So I Never Forget...

I have a terrible, terrible memory. As in, I forget the names of my close friends' kids, I have a daily checklist to remind me to do things like laundry and dishes, and I have set alarms on my cell phone so I remember to pick up my kids from school on time. Judge if you must, but at least I remember to pick up my kids now. ;) So, any way, I have this terrible fear of forgetting all the little day to day things of our little family's life right now. My kids are young enough that they won't remember much from these years of their lives, and I want them to know how much I love them and who they are at these ages. That right there is the main reason I blog.

So, with that in mind, I just wanted to document some of the details of our lives right now. Here are a few:

*Brynn's little notes and pictures that she is constantly writing. It is so exciting for both her and me to see her learning how to read and write. I found a note from her on my desk yesterday that read "It was Collin". It was in response to being asked to clean up the markers and papers that were left all over the kitchen table. That sums up so many things though--the frequent note writing, the shifting blame to her unsuspecting younger brother, and the fact that it was in response to a mess that resulted from hours of fun she and Collin had.

*how Collin still can't pronounce "Grinch", despite repeated attempts and the fact that he watches that movie at least once a week. He asks if he can watch "The Crunch".

*other words that Collin mispronounces that makes me smile: bankalet (blanket) and fowolling (following).

*how Eden always drinks her bottle from her left hand while twirling her hair with her right hand. She has a big curl on the right side of her head from all the twirling.

*listening to the kids singing when we're in the car. They get embarrassed if they know we are listening, so Dave and I just squeeze each other's hand and try to sneak a listen without them knowing.

*Collin in his superhero pajamas. He has Superman and Batman, and wants to wear them every. single. night. He also has superhero undies. Too cute!

*listening to Brynn talk on the phone. Right now its mostly to her cousin or one of her grandmas, but it is cute to see her try to be grown up on the phone.

*how the kids argue over which towel they get to use after a bath. They go back and forth between the dog towel and the monkey one being the favorite.

*the cute freckles that are sprinkled across Collin's cheeks and nose.

*how Eden will pick up our cell phones or a play phone, or anything that resembles a phone, and put it on her shoulder while saying "hi".

*that Brynn can make instant oatmeal with almost no help.

*our family trips to the local gelato shops. Yummy!

*our weekend breakfast out as a family. Collin always eats lots of pancakes, and Brynn prefers the scrambled eggs. Eden is a little less predictable.

*how immediately after combing out her hair, Brynn tries to push her hair down straight. I love her curls, but she wishes her hair were straight and is always asking me to straighten it for her.

*hearing all the words Eden can say now: hi, bu-bye, ma (which means milk, mom, or more), ni-ni (night, night), up, poop (yes, we are so proud), dada, eye, and "I love you" (although she pronounces it more like "I-lo").

*all the nicknames you hear in our house. Each person has their own unique nickname for every other person in our family. Some names you might hear around here: Pedro, Mini, Little Lady, Bopper, B-dro, Minz, B, Maloney, Tickley, Cutie Pie, Buddy, Brynnie.

*Eden's shoe obsession. We always used to catch her chewing on our shoes. Now she likes to wear our shoes or bring them to us.

*that Collin insists on wearing interesting things out in public, i.e. his knight helmet, slippers, his Transformers or Ironman mask, etc. Luckily it isn't usually all at the same time. He has also been known to carry a foam sword, light saber, or pretend gun to run errands.

*how Eden can now climb on the ottoman, and sometimes on the couch. She has just learned how to open doors, and pull things off the edge of the dining table. I thought we would have a few more months before we had to worry about any of those things, since she is such a little peanut. However, she stands on the tips of her toes like a ballet dancer and gets an extra inch or so that way. She keeps us very busy these days!

*that Collin will randomly come up to me, give me a big hug and kiss and tell me I'm the best mom in the world. And he does that at least once a day. Makes my day!

*that Eden saves her cutest smiles for the hours of midnight and 5am.

*Eden's dance moves.

*how Brynn can be so grumpy during the day or seem to be upset with me for whatever reason, but yet she always wants to hang out with me in my room before either of us go to bed at night.

*how Collin is guaranteed to fall asleep if we are driving anywhere in the late afternoon or evening. How he frequently falls asleep in the afternoons while he is sitting. How he always has to sleep with random toys at night.

*the position Eden sleeps in. She used to always sleep on her stomach with her bum in the air and her hands tucked under her. Now, she is usually found sleeping on her back with her hands under her head like she's posing.

*all the creative things Brynn comes up with to play or do. She is definitely the "activities coordinator" and knows what she wants to do. Luckily for her, Collin is really laid back, and is usually happy to go along with Brynn's suggestions.

*how the kids love to get out a huge gift bag, and go around the house collecting toys and other things to give us or their siblings. Some of the items can be pretty interesting (shoes, papers, etc.).