Memories...and time.

Malcolm I sat down last night and watched the Pixar Short Films. What a great time! First, we made this fun ice cream concoction:

My goodness - you'd think I was some sort of genius! Malcolm thought this was the coolest thing ever, and was so excited about it.

We cuddled up and watched the films, which included my favorite, "Jack-Jack Attack," from the Incredibles. For those of you unfamiliar, at the end of the short, a secret agent uses a memory-wipe device on someone. After this showed, the following exchange took place:

Me: "Do you remember when we used the memory eraser on you?

Malcolm: "No..."

Me: "Good, then it worked."

Malcolm: (pause) "What memory did you erase?"

Me: "You don't remember the accident?"

Malcolm: "What accident?"

Me: "Good...it worked. You don't remember."

Malcolm" TELL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...."

Heh.

So, we made the fun ice cream treat and cuddled up and watched Pixar films and then that was it - such a simple night. But Malcolm was soooo lovey-dovey to me before getting ready and going to bed - and then he prayed and thanked God for fun times with Mommy.

It struck me then that perhaps I stress out about this parenting thing a bit too much. (who? me?) I worry that we can't provide Malcolm with really cool experiences and vacations that some other families can, or that I'm not the uber-creative Mom that some of my friends are (I'm lookin' at you, Heather), or that I'm not even a stay-at-home mom. Last night taught me that all I have to do is be present with my son and do something together that we both enjoy.

Time with Mom is all he needs.

Exhibit A

Evidence my son is a genius:

Malcolm: "Fire melts ice, right?"

Me: "Yes."

Malcolm: "And water can put out fire, right?"

Me: "Yes"

Malcolm: "And ice IS water, right?"

Me: "Yes."

Malcolm: "Hmmm. That's interesting."

More evidence to come.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful for my beautiful son!

Awesomeness

A brief interaction between me and my child:

Malcolm: (singing along with a song, being totally cute and entertaining.)

Me: Malcolm, you're awesome.

Malcolm: I know.

The End.

A bit of philosophy from my 5-year old

Just a short thought today:

One of Malcolm's favorite games to play is a little game on Don's phone that is like a labyrinth you guide a ball around, trying to get to the end. Only, along the way, there are holes the ball can fall into, and therefore, you lose. But of course, you can simply start over and have another turn.

He was playing this game the other day, when he suddenly looked up to my husband and said "Daddy? If there weren't holes for the ball to fall into, this game wouldn't be any fun."

I doubt he realizes the profound depth of what he said! After all...would life be any fun if there were no risks?

My Son's Sense of Confidence

I thought I'd share a humorous story from the past...

One of the things children are often good for is injecting humor into an otherwise dull and/or stressful day. Of course, the entertainment value at young ages is quite high, particularly when they do not fully understand the meanings of words, phrases, etc. and attempt to understand them, use them intelligently, etc.

For example, you can imagine the endless entertainment we got out of our son's mispronunciation of the word "fork." If you can't figure out how he pronounced it, I'll give you a hint: it rhymed with "duck." Slightly adolescent, I know, but we found it to be quite funny. He used to also get the words "what" and "where" mixed up...so you can imagine what it sounded like one time when he walked into the kitchen around age 2 and said what he THOUGHT was the phrase "where the fork?"

And sometimes...kids are entertaining simply for their brutal honestly. Take, for example, one day when Malcolm seemed to be taking an awfully long time in the bathroom. After awhile, I realized he hadn't walked back out of the bathroom, so I peeked in to check in on him, and see him just standing there, pants down, starting at...er...himself. I asked him if everything is ok, and he said yes. But he kept staring. So I asked what he was doing. He contemplated a moment, looked up at me and replied, "I just really like my pee-pee."

It's moments like these that make motherhood really entertaining!

Malcolm

Malcolm arrived in this world to thunderous applause, and he's never expected anything less.

On the night Malcolm was born, my husband, Don, was supposed to be leading a bible study. The entire group came to the hospital when they heard Malcolm was on his way. In addition, my friends Michelle and Heather came, as well as my mother, Don's parents, and a few other people. There were so many visitors, the reception desk ran out of name tags.

While I was pushing, Don was trying to keep from passing out, and the doctors and nurses were doing their work, the crowd gathered in the hall. When they heard Malcolm's first cry, they all cheered. What a reception for such a small human being!

I laugh when I look back on photos from that time, because there is one that, while it is focused on Malcolm, shows me in the background with an absolutely terrified look on my face. It reflects what was going through my mind at the moment, which was: "What have I gotten myself into?" Until 9 months prior to that moment, I had no intention of becoming a mother. In all seriousness, I had allowed for a fleeting thought of *maybe* trying to have kids, and was pregnant before I could give it a second thought. It was almost as if God acted before I could change my mind.

But, when all is said and done...I am so grateful for my little boy. Not only is he an absolutely wonderful ball of joy, but he has also made me a better person. I am convinced that motherhood is what has propelled me forward in maturity. So, while this blog will be greatly about the Marvelous Magnificence that is Malcolm, it will also be about my journey as a mother, and how this little man has shaped me.

I hope you'll stick around for the journey!