Things to Remember, Things to Forget

To Remember

*Phelps Park: Fall 2011

*Reading Caleb The Boxcar Children before bedtime

*Caleb learning how to pump on the swing without a push-off

*How the boys see me oohing and ahhing over Livia and instead of getting jealous, they oooh and ahhh as well.

*Pinters Pumpkin Patch: Fall 2011

*Isaiah's story about the pumpkin patch.  It goes a little something like this.

     Isaiah: Pumpkin patch!

     Me or Kyle: Did you go to the pumpkin patch?

     Isaiah:  Mee-maw!

     Me or Kyle: With Grandma?

     Isaiah: Self!

     Me or Kyle:  And you went down the slide by yourself?

     Isaiah: Uh-huh!  (big grin)

I'm pretty sure we went through this story 30 times today, and we went to the pumpkin patch almost two weeks ago.

*Since we're on the topic of Objects of Isaiah's Affection, I'd like to add the fishies he falls asleep with, the Easy Street book, Elmo, his beloved goldfish snack, juice that needs to be diluted with water (his terms), Daddy's song, "Sure!", the Hoo Hoo song, drums, garage doors and pushing the microwave buttons.

*Watching Caleb be ridiculously crafty with construction paper, tape, a scissors and markers.

*Listening to the goofy things Kyle talks about with the boys.

*Caleb does his best thinking when his on the pot, performing #2.  One day he bursts ot of the bathroom and proclaims, "Mommy! People grow up twice!  First they grow up to be a kid and then they grow up to be a grown up!"  There's lots of door bursting after a while on the toilet for him.

*No matter how many times we raked the leaves, it was still fun to see the boys play in our piles and destroy them.

*The after supper run-around-the-house.  The boys burn off some energy and try and tag each other almost every single night.

*Looking at Livia try and eat her toes.

*Watching Caleb come up with the craziest inventions...

*Falling into bed at 9:00 pm completely exhausted, yet feeling so incredibly blessed

*Listening to Kyle practice playing on the piano after the kids go to bed (You can hear it on the next video)

*Listening to Livia talk

To forget

*My lack of sleep

*The temper tantrums, the whining. the fighting

*Giving up on bottle feeding Livia-she fights it long and hard almost every time

*The worst parenting moment ever.  Caleb, Isaiah and I were making grilled cheese for supper and Caleb came up with the idea to "discover" apples.  (He had previously learned about them in school so I'm guessing he wanted to show me and Isaiah how much he knew about apples.)  He was trying to cut an apple open with a butter knife and I told him that you'll have to use a sharper knife.  "This one," I said as I pulled out a much sharper one and sliced the apple in half.  We looked at the star that the seed made and I cut it again so we could eat some.  My sister called and I went back to buttering the bread and cutting cheese.  All of a sudden I heard a "Whaaaaaaa!"  Caleb had sliced his thumb with the sharp apple knife.  I quick said "bye" to my sister, picked up Caleb and ran him over to put his thumb under water because it was bleeding like crazy.
I was so busy feeling awful and running Caleb's thumb under water that I didn't notice Isaiah pick up the knife and slice his thumb, all the while choking on a piece of apple he had just stuck in his mouth.  Long story short, it was another bloodbath and I was VERY relieved to have Kyle happen to be home that afternoon.  Since both boys are anti-band-aid at the moment, we wrapped their wounds in Kleenexes and scotch tape.
My luck, this will be Caleb's first memory.  I thought I'd snap a picture, in case it was--so, forget about the forgetting, I guess.  It's stuck in the brain forrreeeeverrrr.