My Amazing Kids
Julienne (15) My mom has said many times that she's exactly like me, and she is an awful lot like me. She has a lot of the same weaknesses that I struggled with as a kid and all of my strengths. I have learned that in order to be a good mom to her, I have to learn to love myself. So, through raising her I have come to appreciate myself more. What an amazing gift that is! But while she's an awful lot like me, she is still her own unique person, who surprises me all the time with her incredible kindness and love towards everybody around her.
Maggie (13) She, on the other hand, is an awful lot like her dad. So because of her I have learned to appreciate his strengths even more than I did before. All of our kids have blessed and strengthened our marriage, but Maggie most of all. She is the leader when her dad's not around. She gets everyone motivated. If I put her in charge of getting the house clean I can rest assured that she will have everyone working on their assignments and have it done quicker than if I had been the one making assignments. She has also stayed up late at night helping her siblings with their homework or other projects.
Emma (10) I call her my creative genius. Her bedroom is a disaster, and her chores are hardly ever done, but she is never lazy. She's always busy working on something creative. Papers, markers, scissors, and glue are her favorite tools. Other people have commented on her kindness and generosity. At school she befriends everyone and generously gives out compliments, never expecting any in return. She is loving, talented, creative, and very intelligent. She was doing 2nd grade math before she started kindergarten, just for fun.
Gavin (7) For a long time he was my only boy, and therefore, often the center of attention. He loves having sisters. He marches to the beat of his own drum, preferring to do things his own way and in his own time. He is very easygoing and nearly always happy. I didn't know it was possible to laugh in your sleep, until I saw him doing it, and he does it a lot. When he is unhappy it never lasts for very long. He makes everyone around him happy with his contagious smile. He likes to have a clean room, loves doing his homework, and thinks the world revolves around trains and cars.
Camille (3) She likes to be known as Camille “the deal”. This is a nickname that Jason came up with before she was born, but now she likes to refer to herself this way. Once when she was feeling grumpy Jason asked, “Are you having a rough day, Camille?” She replied, “It's Camille 'the deal,' Daddy!” She likes to be in charge and calling the shots, even at age three. She reminds me a lot of her older sister, Maggie, but I'm sure she will have her own unique personality, as they all do.
Xavier (almost 1) He is our latest and last addition, born in February 2012. He was born 12 weeks early and had a lot of complications as a result. He spent his first 4 months of life at Primary Children's Medical Center. The nurses there often commented on how “strong” he was. Even as a tiny preemie he often made their job difficult by refusing to hold still for a procedure. They were referring to his physical strength, but I can see a lot of inner strength in him as well. He had to have a special feeding tube placed before he could come home because he wasn't eating well on his own. One of the therapists at the hospital said he could need the tube up to a year, another said 3 to 6 months. It turned out to be less than 2 months. They just didn't realize how strong he was!
All of my kids have taught me valuable lessons and I continue to learn from them everyday.
Love Mom, Jennifer Bringhurst
