What I love most today is...Baby Summer

This is baby Summer.  She was born January 18th, 2011.  She is precious and perfect, as all babies are.  She is our sixth baby and I love her so much.  We have lots of people ask if we're done.  I don't feel like being done but there are a lot of things to consider.  

Throughout the years I have heard many people from big families say that after awhile their parents were "too tired" to do the same things for them, the youngest ones.  I really want for all of our children to experience a mother who will not back down when making them practice piano.  I want all of them to experience me reading to them.  I want them all to have "park days," and I want all of them to have time alone with us; their parents.  And then there are the considerations like our ages, finances and well, the list goes on and on.  

There are ten years between my oldest son, Kalen and Summer.  Today Kalen said, "mom when I'm twenty Summer will only be ten."  It was obviously an epiphany he'd had at that moment.  I explained that he would probably be married with children while she was still living at home with us. 

Summer is her own little person.  If I were to describe her, I would say that she is really happy.  I've had five other babies to compare her to and some just didn't respond so happily to things.  If you look at her with a smile she will smile back.  She is really ticklish so changing her diaper just makes her laugh.  Her favorite food is a banana which has been the case with all my babies, until I have given them one too many (because they're so good and easy to give to babies) and then they're done with those for awhile.   She loves the water.  She sleeps pretty well.  Just like her other brothers and sisters she sat up at six months and crawled at eight months.  We call her Tums, Tummy and Sums, or variations of all of them like "Tumsy."

I enjoy her immensely.  It's amazing how we can have so much love for yet another baby.  I love to nurse her and then hold her tight so that our cheeks touch and I can smell her sweet head, her ears and her neck.  

The time with these babies goes so fast, too fast, especially when you have others in the mix.  But, this becomes the true joy.  And that is watching the others love her and love her some more.  When they hear her waking up over the monitor they all scramble to get her out of bed.  When they are doing their studies  I will put Summer on the floor to play and next thing I know, they're all "playing" with her.  Our homes really are the learning grounds for learning how to love, to be good moms, to be good dads and to be good to each other.  With all of the chaos that comes with having a big family I relish in these moments where my children really are loving each other.   And so if it came down to just these sweet moments and the decision to have more, it would be an easy decision.  But, there really are so many other things to consider...

 So to continue on with my theme for the month...what I love most today is baby Summer.  

I love these pictures of us because they're real.  I'm clearly exhausted but I've got her in my arms so all is well.

This is Gwyneth, Summer's oldest sister.  They were playing together one summer afternoon.

This is what Summer looks like today with just a little more hair.