his brothers and sister have changed because of him.  He will read that an entire church supports him and loves him and it started at his birth.  He will read that his dad's heart melts every time he looks at him or sees him smile.  He will most certainly read of his momma's joy and her pride she feels whenever he works so hard at each milestone.  He might be older when he gets to read his letter... but it my priority today to write that letter that will mean just as much to him as the other kid's letter will mean to them.  

 Ray and Si

Ray's parents playing with Si at TKD

Conversations with Seth...

Me:  Seth... Wanna take Zelda on a walk with me?

Seth:  No.  But I will go to Chuck E. Cheese with you.

Lily Logic.

lily: I don't know how I got 100 in math when I don't like it.

Me: well, you have to do your best on things even when you don't like it. 

Ian: I love math. 

Me: I hate math. 

lily: well, I only like math partly. ...the part without numbers. 

Me and Ian:  ..... ???

Conversation with seth.

"Mom. Mom. I guess I have 4 legs."

Conversations with Seth...

Seth:  Mom!  I want to be a princess for Halloween!

Me:  A Princess?

Seth: Yea.

Me:  A girl?  Or a Prince?

Seth:  Yea a girl... no wait... I mean a Cowboy!  With a gun and a rope and a horse and a gun!

Me:  Okay.