Spring and Growing Pains

It's looking a lot like spring around here. The grass is green and wild flowers are everywhere. The weather is warm and windy and sweet. Davis has always been extremely observant and he pointed out to me the very first day the trees along our driveway budded. I love that he notices those things and that he shares them with me. Our whole little town is gorgeous. It's my very favorite time of year.
We had our very first pool party this weekend and it was excellent. Mom heated the pool and we all splashed and played and appreciated being in the water again. Sam was especially pleased with himself when he realized that he could still swim. He kept shouting at me gleefully to watch him dive under the water over and over again.
We hired my parents' landscaping crew to come out and spring-ify our yard. It's so pretty and clean and neat now. They pulled out the dead stuff, and trimmed the bushes and put in lots of mulch. I bought some herbs and new plants and they put those in the ground too. I'll put up pictures soon.
I think Davis is really growing right now too. His sixth birthday is next week and he seems to have just begun a major growing spurt. He has been so steady and sweet and really just so good lately, that I've been taking it for granted. Then a couple of day ago he began acting extremely sensitive and whiny. He's been crying for very small reasons. Yesterday he got chik-fil-a for after school snack (a rare favorite) and then I took the boys swimming. When I wouldn't go get the big pool toys and instead encouraged him to play with the smaller ones, he completely lost his temper, burst into tears and told me I NEVER did anything for him. This isn't like him and my first reaction was to downplay his stress and remind him that it really wasn't a big deal. But he did it again today over something similar and my efforts to tell him to suck it up and breathe deeply really didn't help. (duh. AND, I'm having major mother guilt about telling my baby to suck it up. I really didn't mean it that way). I gave him some milk and my mom gave him a snack. When he fell apart a few minutes later about something else, my mom bundled him up and took him inside and gave him some coddling and love. It worked like a charm. It reminded me that sometimes even when our "big" boys don't act like they need us, they really, really do. I love both my boys with all my heart and I want to help them through any growing they need to do. Growing up is a scary and crazy thing. I am renewing my promise to be a sensitive and caring mama and to do my best for them every day. Hold me to it, 'cause these little ones are the best things I've got.