Colton in the Summer

 Funny how you can go your entire life having no idea just how much one little person who grew inside of you could change your whole life. Not just in the adjustment, oh-em-gee-we-are-a-family-of-four-now, yay-we-have-another-baby-to-raise sort of way, but just who you are. As a human. The way you process your thoughts, the new way you see the entire world.

Here enters this child and you believe he needs you, and he does. What you don't realize is how much you need him.

Enter Colton. 2 years, 5 months ago.

I thought I was going to nurture this baby through childhood, I was in no way prepared for how my own soul could be nurtured through his needs. I thought I would teach him a few things about life, I had no clue how much he would teach my soul.

He arrived, a shocking curriculum of patience, love, gentleness. He taught me that the Fruits of the Spirit go so much farther in parenting than the standard mantra of consistency and discipline and training endeavors.

That journey of Faith he took us on in those first 8 traumatizing days of his earthside life. The Patience we sought through months of colic. The Gentleness we endeavored to bestow through the tantrums... I'm still on this mothering journey with him, I'm still seeking to harvest these fruits in order to be equipped for the challenges of being his mama, I'm still learning every day how much I do not know. But sometimes I sit back and marvel because he is so tough and brave and polite and kind and gentle and loving and sweet and big-hearted beyond his years.

I snapped these pictures of him just being "Toton", as he refers to himself. Playing. Being goofy. Loving life.

I know, I am his mama and I am greatly biased. But seriously, he is such a precious kid.

| Baby Boy Eyelashes. <3 |

A few of his beloved trains. He asked me to take a picture of them for him.