My Kiddos

Nothing is more important to me than my two great kiddos, and so I would like to devote this posting to them.

First of all, here's my daughter Joy, affectionately known as"The Joybear." Few children have ever been named so fittingly. She is happy, funny, active, courageous, smart, caring, independent, and friendly. She's Daddy's Best Buddy, Mommy's Special Helper, and Grant's Best Friend. She's quite a soccer player, a great colorer, and an avid "reader" of kids' books. If she had her choice, her upcoming birthday would be themed a Butterfly Soccer Princess Birthday Party.

Tonight, she was telling me the names of her various dolls. There was a Katelyn, and similarly a Catlyn, Cotlyn, and Carrotlyn. Then, out of the blue, she pointed to a boy doll and christened him "Ringay Dandossio." Where did that come from? The Joybear's fertile imagination, I guess. We laughed about it for a long time.

Then of course, there's the Little Man, Grant. He's coming up on three years old. He's a rough-and-tumble boy, but a sweetheart as well. He's a little prankster and gets a big kick out of his jokes. He loves to wrestle with me at all times, and often my time at home is spent with him hanging off me at various odd angles while I repel his continuous attacks. He's a very talkative, bright, funny, and indepedent boy.

Like all two year olds, Grant Guy tests our limits. As his Daddy, I often draw the line and hold him to it, and the resulting confrontations have been likened by Elizabeth unto "two billygoats butting heads." He's very much like me in his stubbornness.

One very endearing trait that has recently surfaced is an uncompromising commitment to integrity. To illustrate: last night he was being very picky and not eating his dinner. I told him several times that unless he ate his dinner, he couldn't have Mommy's delicious pie afterwards. He pushed his peas around for a while and then got up without eating anything more. A while later, it was pie time, and I frankly had forgotten about his "logical consequence." But Grant did not. When I asked, "Who wants pie?", Grant solemnly responded. "I can't have pie, Daddy. I didn't eat my dinner." When Mommy hinted that he could still have pie, Grant firmly, sincerely responded, "No, I can't. I didn't eat my dinner." As Mommy and Daddy's hearts broke, we hatched a solution: if Grant ate his peas now, then he could still have pie. He was up for that, so we all enjoyed our pie, having learned a bit about honesty and keeping your word from our little man.

I love these two kids. The innocence of their childhood is what it's all about. Really, the worries and concerns of adulthood pale in importance to the discovery, wonder, and purity of their childhood. I'm grateful to my own parents for providing me with a sanctuary at home in which to grow and learn and love, and I only hope that I can provide that same level of guidance, protection, and love for my children.

The Joybear and the Grant Guy. What a pair!