A Sunbeam

On January 2^nd, Matthew had his very first day in the Sunbeam class in Primary. I knew the day was coming, and was a bit nervous about the transition. Matthew loves nursery- the toys, the kids, the snacks, everything. He could hardly wait for Sacrament meeting to be over so he could go to nursery. I wasn’t sure what he’d think about leaving his happy, toy-filled play land behind for a 2-hour, sit-in-your-seat, classroom setting.

When I picked him up that afternoon, I received a pretty good report from his new teachers, and was excited to see his first little project. He was wearing a cute little paper crown that he had colored. Across the crown it said, “I am a Child of God.”

It’s a simple phrase used commonly in our church, but for some reason this time it really had a deep impact on me. What a perfect first lesson for these new little sunbeams… and their parents.

Everyone who has had a 3-year old, or spent time with them, knows that they can be busy, and crazy, and ornery, and frustrating. They demand a lot of time and attention, they throw tantrums, they make messes, and everything is “mine!” Matthew is a prime example of a 3-year old. I love this little boy with all my heart, but at times I feel like the mother from the book, “Love You Forever” who sometimes feels ready to send her son to the zoo….or to ship him off to Grandma’s house for a while.

Seeing Matthew in the crown with the words, “I am a Child of God” was such a great eye-opening reminder to me. He’s not just a 3-year old; this little boy, this big spirit in a little body, really is a child of God. He has to potential to grow, and learn, and become just like his Heavenly Father someday. I am so blessed to be his mother, and so blessed to have the chance to teach him, guide him, and love him. I love my sweet little Matthew. I was grateful for the simple reminder of what a special little boy he really is, and how special all of our children are.

A little more about Matthew at 3-years old. I did a similar post about Caleb when he was about this age. Even though we seem to have some busy, and crazy boys, I wouldn’t trade them for anything! (Although I am tempted at times to switch places during church with some mothers who have a row full of reverent, sweet little girls.J)

- Matthew can be pretty stubborn and likes to have his way. When Caleb does something that Matthew doesn’t like, he’ll come to me and say, “Come on Mom, let’s say ‘naughty little boy Caleb!’” Apparently he finds satisfaction from it.

- Once when I wouldn’t let him have something he wanted, he said, “You’re a naughty little boy Mommy!” It was hard to keep a straight face after that one.

- Matthew is always asking me to hold him. He’ll follow me around the house saying, ‘Hold me, hold me!” It’s sweet, but hard to hold him all day, especially when I have another baby who also likes to be held sometimes.

- He would also like to read stories with me all day long.

-Matthew is fiercely competitive. He always wants to be first, the fastest, and biggest. Anytime we eat food, Matthew always says his is the biggest piece. When we kneel down for prayer, or go upstairs to brush teeth, he wants to be first. Caleb & Matthew both had to go potty at the same time, so being boys, they just went together (you moms of boys will understand…) of course I hear Matthew saying, “I won! I’m first!” Fortunately the older boys are pretty thoughtful most of the time and let Matthew think he’s won, but we’re working on this one!

-When Matthew talks to Jacob and Caleb, he refers to them as ‘boys’. “Look at that big mountain boys!” “Hey, let’s go get a drink boys!” I think it’s so funny.

-Matthew has earned himself the nickname, ‘Destructo-King’ by his brothers. Just a couple days ago, he took scissors to about a dozen of the older boys’ nerf gun arrows and cut them up into little pieces. The boys weren’t too happy about that. It was a good lesson for cleaning up their toys though! Too bad there have been many similar instances.

-Matthew will make anything into a sword; sticks, toys, utensils, spaghetti noodles, pencils, etc. He loves to pretend to fight bad guys, and will also come to me with two ‘swords’ and say, “Fight with me!” Then he’ll make the sound effects ‘hi-yah! yah-yah! Take that!” One of his favorite toys ever is his foam sword from the dollar store. He has such a funny, ‘tough guy’ voice when he’s playing and being tough.

-He likes to have his cars & toys fight each other, and even when watching me do some ironing he was making sound effect, “yea! Take that!” Sometimes I think boys just have this built into them, and it only gets worse as you go down the line of boys! It’s probably a good thing we finally had a girl.

- Matthew loves to take baths, and is always asking me if he can have a bath with about a dozen of his toys.

- He is a big time mommys’ boy and I think he still thinks of himself as my baby. He missed Jeff when he was gone in India, but he also loved that he got to sleep with mom every night while Jeff was gone.

- Matthew has a major sweet tooth, and loves treats. He also loves gum, and has been known to finish off an entire pack of my gum in one sitting.

-He’s been known to have his fair share of 3-year old meltdowns and tantrums. They often seem to come in grocery stores, or public places, and can be embarrassing.

-His favorite songs are “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” “Popcorn Popping” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

- He is Persistent! He’ll keep saying something, or keep asking for something until you answer him.

-He still loves his toys, and will pack around a ton of them in his rescue pack. They vary from day to day, but there is usually an assortment of items like, Toy Story figres, cars, dinosaurs and animals, guns, swords, or other random items.

-He also has a great memory. He remembers where he puts things, and doesn’t forget things you try to distract him from.

-Matthew loves Emily, and loves to have her play with him, but sometimes can be a little rough and I have to remind him that he can’t pick her up, even if he does want to carry her up to the toy room with him.

- Matthew is a sweet little boy, and when he’s happy, talks to me in a sweet, quiet little voice.

-Every night, Matthew wants me to give him hugs and kisses goodnight. He seems to have a little pattern, “Give me a kiss!” then “Give me a hug!” then, “Give me another kiss.” And “Give me another hug” then he’ll say, “That’s enough kissing.” It melts my heart every time.
I love this sweet little boy. He is a typical 3-year old, and brings a lot of action to our family, but he won’t be three forever, and I know I’ll look back and miss it; especially how he loves to be with me and spend time with me.