I have been blessed with three beautiful children,
each made uniquely extraordinary by some amazing characteristics and personality traits.
My son Aidan is an amazing musician.
He picked up a guitar at the age of six.
He moved on to playing the clarinet when he was in fifth grade
and with mom and dad dragging our feet,
he moved on to the drum kit.
Aidan has always been a deep thinker.
When you think he isn't paying attention, his look of disinterest is usually just him thinking and processing.
When Aidan was three, he questioned why we hadn't taught him to read yet.
Once he learned how to read, he devoured every book in site!
Usually a passion for a subject led to further investigation until he learned all he needed to know,
and then he moved on.
Now that Aidan is 15, having conversations with him has turned from explaining things to his inquiring mind, to learning from him and listening to his insights. He knows far more about politics and government then I could ever know!
Aidan can talk you around in circles and debate for hours.
He makes some of the best arguments, and I hope that one day, he has the opportunity to use those gifts as a productive member of society and not just to drive his parents nuts!
Isabella is one of the sweetest most caring 12 year olds I know.
She adores animals of all shapes and sizes and she can often be found being chased by a gaggle of toddler girls at any family function. She will make the best babysitter {and mom} one day with the nurturing fun way that she engages children with crafts and games that she plans and initiates.
Isabella has more creativity in her than I have in my pinky finger!
{watch out world!}
Give her a pile of pop tabs and she creates a fish sculpture.
When she found out I was going to Africa to spend time in the community that our church sponsors,
she set right to work at creating little purse pouches for the girls. She knew that the girls would want something of their own to have and treasure.
Isabella is a loyal friend and loves fully with her whole heart.
Isabella is always the first to sign up to help,
she works without complaining and has the most giving selfless heart of anyone I know.
Eight year old Owen is the baby of the family.
He's always done his best to keep up with his older siblings.
He learned how to ride a two wheeler when he was only three, he's been rock climbing since he could walk, he can swim like a fish, and this year he joined the unicycle team at school.
Last summer when we congratulated him on learning how to water ski,
he corrected us and said, "I didn't learn, I just did it."
Owen is daring and adventurous.
He didn't even think twice about jumping off of this 25 foot cliff in Hawaii.
Owen loves his puppy and from the moment we adopted Sophie,
the two have played like liter mates!
Tell Owen we are going on a six mile hike and he throws his shoes on and grabs his camelback.
Owen enjoys life to the fullest!
His giggle is contagious and his out of the box thinking stops me in my tracks.
It's a pleasure to live life with this guy.
Spend an afternoon with my kids and you will discover some of the very traits that I have described.
But it's not just the big stuff that makes them extraordinary, it's the little things that I get to experience every day that make my mom heart happy.
Like when Owen slips into my bed in the morning for extra snuggles and squeezes my hand three times to say "I love you",
or when Isabella leaves a love note for us around the house knowing that we will stumble upon it,
or when Aidan, my nearly grown man child, leans his head on my shoulder when we are watching a movie.
When my kids were little, I heard the saying "the days are long, but the years are short," and that couldn't be more true! I can't believe how quickly the time flies by! Every day my kids delight me and I try to take a moment to pick out those extraordinary moments.
IsabellaOwenI know your kids are extraordinary too! Show them how special they are by making a special video of your own!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
