When I think back to our family life right now, while you're toddlers; I want to remember this: Your messy hair and faces when you jump in to our bed on Sunday mornings. I want to remember how dirty the kitchen was today and how long it took me to wash everything after yesterday's cooking session. I want to remember that I didn't really finish 'everything' because sometimes mommy is naughty and leaves things for the nanny to do because sometimes mommy is a bad wannabe housewife.
I want to remember us sitting on the couch under blankies watching nonsense on TV. I want to remember us colouring in on the coffee table and how good Noah is getting at drawing now. I want to remember that as soon as Benjamin sees paper, he begs me to draw either a snail, cockroach or spider for him.
I want to remember the house being messy, your dirty boyish faces and I want to remember you irritating the living lightning out of the entire neighborhood on your black plastic bikes. I even want to remember me freaking out at you about it this morning. You really are the noisiest and most comical kids that I've ever met.
I want to remember that Noah bites his nails. Benjamin's nose is always runny - what is with that? You guys always smell like peanut butter and strawberries - even when you haven't eaten these foods in weeks. Your breath smells like chai vanilla milkshake. Sometimes I sniff you when you're asleep and try figure out exactly what that smell is. It's like the kiddies equivalent to puppy breath. I want to remember how long Benjamin's eye lashes are and how Noah smiles with his whole mouth. I want to remember how much Nu is aware of his dreams now - he tells me about them all the time. Sometimes Bunny and I lay in his bed, look at the ceiling and play the 'do you like' game. I ask him "Do you liiiiike... crayfish?" Noooooo "Do you like kitties?" Yeeeees! "Do you liiiike... sharks?" Noooo. We can play this for hours.
I want to remember that you still want me to lay by you every night. Noah you're trying so hard to be a big boy now, but you still nuzzle in to my armpit when I lay next to you. You're really becoming a little man, but you still run to me for a hug when you've got an ouchie or a big fright. Ben you say 'silly billy' to everything and everyone right now. You've just learnt your ABCs at school and you guys loooove your "Big wise owl' song.
Right now it's 9:48pm and Benjamin still won't sleep. He's sitting here next to me, trying to push buttons on my laptop. I have no idea why you're awake, but I sort of start ignoring you after 8pm and I don't feel like a big bedtime fight tonight. You're being all adorable and asking lots of questions, so right now... I'm going to cuddle you something silly until we fall asleep. Tomorrow marks the beginning of your first joint school holidays, and tomorrow marks the very last week at my current agency / employer. Before things get impossible and busy, I wanted to remember us today and right now. Please stop growing up and older - one day you'll be shouting at me and locking yourselves in your rooms with heavy metal music and dodgy friends. Today all you wanted was for me to colour with you, and that's pretty awesome.
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| This is pretty much as advanced as my drawing skills ever got. How good am I? That's totes a cat guys. |
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| Noah's house (left) and his tree with apples (right) I love that he doesn't just use green for trees, but yellows too! |