Things I Love

Today we had a great FHE lesson about Family History. We filled out some pedigree charts and talked about how important knowing our ancestors is... as well as doing temple work for those ancestors. I was asking Chris how he thinks we should keep our family history... and he said, well doing the blog is family history. And I thought how true... I am neglecting my family history lately!! I have been thinking a lot lately about all the little things about my kids that I love so much so I've decided to write them down so I can remember them, when the kids are not so little!

Mia

I love her babyness. her squishy cheeks. how she loves me no matter what! i love how she is learning so many words so fast. i love how she says mommy...mah-EE! and daddy... da-EEE! i love when she searches all around the house for chris and when she finds him (or when he comes home from being gone a long time), she just says da-eee, da-eee over and over and we all laugh cuz she's so freakin cute. i love how she gets excited to see her siblings, too, especially ava, her little best buddy. how she tries so hard to copy everything they do. i love how she loves her blankie. and her thumb. how she can be so happy just carrying her little blankie and a bottle around all day. how she says dora! d-d-dah!! and gets so excited anytime she sees a dora toy or book or dora comes on tv. she can even pick out the smallest dora thing all the way at the top of the closet, that's how much she loves her! i love how much she loves veggies! today for lunch she had a turkey sandwich, carrot sticks, grilled onions, red peppers, and apple slices! she also begs for my salad whenever i have some. i love her toothy smile. her hugs when she tries to wrap her short little arms around my body. whenever i pick her up from the kids center at the y or the nursery and she just can't get over how much she loves me! she makes me feel so loved!!

Ava

Her shyness, even around her daddy and siblings sometimes. her big bright blue eyes. how she draws pictures of mermaids all the time with really long hair and says they are her. how she draws pictures of a mom and a little girl and its always me and her... sometimes maddy and mia are in the picture too... but rarely ever any boys. chris always asks her, where am I? she felt bad the other day and drew a picture of her and daddy. but 5 min later there was another picture of she and i. :) i love how everything and everyone in her little imaginary world is GIRL. she only likes songs on the radio that are "girl songs." i love how she sings "best uh bow worlds" all the time. i love how any song she sings along to is just a little behind everyone else. i love how smart she is. how much she loves preschool. i love how she dances and tells me she is a ballerina. i love how she wants to be just like her big sister maddy. how she follows her around the house, even when maddy has friends over. how isaac is her hero and she laughs at everything he does. how she changes her clothes 10 times a day, just because she felt like it. and how her outfits always match and look so cute (well ususally!). how she always wants to wear her swimsuit, even if it is 50 degrees outside. i love when she snuggles with me because she is sad, or tired, or just because "i love you so much mommy, you are the best mommy in the world." she makes me feel so happy!

Isaac

i love his wonder. all his questions about everything. mom what is half of 64? mom what is 100 plus 100? i knew it! i love his cute little toothless-some-teeth-growing-in smile. i love his reddish hair, especially when its spikey. i love his willingness. always ready to help. how he gets up before me sometimes and i come downstairs and he is all ready for school.. clothes on, cereal eaten, bowl in the sink, all while watching spongebob. i love his enthusiasm. i cried when i watched him at the kindergarten program and i saw how much he loved to sing and loved everything about learning. i even love his impatience. sometimes. i have to chuckle a little when he gets frustrated with his homework and chucks his whole binder across the room. such a redhead. i love when he gets mad at me and says something mean but then feels really bad about it after. i love his hugs and his kisses. especially that every time i go to give him a kiss he asks if i have lipstick on. and then he always wipes his mouth off, just in case. i love that he goes to bed early. and falls asleep in 2 seconds. i love that he is so boy. that he won't drink out of a pink cup or even touch a barbie. i love his singing voice. that he knows a song on the radio after hearing it only once or twice. not always a good thing, though! i love when he does flips on the trampoline or jumps off the top of the swing set and lands on his feet! how he always does so well at any sport he tries. i love when he comes and lays on me after he has had a bad day. he makes me feel so full of life.

Madison

I love her creativity. how she loves to make beautiful things. and everything she does is pretty... even her numbers on her math papers are pretty. i love how she can draw anything and make it look just like it should. i love her friendliness. how she is never afraid to put herself out there to make a new friend. how she always has so many girls that want to be around her... because she is so happy and funny. i love her red hair to. her fiestiness. her stubbornness (well sometimes). how she wants me to cuddle with her every night until she falls asleep. i wish i did more often. i love how she takes care of her sisters. she always feels bad when someone is sad. her tenderness. her compassion. her relationship with her dad. how she always wants to sing with him, or cuddle with him or take care of him. i love how giving and loving she is to cameron. even with his impatience and meanness sometimes... she still says, thats ok, mom, he doesn't have to say sorry... and i say, oh yes he does! i love how she likes all the same food i do! she is always willing to try something new... and usually likes it. she made me buy her sushi the other day, and we both loved it. she even tried the pickled ginger and horseradish. i love how she loves rain, and wants to spend every second outside in it, not just watching from indoors. i love her zest for life. she makes me feel vibrant.

Cameron

I love his analytical brain. how he is ALWAYS thinking. how he loves to give a new perspective on things... how he loves to expose the truth. i love how he adores his little sisters, especially mia. i love how willing he is to do anything for her. i love how surprisingly responsible he can be when i leave him to babysit. i love how cautious he is.. how he rarely just jumps into things. i love that he still tells me i'm the best mom ever, and he still gives me a kiss every night, and ALWAYS says so tenderly, oh, i love you soo much. i love when he tells me he sleeps better when i tuck him in. i love when he tries to act cool around his friends. i love when he explains things to the other kids, and truly thinks they will understand all the terminology he is using. i love when he just takes a shower and wants me to feel how soft his hair is because he used conditioner. :) i love his scraggly look when he wakes up in the morning. i love when he points out that he smells good. i loved his smile when he is telling me how much he loves me. he makes me feel uplifted.

Chris

I love when he surprises me by cleaning up the kitchen while i'm taking the kids to school. i love how tender he is with our girls, and even with our boys. how much love i see in his eyes when he is talking about the kids. the quiet manner in which he serves. i love his passion... even if its for football sometimes. i love his coordination and skill at sports, and how gracious he is when he beats me at everything, even when its just UNO. i love his patience with me, even when i am not so nice. how he is so concerned with my feelings, even when i have been really mean to him... he just wants to know how he can make me happy again. i love his work ethic. his ability to understand people and help them understand too, which makes him so successful at what he does. i love how he understands me, sometimes even more than i understand myself, and he never says i told you so. i love how forgiving he is, no matter who or what they have done. how much he loves his mom and dad. and my mom and dad, too. how willing he is to help someone in need. how he likes to laugh... and how good he is at making everyone else laugh! one thing i love the most is when he is half asleep, his guard is down, and he tells me how much he loves me and how important i am to him. how cute he is when he talks in his sleep, which of course he never remembers. how hes just a big softie at heart. chris makes me feel grateful... and important... and so loved.