Favorites

It's a long held truth that parents shall never admit to having a favorite child. It doesn't matter how well you do or do not get along with any of your children, you love them all equally, all the time and there is no arguing with that. Well, I am here to tell you, that is not always the case. That's right, I have a favorite child. Now, the fact that I have a favorite will never purposefully be shown to any of my kids. The goal is that they never suspect that they are not the favorite and that the other one is. 

Alright, before everyone gets all worked up, let me explain. I do have a favorite child, and it cycles through each them throughout the day. The fact is, sometimes they're all my favorite right at the same time, and I am overwhelmed with love for them and thankfulness to God for trusting me with such wonderful blessings. 

Here's what I mean. When Audrey surprises me with her wit, and then turns around and is goofy like I remember myself being at her age, that's when she's my favorite. Or when she tries to use grown-up phrases but doesn't quite get the semantics. Also, I love when she asks to sing my "local (vocal) exercise songs" and then tries to sing along, but is off-key ninety per cent of the time. Sometimes she calls to me from whatever she's doing, "Mama. I love you." She melts my heart. She gets excited about absolutely everything (not exaggerating) and her eyes light up in the most beautiful way. Oh, that girl, she is definitely my favorite.

Using her homemade telescope!

Then sometimes Asher is my favorite. This kid LOVES music, and he's little. Little things are always cute, right? Asher can be right in the middle of the most epic fit, but if I put on the soundtrack to, "The Polar Express," he immediately gets up off the floor (onto which he gingerly laid himself so as not to hurt himself on the tile whilst throwing said fit), and starts jamming to the tunes. He is also a very sweet boy. He will be loyal to his family until death, I am sure of it. He copies everything big sister does, sometimes to his detriment. But he also does things for his little brother that are not asked for. Like he will bring Callan a toy if he notices that one is not within Callan's reach already. He will even bring Callan a blanket because obviously, everyone loves his/her blanket as much as Asher loves his. Haha! The only time Asher is not sweet in fact, is when it comes to his blanket. Nobody is allowed to snuggle it but him. Not mama, not daddy, not Audrey and especially not Callan. Still, my heart swells and I laugh when I hear him say, "No, Nannan." (No, Callan.) That settles it, Asher is my favorite child.

Except there's Callan, too. Oh, the sweet Squishy snuggles of an almost 7 month old baby. He is the most laid back baby ever. He rarely fusses and when he does, you always know why (hungry, tired, poopy). He's happy to snuggle, but he's great at playing on his own. He finds his older siblings endlessly entertaining, and for that matter, he thinks I am funny, too. (He's right, I am hilarious. ;) ) He is SO strong. He is army crawling all over the place, and he is so curious about everything. He has been the poster child for being "on track" developmentally. He makes it easy to be a mother of three. The best thing about Callan though, is when he wakes up in the early morning (around four or five) and nurses with me. Then he falls back asleep, and cuddles me until he wakes up for the day. Oh, how I will miss those sweet snuggles when he outgrows babyhood. This baby is for sure my most favorite. 

Do you see why I call him, "Squishy?"

So, there you have it. They are all my most favorite children ever. I truly am a blessed mama, and I really do thank God for the time I am allowed to spend with them. They enrich my lives with so much awesomeness, I pray that I leave a mark in their hearts that is worthy of our Lord's love for us.