The Greats...

In the last week, I've had visits from the Great Nieces & Nephew...Always entertaining, always makes me glad I had my kids young...

Miss Madelyn had been busy learning how to use the fork and spoon, and it was a study in concentration!

She was so careful to get the spoon well-loaded, and then if anything dropped off it had to be put back in the bowl for the next try.

Then the perilous journey up to the mouth! And no matter how large the bite, you put it ALL in, twisting the utensil for the unload...

Ahh, success!!

I get such enjoyment from watching them work through a situation, and solve problems. I wish I had been more aware of the wonder and benefits of letting my kids work out solutions to little problems like these. I was too focused on getting the chore done and on to the next thing...totally missing the learning moments.

Too soon old; too late smart...sorry kids o' mine!

Miss Madelyn woke slowly from her nap -- and adorably, I might add.

But soon, she was right back to work!

Daisie couldn't keep up. 

Yesterday was Colby and Brielle's turn to visit. The Littlest Miss,had learned some mad skills, and was obsessed with displaying them!

She's pretty happy to show this off, and was always trying to stand up somewhere.

But the truth of the matter is that it was pretty tippy a lot of the time!

Still, no deterrent to keep trying, neither were the thumps and bumps of the near missses!

She is one busy and determined tiny little girl!

She is greased lightning doing the army crawl -- and I think she chooses the army crawl because then she can keep a toy in each hand while she goes...Adorable child!!

It was a trick to get a picture before this would happen...

And I don't have a single one of Colby this week...bad Auntie!

I should have taken them when Little Miss was napping, but we were too busying playing with the choo-choo, and the tractors, and reading farm magazines, and trying to keep the potty-training going...

Again, I say, I'm glad I had my kids young!

In the afternoon, when both the kids had finished napping, I just didn't have enough hands to take pictures too...Oh my! Colby and Brielle are 18 months apart...My Dillon and Caitlin were 14 months apart (God planned that, not me)...I'm not really sure how I did that. I guess it helps that you're only in your 20's and you just do it -- although I admit it was far from perfectly done!

If I knew then what I know now, I would have...

--cut us all some slack: we were all learning!

--given us all more time: becoming/growing is a LONG process.

--lived more in the moment instead of always focusing on the next chore/step/milestone.

And there are probably a thousand more things I could list here...

But I won't.

Suffice to say, too soon old; too late smart.

I'll make up for it when the grandkids come.