Warning....overly emotional Momma on the loose

     For some reason I have been extremely emotional this past week.  I really don't know what has triggered this weepy, sentimental mood I'm in.  Two days after E was born I was sitting in my hospital room by myself holding him and just looking at him sleep.  All of a sudden I burst into tears like a crazy, hormonal lunatic!  I was crying because my baby was going to grow up one day and I didn't want him to.  Hello, can you say crazy?!  Anyway, I really haven't had very many of those moments since then...until this week.  Maybe it all started on Sunday when we decided it was time to start breaking the paci habit.  To fill you in a little, my child looks like he's about 3 instead of only 1 1/2.  He's taller than all the kids his age and he talks more than most of the kids his age, so everyone just assumes he's a 3 year old wearing diapers and still sucking a paci.  So, back to Sunday.  We got him all excited about getting rid of his paci by tying it to some balloons and letting it float into the sky.  Clint walked with E to let the balloons go while I took pictures.  I started crying like a baby, all because MY baby was growing up.  The unreasonable crying has just escalated from there!  I cried at supper the other night because we had to fuss at E for something and he turned to me in tears and said "I sowry Momma, I sowry."  Then, a few days ago I changed his diaper and as we were walking up the hall he stopped and said "Hey Momma, I lost my shoe."  Sure enough, his shoe was missing.  Another sign my baby is growing up.  Disclaimer:  I'm seriously not lying when I quote what he says, he really does talk A LOT!
     Anyway, to make a long story post short this has gotten me thinking about how I want E to remember his childhood.  I want him to look back one day and say that he really did have a good childhood.  So, I decided to take an idea my sister-in-law gave me and change it up a little bit.  I decided to write my own rules for how to really love a child.
How to Really Love a Child:
*Teach them to love Jesus * Laugh a lot * Eat together * Pray together * Make mud pies * Splash in the puddles * Let them make a mess * Take time to listen * Sing songs * Let them help you * Don't yell * Look for bugs * Say I Love You every chance you get * Kiss boo boos * Blow bubbles * Teach them to be kind * Play games * Read stories * Love unconditionally * Never miss an opportunity to make a memory *