Will is going to be 5 months old next Saturday. There are so many things that he has already outgrown and so many things that he is starting to do and discover that I can't help but start thinking of the things that I want to teach him as he grows...
I want him to appreciate the feelings of grass beneath barefeet and sand between his toes.
I want to show him the competition with the ocean when you build a sand castle too close to the tide... and how to use the tide to his advantage to fill a moat in a properly built sand castle.
I want to lay on a picnic blanket and show him the shapes in the clouds as they float by.
I want to watch him try to pop bubbles and then laugh with him as he blows bubbles while I try to pop them.
I want to show him how to sound out words with his finger when he reads a book.
I want to help him discover the pride that can come from simple crayon drawings hung on a fridge or mailed to grandparents.
I want aid him in understanding gratitude and help him to write his first thank-you note.
I want to help him to get to know who Jesus is and what He did for us.
I want to build popsicle boxes with him and help him to see how much people appreciate homemade presents.
I want to serve alongside him in his first community service project and help him to understand why it's important to help and serve others.
I want to tell him fun stories about and lessons learned from the people in our family who have left us to go to Heaven and why it's important to understand our past.
I want to carry on the tradition of making Christmas cookies and giving them out to friends, family, and neighbors. And the fun of eating cookie dough off of your fingers (and then washing your hands).
I want him to know the simple comfort that can be had in a good hug.
These are just some of the things that I want to teach our little man as he grows.
Each time I put him down for a nap it seems that he's just a little bit bigger in my arms. I know the time will come soon enough for me to teach him these things and experience them with him, and I don't want to rush that time at all. In the meantime, I am enjoying every minute of his baby-ness and placing little "photos" in my memory file.
Just spending each day loving on my adorable little blessing...
