I have not found what the "normal" toddler stages are like.
Ezra is "normal". I say she's our crazy, amazingly beautiful CrAZy girl!
Rylee is( normally) our tame, content, loveable, people pleaser, crazy handsome, lil' man with the personality the size of Texas....
Rylee was not the "norm" for a toddler on the move-or so I was and am told. I remember my sister in law telling me of a time they had Rylee for the weekend and thinking "this kid is "NOT NORMAL" he is amazing, he's so good, he just hangs out, doesn't get into things" haha.....So it's the tail of 2 TOTALLY different personalities. And 2 totally different personalities that we thank God for every.single.day! I like to say it does not matter how our family was formed, but that we HAVE a family. That we have 2 children that call us mommy and daddy, one that jumps up and down holding onto my leg when she wants something, one that wants to run off and play with his friends in the neighborhood at every.single.chance he gets, one who has quickly learned the word "no" and chooses to use it in her own way "no-way" or "no no no, be nice" (those 2 go together OFTEN) and apparently the word "REally?!" is used quite a bit, because sometimes she likes to end her "fits" what that-and while we find it ridiculously funny and cute (because it's new and because it doesn't come out that clear, but it's totally what she's saying) we laugh. And Rylee wants to do everything his daddy is doing-from what he's wearing, to what he's eating, to what he's watching, to what team he's rooting for-he is ALL daddy. Daddy even makes better chocolate chip cookies, when even up until lately had never made him chocolate chip cookies. But it's the day when i am thankful that daddy does everything "better" because it's also who he calls for when it's time for someone to wipe his bottom. That is the best part of "Daddy does it best". But at the end of the day it doesn't matter WHO does what best, it's about BOTH of us being there for the 2 children that are now our OWN. And realizing, that it does MATTER now how they came to us, but in a way that has ruined us so beautifully. The crazy lil' 22 month old that is asleep in her bed at night, that throughout the day runs it like it's "Ezzie's world" (sing it: la la la la la la la la Elmo's world-insert Ezzie, it works, it fits like a glove) grips tightly onto my finger until I let go-she knows that forever I am her mama, and she has completed our family. And a little boy that peeks over the staircase every single night atleast 5 times after he's already been tucked into bed, prayers said, stories read, animals covered because he can't stand that we're still awake and he might be "missing out" on mommy and daddy time.
It's night time after the kiddos are tucked away that I often sit and reflect and still to this day, that NO MATTER what is going on in our life I feel i need to pinch myself-for how BLESSED we have been. We've been through A LOT, i mean-A LOT, however-with each obstacle-- we have learned it's God's way of continuing to "ruin" us-to ruin us in the most beautiful way possible........
