My kids' strengths

"Thank you for having us." If you invite us to your house this is something you will likely hear coming from the lips of 3 1/2-year-old Tabitha. She is one of the most polite and grateful people I know. If you give her something, even if it's a twenty five cents bouncy ball, she will thank you at least 10 times and tell you that it's the best gift she has ever received and that you are the best. She thanks me at every meal and tells me I'm the best mommy and she loves me so much, simply because I provided her with a meal. A hug usually accompanies the compliment.

Tabitha is so helpful. She loves to help set the table or fold laundry. For me, the most helpful thing she does is getting herself dressed in the mornings. Every day she wakes up happy and excited (and stays that way all day, mind you) then picks her outfit all by herself and completely gets herself ready. She even is able to button and zip!

She's a comforter. When I was in the hospital after giving birth, she came up to me and said in a serious, gentle tone, "It's okay mommy, you'll be alright." She patted my arm for extra comfort. I wasn't actually in pain at the moment, she just remembered that I told her it would be painful.Seth is a cheerful giver. He willingly lets others play with his toys. I often catch him bringing a toy to someone, saying, "here". If I give him 2 cookies I never worry about him being greedy. He immediately runs to Tabitha and hands one off to her.

If you're feeling like no one loves you, Seth is the one you should encounter. When there's a group of people he makes sure he says hello to everyone, looking them square in the eye. A couple of strangers have told me that he's the next great politician. If there is someone in the crowd who is sitting off by themselves or looking a little sad, Seth will go out of his way to spend more time with that person, bring them toys, do whatever he can to make them smile. Their age doesn't matter to him when doing this. Seth is 22-months-old.
Patricia is our six week old princess (in the pic she's 2 weeks). When she was born I said to myself, "okay, I can do this for one more year, nursing round the clock, whenever she wants." I was shocked to see her immediately put herself on a schedule. She nurses about once every 3 hours and sleeps very well at night.

Meals are actually a breeze. I can prepare supper and then sit down to eat it without ever once being interrupted. I didn't even know that was possible.

She's such a cutie. She coos every time she smiles and she has the chubbiest little cheekies.