In Love

"I'm in love, I'm in LOVE and I don't care who knows it!" (Name that Christmas movie?)

I'm about to wax mushy, so if you're not in the mood for sappy declarations of love you might want to move on.

It's true though - I'm utterly in love. My heart has been captured in ways I never thought possible. Not only is it entrapped, but it hopes never to be freed. Surely there has never been a love quite like this.

Okay so there has, but my heart is so full to overflowing this morning and I simply cannot start cleaning the bathroom until I have declared to the world my love.

I am in love with my oldest child, my first born, my daughter extraordinaire. I'm in love with her maturing personality, with the way she helps take care of her siblings, with her willingness to now finish the dishes so mom and dad can take a walk (even if it does mean she only washes the dishes in the sink and not the ones we weren't able to clear off the table 'cause certain little people weren't done yet). I'm in love with her constant willingness to share, in detail, every dream she had that night. I'm even in love with the way she happens to "remember a dream" she had who knows how long ago that suddenly coincides with something someone else said. I'm in love with the way she's picking friends who are more apt to support and love her rather than pull her down. I'm completely in love with the way she asks to read a new book with me even when we're not finished with the last one. I'm in love with the fact her favorite time of the day is around seven pm 'cause it means watching Ghost Whisperer with mom and dad.

I am in love with my J, my little ball of inattentive energy, who would rather watch other people play recorded video games on YouTube than go to the park. I'm in love with the way his face crumpled when he realized he had EXTRA homework, then lit up in surprise when he found out the extra homework was for accelerated students. I'm completely in love with his mischievous grin when he's pulling a really bad joke, and the way he protects his younger sister (even when she's screaming at the top of her lungs to "STOP IT!"). I am completely in love with the fact he can't wait to turn 12 so he can start going to priesthood meetings with dad (though he may not think it's as much fun when he's actually 12 and attending those meetings). I am in love with the way he can get just as excited over watching someone else open their presents as he can get over opening his own. I am in love with his sudden hugs and kisses which he rarely gives, and the way he'll play with my hair when sitting on my lap to watch me play the computer. And I am in love with the way he's learning that even though things come easily to his younger brother, HE needs to keep on trying and never give up!

I am in love with my youngest son, my B, who is more like me in temperament than any of the others, who has a heart as big and loving as the world. I am in love with his willingness to share with those around him, and his need to have some "alone time" just like mom. I am in love with his giggle, and the fact he doesn't mind being tickled so I can hear that **giggle.** I am completely in love with his hugs which he gives out freely, and the way he's got every one of his siblings saying, "Mom, Dad, you're the bestest in the whole world!" Though I am NOT quite in love with the way he teases his younger sister, I am in love with how he so willingly sits down to play Barbie's with her. I am in love with his great big bear hugs, and his slobbery kisses, and the way he'll play with my hand when I lay down at night to put his sister to bed. I am utterly in love with his very distinct sense of justice, of right and wrong, and of what he believes Heavenly Father and Jesus like and don't like.

Last, but certainly not least (as anyone who's ever met her can verify), I am in love with my little Princess A. I am in love with her obsession with everything Barbie and High School Musical. I am in love with the way her talking has increased as of late, and every funny little thing that comes out of her mouth. I am in love with, and terrified by, the way she mimics those around her. I am beyond in love with the conversations between A and her daddy. I am in love with the way her little face crumples :( when she's told no, and even the way she'll get a hysterical sounding laugh when coming out of her tantrums. I am in love with the way she'll talk to her daddy, her siblings, and her grandparents on her little play phone. I cannot help being in love with her declarations of love, of the way she'll demand her brothers give her a kiss before leaving the car at school, and how she thinks mom's ears are pretty now because mom has earrings.

I am in love with them all because, despite the mistakes I make, they still love me with an openness I thrive on. I am in love with their sweet natures, and their willingness to learn and grow. I am in love with their tender spirits, which I know they all had before they came to this earth, and has little to do with me raising them. And I cannot end without thanking with all of my ♥heart♥ and soul my Heavenly Father for blessing me with four of my most favorite children in the whole entire world!