That being said, my husband is a gift in my life, and I'm so grateful we get the chance to raise kiddos together. He deserves some acknowledgment (I know I could wait and post this for Father's Day, but we are thinking about canceling internet for the summer to save some cash while I'm on maternity leave, so who knows how often I'll get to post during those months).
Liam loves his daddy a lot. While he's always been a bit of a mama's boy, the older he gets the more he looks forward to time with Josh. Especially now that I am at a point in pregnancy where my size is a bit too cumbersome for certain activities, Liam really looks forward to Josh getting home everyday, so they can go on bike rides, mow the lawn, play catch, or wrestle together. It's been so fun to watch their relationship grow, as Liam develops his abilities to communicate and to participate in activities. While I know it will be a little difficult to see my relationship with Liam change when Cora arrives, I know it will only bond him closer to his daddy, which is such a good thing for a tiny man. I may have many years left of being his primary comforter, but Daddy is definitely the one who brings most of the adventure into Liam's life. Here are a few fun memories from this year, so far.
Bob & Larry, of VeggieTales fame, came to our local Christian bookstore early this year. Liam LOVES VeggieTales movies and cd's, but HATES giant mascots. We took him to see which preference would win out. Turns out, his dislike for mascots is a little stronger than his love for Bob & Larry. Sorry guys. This pic does demonstrate one of Liam's favorite places on earth: daddy's "shoshees" (shoulders). Any time he goes anywhere with Josh, he asks for "daddy's shoshees". (Note: I've also found that with a giant pregnant belly, my own shoulders are a slightly easier place for me to carry him - it beats trying to balance him on top of my stomach).
Josh could hardly wait for the first good snow of the year so that he & Liam could play in it. Last year we had amazing snow, but all our little man could really do was sit in his snowsuit in it. Sadly, this year we only got real snow once, and it was a pretty pitiful amount. Still Liam & Daddy had fun throwing powdery snowballs and running around.
Around our house, we like to start the day slowly. This isn't a possibility on the two days a week when I work, and Josh often has early meetings to get to; but when we're able, we love bringing Liam to our bed for snuggle time while he drinks his morning milk. When Josh gets to be lazy with us, Liam loves asking him to play, "angy a-birds" (Angry Birds) on his phone. He cracks up and mimics the sounds the birds make.
Last year we used our bike trailer some, but Liam was a little unsure of it and didn't have the patience to be in it for long. This year he is enthralled with going on bike rides with daddy (I get a little bummed out that bike riding & being 30 weeks pregnant don't go together very well). Josh has even had to stop saying what he is doing when he's leaving for a ride on his own, because Liam gets so disappointed if he doesn't get to go. He loves strapping on his little Cars helmet (he always calls himself a "cool dude" when he has it on), and if he has a cup of juice and a few books and toys in the trailer, he's pretty content to be there for a while. I took the pic below from my car windshield, as I sat at a stoplight, after dropping off Liam and Josh near a bike trail for a few mile ride.
I had packed a picnic lunch, so after I dropped them off, I drove to a park at the end of their ride where we ate and played together. It is sometimes inconvenient that Josh is at the church for up to 8 hours on Saturdays, but I love our Family Fridays. It's fun to get to do things like play at parks and go to the donut shop for breakfast on a day when most daddies are at work. On this day at the park, Liam tried out the big boy swing on his own for the first time and did great.
I love watching Josh show Liam how to do things. He is so patient with him and is great about not rescuing him when something is hard, but instead encouraging him to keep trying. I am so thankful that my son has a dad who will help empower him to be a strong man as he grows up, instead of hindering him or doing everything for him.
Josh's job is such a great blessing in family life. Sure, we may have more evening commitments than many families, but Josh's flexible job schedule makes it so easy to do things like have spontaneous picnics, which we did today. Liam loves going to see Daddy at the church, and I have to be very specific anytime we are headed to the church about whether we are going to see Daddy or to "class". The disappointment is almost more than he can bear if he thinks we are going to hang out with Josh, and instead I start carrying him toward the children's building to drop him off before church starts.
I love these two boys more than I can say, and I can't wait to watch how they both love on and protect sweet Cora, once she arrives!
No comments:
Post a Comment