The beauty of my children

Teagan, Ever, and I went to my mom's best friend's campsite today. It was so beautiful there.. peaceful, relaxing, and open so the kids could run around and play. I took the time to just BE with my girls today. I really need to do that more often. I have so many things going on with my life all the time that I forget to just enjoy the now.

So here are some observations I made today while just being;
Teagan is so much more intelligent than I sometimes realize. She may not talk as well as some of her peers, but she is so amazing in how she sees things. She is very abstract and open in her observations.. it gives me such a rare, beautiful look into her world when I can just be with her and try to see what she sees.  She loves the way the lake looks when it is still and reflects the sky. She sees letters in the clouds, and asked me where the stars were today when we laid under the sky during the late afternoon. We talked about the different leaves she found, and I loved giving her the names of the different kinds she collected. Teagan is so good at athletic-types of things, too. She quickly learned how to balance a birdie on a paddle just right so she could throw it up and hit it to me. Her look of pride and wonder made me tear up, and I had to give her kisses and squishes to show her how wonderful she is to me.
Teagan sang to the fish she was trying to catch today, too. She loves catching her tiny sunnies and throwing them back. She calls to them too, saying "Here  fishy! C'mere!" in her little sing-song voice that I love so much!
I also noticed that Ever's eyes are the same color as the deep blue of the sky when the sun is creeping towards sunset. They are so peaceful and beautiful, dancing with laughter and wisdom.

Teagan's are a different shade of blue... more like the clear crisp blue of the morning hours, or like a blue hydrangea. Her eyes also dance with laughter, but while Teagan's eyes make me tear up with deep love and tenderness, Ever's cause me to smile and feel the joyful, exuberant side of love. I love looking into their eyes... trying to imagine what they see, what they experience, what they know. They are what makes me strive to be the best mommy I can be... the best person I can be. I want to give them the world, show them love beyond words, and just BE with them.

Ever loves people. She loves watching them, copying them, and being with them. She especially loves my mom and Teagan. Teagan and Ever are two peas in a pod... they are so sweet with one another, and you can just see the love in their eyes when they look at one another. Teagan always greets Ever with a "Hi baby!! Whatchyou doing? Were you seepin' nice?" whenever Everleigh wakes up, and Ever returns the greeting with a huge smile, no matter how crabby, tired, or unimpressed she is with me. Everleigh is also a screamer, and before today I've viewed it as a very loud and difficult habit of hers. But now, I understand that she is just SUPER outspoken, and her screams aren't her being "naughty". She already has strong opinions, and I realized today that I absolutely love that about her! I hope I can have lots of patience with her from now on, and encourage her to express herself without the "naughty" judgement thrown at her.

I watched Ever walk today and marveled at her strength and balance. She doesn't express pride in the way she acts about walking... it is more a matter-of-fact kind of expression... concentration and determination. She gets ahead of herself a lot, thinking she can go faster than she ought to. I recognize that as something she got from myself.... it can be a difficult trait, but one that is also very rewarding. Pushing oneself is a good thing, in my opinion.
My babies are growing. And even though I am here with them, I feel like I have missed more than I should have. The struggles just don't matter when I look at what I have been missing because I'm not present with the girls everyday. And I hope that I can remember the lesson I've been taught today, especially when the inevitable curve-ball is thrown at me. This time is much too precious.