Paxton, my Paxton

Our littlest boy is getting so big. Paxton James is growing up right before our eyes. He is maturing, he is getting smarter, he is getting more social, he is getting more talkative.....he is also getting grumpier, feisty-er, sassy-er and gaining a lot of attitude. I realize a majority of this is his personality, but I am also hoping he can outgrow some of it as he matures and gains better ways to express himself. Sheesh, right now is such a difficult time for me as a mom. He can be the sweetest, kindest little boy and then in a blink of an eye he can be so disrespectful and outright mean. I received a phone call from his school this week from his teacher expressing to me that he was having a very "emotional day". He yelled at other kids who wanted to play near him and he cried a lot. I know he definitely does not like to have his space invaded and for the most part he is perfectly content to play all by himself; however, that is never life! We are always forced to be around other people and it is my job as his mom to help him find ways to cope with what naturally feels very uncomfortable to him. And right now, as his mom, I am exhausted. I just reach my limit on how to discipline, and the desire to yell and scream overtake me. I am working on my own temper and my ability to handle him when he is at his feistiest....whew, it's been a wild month for him.
He is so creative and smart, he is also so darn stubborn that it takes a lot for him to actually "show" you what he knows. He can identify every letter of the alphabet by shape and sound. He can count to 100. He knows the english alphabet and the Greek alphabet. He knows all of his colors and most of them in both english and spanish. He is the best colorer I have ever seen for his age. He loves to "read" books and we recently started a new book that is actually teaching him how to read. He is able to sound out a few words like "S-T-O-P" and he can tell you what letter certain words start with.
He continues to struggle with being overwhelmingly afraid of new things; however, if you can ever force him to try, he usually likes them. Although, he might try new things, if he doesn't like it, there is NO convincing him otherwise. He is stubborn to his core. This quality will play out well as he grows and matures and is unwilling to give into peer pressure (it is my job to guide that stubbornness into something that strengthens him rather than limits him)
My days with this little man are long and exhausting, but they also bring me so much joy and laughter. What an amazing little man we have. He is so creative and loves to find new ways to play with his toys. He is super excited for other people when they achieve new things. This past week, Maddox got in trouble a few times at school for not paying attention and lying. On Thursday, Maddox got in the car and Paxton immediately asked "Madd did you get in trouble today?" When Maddox happily responded with "No." Paxton responded "Oh yippee, Maddox. I am so happy. I'm so proud of you! Give me a hug"
Such a sweet spirit he has....when he wants to.
Please join me in praying that we guide his personality to allow him to be the most amazing, world changing little man that the Lord created him to be....one that shares and tolerates other people. Ha.

It is easy to see how much bigger Harper has gotten, but good grief look at how "baby" Paxton was when his sister was born. Sweet little stinker!!

Such a handsome little fella. That smile certainly makes up for any frustration throughout the day