buttoned up

There's only one way to describe Maddox and that is simply by saying one word...Maddox! He's unique, he's confident, he's hilarious! He's unlike anyone in our family and I just want to squeeze him with bear hugs every single day! Having two boys I still don't know what it's like to have kids who want to dress themselves. While my sister deals with her daughter demanding she wear particular outfits and refusing to wear others I am still picking out my boys' clothes every day. They put on whatever I lay out for them without a second thought. I don't do it because I have control issues or because I care about a particular "style" per say. I do it because Ash would dress 100% for function and Maddox may not wear clothes at all! Ash is happy if he is wearing a pair of pants and a shirt. That would be fine if they were socially acceptable pants and shirts but honestly if they are long enough to cover his legs Ash considers them functional pants. He would leave the house in pajama bottoms or the same exact pair of jeans every single day if he had his way. And he wouldn't even notice! They're pants! They are covering his legs! What's the big deal!? Maddox on the other hand prefers to go au natural! He takes off his clothes the moment he walks in the door after school and whines when he has to actually put on pants to ride his bike in the front yard. Ugh. I lay out his clothes out of pure fear that if I didn't he would refuse to wear any clothes whatsoever! 

Now, on the rare occasion that the boys DO dress themselves (i.e. bedtime, on a lazy Saturday, over the holidays...) the combinations are both hilarious and impressive! Recently, Maddox picked out and put on his own PJ's before bedtime and when he came walking out of his room I almost teared up with pride! He had chosen Bakugan themed pajama shorts and an Angry Birds button up, fleece pajama shirt with the collar popped and the buttons askew. It was the cutest I'd ever seen him look! And I was so proud he was actually wearing clothes! Maddox walked up to me to show off his impressive work. I took one look and said "You look so handsome!" Maddox immediately took off back down the hallway, shouting over his shoulder "I wanna see myself!" He went into brother's room, looked at himself in the full length mirror and then screamed in his classic high pitched and loud Maddox voice, "You're right! I DO LOOK GOOD!" Ha! He kills me!

Maddox was more than willing to let me take his picture and posed proudly while I took a few shots. I think I ask myself every single day where this kid came from. He's truly his own person and he reminds me every moment of every day to be me! I'm so lucky that the Lord trusted me to raise this perfect little man.