09 June 2010

twenty-one months true

oh the days drift by and i happen to say so little of my benjamin boy. which is ironic since he is the whole of my days. the whole of my existence, really. and i couldn't be more delighted with our circumstance. he is the official twenty-one months now and zooming into life with exuberance, as usual. he has come into his own, in so many ways. i'm sure i'll be using that term his whole life through, but right now–at this twenty-one month stage–he is his very own simple person. i love that the essential parts of his personality are blooming; he is honest to the very core without distraction. truer than true. which is why children are so incredible to spend time with. they teach without trying.

he has come across this sense of humor that has us laughing into oblivion. especially at bedtime when he wants to bonk heads and play tickle monster and point at my nose and ears and come up with new games and prolong the singing with hilarity and clownishness. of course, it gets me every time. when it's papa's turn to put him down, i smile when i hear benji's chuckling at full volume coming from the room. since when did lullabies get so hilarious? i am glad the days of figuring out a routine are long gone. the best thing benji gave us was his regularly scheduled bedtime. when the day has been long, the house is a wreck, the chocolate pudding is smeared across his face and he goes to rip off his bib and toss the spoon on the linoleum, i smile knowing it's only an hour or so to go til this precious little chocolate monkey hits the hay. and now he marches his path to the bathtub, knowing full well not to touch a thing on the way there. such a cheerful little soldier.

i marvel at his love for trucks and rocks and balls and trains. such a little boy. he lets dogs lick his face thoroughly and last weekend, he went nose to nose with a horse. fearless and brave. however a friendly neighbor saying hello still makes him leap into my lap. he likes to lead the music during church and loves story time in our yellow chair. his persona twinkles when a grandparent is around, showing all the latest tricks like jumping and spinning and finding the pots and pans shelf. fruit is his favorite; this season he is spoiled with all the fresh choices. he is still favoring his left hand too. he dances a jig whenever a song comes on and is best friends with curious george. benji gets by using his favorite words; yep, bus, up, down and arrff.

i still see his daddy's eyes when i gaze into his; lightly toasted hazel brown. the hue i will love forever. i like that benji was born with my nose and my light blue eyes. yet over those first few months after our introduction, those peepers changed into that familiar color. the color that runs so deep in dan's side of the family.

how i relish in seeing summer through those eyes. the purple blossoms bending over the gate near the mailbox. the warm sidewalks. the fresh blades of grass. the smooth pebbles in his palm. the birds singing. the cantaloupe and blueberries. the breeze and the budding trees. the shorts and the sandals. the slide and the swings. as any parent will attest, watching them grow is a miracle. but bettter than that, each new season brings about a new adventure. every summer he will conquer something new; be it going down the slide, climbing the monkey bars, riding a two wheeler, his first time up to bat, or his first sparkler in the darkened sky.

i didn't realize all the joy it would be to simply listen and watch and see what he sees. i didn't know how amazing it would be to see my boy learn to explore the great outdoors; lining rocks into a row, leaning down to smell a dandelion and find (and sit in) every puddle in sight. my heart hopes to bring him happiness and love, to teach him all the fine things of this big wide world. and my reward will be watching him view it through his big wide, ever curious eyes.


benji. ready for his close up.

this week i've been reading some wonderful articles about motherhood in the april conference issue of the ensign magazine. i have highlighted paragraphs from each of these listed. they are truly worth reading: mothers & daughters / mothers teaching children... / mother told me. i always come away inspired and ready to become better than before.

“There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” - James E. Faust

11 comments:

Hil said...

beautiful post marta! thanks for sharing the articles. Benji boy is getting so big!

summer said...

your love for being a mother, and for the one you mother is clear as day, marta. i know you hear this so much on the benji posts, but it really is a beautiful thing to read. i loved this.

A'n'G Johnson said...

I could feel my heart expand as I read this. Beautiful!

[eeny] said...

Marta, I so love your benji posts. They are always full of love. So beautiful.

We Blog Artists said...

SO well said...am off to check out those links now.
Ali Edwards linked us over to you...
wonderful to meet you.
You're correct is saying Motherhood is precious!
HUGS
Char

jeanette from everton terrace said...

What an honor it is to guide a person through their childhood. I have always loved this quote - “If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much.” -Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Alee said...

wonderful post. I love the quote at the end.

Abby said...

Great post, your words gave me goosebumps as always! There is nothing more bittersweet then watching your child grow up. So fun to see, yet so sad that the old chapter just closed.

GREAT POST!

Erin said...

Kids are the best. You have a way with explaining just how wonderful it really is.

I too loved the overarching theme in conference of motherhood. Loved Elder Perry's words the best.

Travelin'Oma said...

I loved this post!!

Another fabulous chapter in motherhood is observing the joy your kids get from their kids. It's a beautiful circle.

dulci said...

cutie!!

http://ladulcivida.blogspot.com/

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