my kids make me smile

Maya is a sweet girl who is turning into a sassy young lady. Have I ever told you how much fun these pubescent times are?! I'm just thankful she is far far better than I...because (ask my parents) I was a nightmare during my pre-teen and teen years! Slamming doors was my forte. In fact, I lost my door because of my door slamming skills. Thanks Mom and Dad...I hated you for it at the time, but now I love that I have an effective discipline strategy in my back pocket in case my kids are also door slammers:)

Sometimes I glance over at Maya and she flashes me one of her famous cheesy grins. I've never met anyone who smiles as often as Maya does. She smiles just because she likes to smile. It never fails, if I walk into a room that Maya is in...she says hi to me and grins from ear to ear. Always. In all honesty, sometimes it drives me nuts! Maya is her father's daughter...those two are perpetually positive people! Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm just a crabby pants sometimes, but I love that Maya smiles. Maya likes attention. She loves to be loved, and loves to make sure I know that she loves me. Maya has a heart of gold.

Michael is my little ham. His whole face lights up when he smiles. You could power a small country with the wattage in his grin. Even when he does something naughty, he bursts into laughter making it nearly impossible to discipline him. I can barely keep myself from giggling.  Michael is tough to discipline...but he gives the best hugs...when he wants to of course:) He's also a bit of a stinker (kind of like his Mommy) but more than makes up for it in his energetic hugs and kisses. Again...only when he wants to...he is a three year old after all!

MacKean has always been my sweet little silly monkey. He's a cuddler and likes to bury his face into my neck and then look up at me with a huge grin on his face. Then he does it again. It's a fun little game we play:) I often find myself needing both hands for a task so I put MacKean on the floor. It never fails, he sticks out his cute little lower lip, it starts to quiver and then comes the waterworks! He's very sensitive, and I find myself picking him right back up again. Of course he rewards me with more smiles and cuddles. He's a little love bug!

Three kids + three VERY different stages in life = one happy Mom/Step-Mom:)