Stockton Starts Nursery!



Stockton's 1st day of nursery!!

18 months old! What a big boy! It seems so weird to have my baby already in nursery, yet it seemed to take so long to get here  :)  Stocky is a little fire ball of energy, loves to be on-the-go, moving all the time. When it comes to church, he has been pretty tough, and Sundays have been exhausting! Oftentimes I see parents with their children (0-18 months) in Sunday School or Relief Society, and the child is sitting on a lap, napping, sitting on a blanket playing with toys, crawling around in the back of the room, being held by the parent in the back, etc. That was never us  :)  We were the parents in the hall with the child delightfully squealing and talking up a storm while walking, running, or quickly crawling anywhere he could. If we tried to hold him he'd nosedive out of our arms or hit his head into our chests (he doesn't have much regard for injuring his head yet)  :)  Needless to say, holding him throughout a meeting wasn't going to happen. He didn't have much interest in toys, when there was so much to see and explore within his sight. And even during his happy, great times, he would just get so excited that his volume level would go off the charts  :) Again...we'd have to leave the class. As much as I absolutely ADORE and LOVE all of these qualities, characteristics, and Stocky-isms, they are a challenge in certain environments, (e.g. church). As a result of this, I had been looking forward to nursery, much more than I ever did with Annabelle. I knew that once he was old enough to go into nursery, not only would I get to go to class again, but I could also start working with him at home on sitting still for periods of time, sitting on my lap, learning more control, etc. It is the age you can start to expect a little more out of them in regards to their understanding etc. I was excited to re-gain some of what had to be "let go" when he was so "little."

Well...the day finally arrived! I was so excited for him, so excited to see how much he was going to LOVE it! He went in just fine, sat down in his little pint-sized chair, towered over his little peers, talked excitedly with everyone, and started playing with his play-doh like he was a 2-yr old toddler! And guess what?! I HATED it!  :)  I cried and cried and cried in the hallway, peeking in on him every 30 seconds or so, wondering how he grew up so fast, feeling that first sense of "loss" or detachment from him, wanting to go in and grab him so I could follow him around for an hour during Sunday School and listen to him "Stocky-Talk" down the hallway. He looked so grown up, so happy. Then I made myself walk away so I could go check on Annabelle in her brand-new CTR 4 class! As soon as I saw her sitting by her new teachers, doing just fine, singing a song, no longer sitting with the little Sunbeams, without me in there with her, I felt the waterworks start again! Goodness gracious! This day that I had been waiting for; this day that I had been excited about was actually turning into the worst, and by far the most challenging Sunday so far.  I LOVE my kids! It is hard to watch them move forward, even though it is exciting for them and good for them at the same time. My emotions were such a surprise to me that day; I would have never guessed that him starting nursery would have such a large impact on my heart--my little Stocky Bocky growing up.

I LOVE him! I LOVE Annabelle! They are my greatest gifts and blessings. I am so proud of them and the direction they are moving. I hope I can continue to help them move forward and be prepared for the coming phases of their lives.   I just need to be better prepared with the tissues and extra mascara on hand!

As I was doing the dishes one day, the house was quiet. Annabelle had run errands with Josh and Stocky was asleep. I decided to turn on a session of General Conference from my DVR. As I listened to the talk while I cleaned, I knew the Lord was speaking to me and I felt the spirit so strongly. I had been thinking of Stockton, how much I love him, how tough it is sometimes just to keep up with him, even though I love who he is!
The speaker (Lynn G. Robbins) said:
"A sweet and obedient child will enroll a father or mother only in Parenting 101. If you are blessed with a child who tests your patience to the nth degree, you will be enrolled in Parenting 505. Rather than wonder what you might have done wrong in the premortal life to be so deserving, you might consider the more challenging child a blessing and opportunity to become more Godlike yourself. With which child will your patience, long-suffering, and other Christlike virtues most likely be tested, developed, and refined? Could it be possible that you need this child as much as this child needs you?"

I believe in this with my whole heart. I know I have been given Stockton and Annabelle for a reason, and that they have been given to me and Josh for a reason as well. I pray that we will help each other reach our full potential here on earth, and become what God intended us to be, as a family, as parents, and as individuals.