Sydney:
*I want to remember the way you always ask me to play with your hair. Whenever I start gentling running my fingers through your hair, and I stop you always ask me to keep playing with your hair. When I am trying to sooth you, I play with your hair, and it relaxes you.
*I want to remember the way you get after you've made a new "book". Which is just taking a bunch of paper and stapling it together. Or when you've done such a good job on a craft you are so proud of you carry it around and talk about it for hours.
*I want to remember the way you say "I can't" over anything. And how I always have you say " I can do..." five times in a row to try and counteract the negative that is in your brain. I try to teach positivity. Now I don't like that you say that and I hate that you give up when things get a little difficult. But I don't want to forget this phase of life. This phase that effects so much of our daily life.
*I want to remember even though it saddens me that you are so afraid of riding your bike. And no I haven't been consistent in teaching you to ride it, because you honestly have no drive for it. Every time you get on it for a learning session you spend the first fifteen minutes mostly in fear and going to bad habits we keep trying to break, and I spend the first fifteen minutes mostly talking loudly (no not yelling) in frustration. And then usually for about five minutes before we take a break because your butt hurts, you actually do well and learn something new and gain some confidence in riding. In fact last time we tired you rode by yourself for ten seconds!
*I want to remember that you love having me come into your classroom at school. It makes you so proud and excited to see me there.
*I want to remember the way you are after you read a sign on the road or in the store. You are so proud that you know what it says. Especially if daddy and I are talking about it.
* I want to remember the way you ease drop on my every conversation. If daddy and I are having a serious conversation in the car, you will listen, and if your siblings are loud and try to play with you, you tell them "no, you are trying to listen". Stinker. In fact you will stand in your door way with the door open a crack so you can hear daddy and I talking in the evening when you are supposed to be in bed. Or you just outright refuse to go do something if you want to listen to daddy and I talk.
* I want to remember the way you were so proud of yourself when you finally figured out the basic mechanics of Minecraft. I was so proud of you. Daddy and I love playing Minecraft. So the fact that you are now learning to play as well makes me so happy. Not to mention daddy loves playing video games with you. On Sundays when you don't go to church with me, you stay home and play video games with dad. Its your favorite time. You are currently learning to play Pokemon on the 3DS and Switch with daddy.
Elizabeth:
*I want to remember how each morning the first thing you say to me is "I want cereal" in your still sleepy voice. Literally you wake up, come out of your room, and come find me to say that you want cereal. It is so funny. I don't always think it's funny, because I too am just waking up. But it is funny.
*I want to remember how lately you've been wearing Sydneys old white church shoes. Which are too big for your feet, and they have little heals, so when you walk down the hallway all I hear is a clickity clack. You look so grown up in them. And just this morning you came out of your room wearing the red Minnie Mouse Polk a dotted shirt and black stretchy pants (what you wore to bed) and those white dress shoes and I swear I looked up at you and thought you looked so grown up. You looked so adorable even with your bed hair.
*I want to remember how you want a melatonin every night. Even when you go to bed late. If I forget, you will yell from your bed "mom, melatonin". Yes we give you guys melatonin every night. Before we started doing that we would put you in bed and you and Sydney would stay awake playing for hours. Sometimes not falling asleep til midnight or 1 AM. Which would make daddy and I tired, and frustrated. So we started giving you guys melatonin (2.5 mg) every night and within 30 minutes to an hour after you've had it you are fast asleep. It has helped to regulate our sleeping schedule. (Sydney and William also receive the melatonin but it doesn't seem to effect William one way or another).
* I want to remember the way you love to ask "why" questions when we are driving around in the car. I can't even say how many interesting conversations we have had off of topics you've brought up while we are driving around.
* I want to remember the way you love to play "mom". In fact I've gotten used to it in a way, but it's till weird when you guys are playing and William is calling you mom.
William:
*I wish I could forever cement in my mind all the little things you do. Like the way you walk up the stairs. You have this excited little hop as you climb them.
*I want to remember when you don't listen and you see me coming for you, you let out a little excited giggle and then run away. And while it is not funny in the moment, I want to remember that.
*You are growing up so fast. My last baby. And I wish I had been better about writing all these things down that I want to remember for all of you.
* I want to remember the way you love to yell "mom" and daddy always responds with "whaat" (Like in the Froggy books). But really you yell mom a lot, and constantly until I look you in the eyes so you can say what you want to say.
* I want to remember the way you can play so intently with your cars. Driving them back and forth on whatever surface ledge you have them on.
* I want to remember the way you learn how to climb something new on the playground. How happy you are when you've realized you can do it by yourself.
* I want to remember the way you've started bringing up random things and having me play eat them.
* I want to remember the way you are when you get hurt, or when anyone gets hurt, you bring anything from the freezer to use as an ice pack for the ouchy.
* I want to remember the way you refuse to sit on the couch when watching the TV. You must be sitting in an office chair. But if daddy and I are using the chairs then you'll climb up behind our backs and sit. So you are basically using my back as your chair. And after a while my back starts to hurt.
* I want to remember the way you play airplane with food and feed me. You even zip the food through the air sometimes.
* I want to remember the way you put one finger on your lip when you are contemplating what to do next.
*William has a nightly game he likes to play with me where he asks for a kiss and then a hug, and then a bigger hug, and then a bigger hug. And it stops if I pull away and run out of the room, or he ends it. The bigger hug is just me squeezing him tighter and tighter. He loves it and there is lots of laughter involved.
