Thank God for the Naughty List

Over the last few months, my Naughty Avery, has started acting a lot more like a big girl. Not so naughty. She still does things like cutting her own hair, saying "I'm just cooking some sh*t," and throwing sand in her brother's face. But she comes up to me for no reason and says, "Mommy, I just love you SO much!" What could be better than that? Simply, nothing.

Over the years (with such a spirited little girl), I've found that telling others about the good things is fun. But telling them about the naughty things is FUNNY. It's who she is, and I love it. So now that she behaves more, I find myself really enjoying when her naughty side comes out. I don't see it as much lately, and it's part of who she is, and I LOVE who she is.

Avery is a contradiction rolled into one child. Shy, but loud. Impatient, but sweet. Smart, and calculating. Soft and gentle (mostly) with her brother. I can drop her off at the gym day care, and she's fine. Her shyness melts away as soon as I leave the room. She doesn't cry. She makes friends. Many boys already have crushes on her (which SCARES me), and her teachers rave. Nice reminders of how sweet my naughty little girl is, and how lucky I am to be her mom.

I love seeing her play with her little brother. Taking turns on the trampoline, and making the goofy faces that make him laugh. He (mostly) brings out the sweetest side of her. He is pure joy. His favorite game is for you to roll him away from you or knock him down. He loves to be the center of attention, and if I take him anywhere, he often is. His smile is from within. To make him smile, you just have to smile and make eye contact. He steals the show.

My little boy hasn't developed his naughty side (I'm sure Avery can teach him) yet. He likes being the baby. He wants Mommy to hold him, and hold his bottle for him. He can play independently if I'm sitting nearby, preferably watching him. His favorite toy - Avery's kitchen. Open the door, close the door, open the door, fall down, close the door. He LOVES it.

He loves to swing at the park, too. And chasing the puppies. And playing in the sandbox. (He doesn't even cry when his sister throws sand in his face.) And sliding on the slide. And walks. Basically, Nolan likes everything. Except maybe, taking a nap!

So this Christmas, I can't wait to see the magic of the season through my children. To give them everything I wish I had, and more. To expand their imaginations. I want them to know that anything is possible. To teach them that the most important thing in life is to be nice to people. I definitely haven't mastered it, but I'm working on it. EVERYONE is worth something. I want to raise these children to see value and gifts in everyone. Not to judge others. To share. And in the longrun, they will see that the best gift of Christmas is giving to others.

I want them to be good people, but hang on to some of the naughtiness, too. Merry Christmas, everyone. Be naughty, this year ;)