I feel incredibly fortunate to be the mom of two wonderful, sweet, amazing little boys.  I tell them that, all the time — I tell them I love them more than anything in the entire universe, I tell them I feel lucky to be their mom, I tell them I think they’re the greatest kids I ever met.  I mean all of it, very sincerely.  The other day, as I was telling them how great I think they are, Benjamin responded with, “But why, Mom?  Why are we so great?” and I answered rather lamely, with something about them being MY kids, and how all moms love their kids more than anything, and about how special and wonderful they are.  And though all of that is true, it’s kind of beside the point.  Of course I love them more than anything in the universe, and yes, all moms feel that way about their own kids.  And they ARE really special and wonderful.  But I can do better — there are so many more specific reasons why I feel like the luckiest mom in the entire world and why I think they’re so fantastic.  Here are some of the ones I’ve thought of over the past few days.  It’s not an exhaustive list, but it is some of the reasons why I think they’re so great.

To Benjamin & Liam —

Benjamin — I think you ask the BEST questions.  Not only are you smart and clever, but you’re really thoughtful.  You think about things, and when you have a question, it always gets right to the heart of the issue.  You ask me questions that make me really think about the answers.  You also notice EVERYTHING.  You don’t miss anything that we see or that we do or that we say.  You pick out tiny details of something and put information together in a profound way.  I think the way you like to work together with your friends and family is pretty spectacular — we make a great team!  I am constantly impressed by the way you love us all . . . especially the way you love and look after Liam (even though he drives you crazy sometimes and always wants to play with your toys).  You are such a willing little guy — you are naturally thoughtful and cautious, but you are also willing to try new things, and you always trust me when I say things will be ok.  You are a great listener — whenever I need your attention for something, I know that I will have it ( . . . ok, maybe not ALL the time, but MOST of the time).  I love the way you can be so funny and silly, and I love how excited you are to learn new things and share them with everyone.  You also do an AMAZING job of articulating how you think and feel — you are very wise about your own self, and you express yourself very, very well.  I think the way you can be focused on something that has captured your attention is very cool.  And I am thrilled to see the joy that you carry through your life.

Liam — I don’t think I have ever met anyone, in my entire life, with the enthusiasm and exuberance that you have.  Whatever you do, you do 100%, with no holding back.  You are bold, you are brave.  And we always know how you feel about things — you have strong opinions, and you let everyone know what they are.  You are not afraid to think and feel however you do, and you don’t worry about what anyone else thinks about it.  And you are so, so sweet, especially with Benjamin.  You always check to see how he’s doing, and make sure to tell him “everything will be ok” if he’s upset.  I think it is so wonderful that you love to hug and cuddle, too — you are a super snuggler, and a very loving guy.  And you are such a smart guy!  You learn things that none of us can ever remember having taught you.  You see so many details in the world, and you make great conclusions about the things you experience.  I love that when you see something interesting, you want to investigate it right away.  You love to share the things you see, or the things you’ve learned, with everyone.  I think it is so cool that you are so independent — you like to try things for yourself and do things on your own.  You love to be outside, because it gives you the greatest freedom to explore.  You’ve loved to hike since you started walking — uphill and off-road are best.  You are funny and joyful and happy.  It makes me so happy to see the way that you embrace life.

So, that, my guys, is a little bit of why you’re so great.  And even when you’re NOT all of those things (or any of them) I love you more than anything in the universe.  I’m your mom, and I will always love you, no matter what.  But I consider knowing you in the way that I do to be a massive privilege and outrageous good fortune.  I am really lucky to be your mom.  You guys are great kids.