There just isn't time to sit down and document all the things I appreciate in a day. (I give up.) But here again, I blinked and before me are two older, amazing toddler people with sharp minds and hilarious personality. Here's a rambling list of all the little things that are common smile catalysts around this place, but may change by the time I next blink. Things Mommy loves:
I love...
...the beginning of our days: I hit my snooze once around 7:30 (on glorious mornings, twice!) and wait to be beckoned out of bed by this chorus. "Mommmy... MOMMM-yyyyyyyy.... MOOOMMMMMMM-yyyyyyy.... Up! Peeeeez...... UP! Peeeeeez." It's pretty sweet. ((Exception days go like this: Gabe gets us up between 6 and 6:30, or sometimes, if one twin is standing up in his crib, and the other would have as soon enjoyed a few more winks, I hear "MOMMM-yyyyyy," interrupted by the other twins' 'NO!" which normally ends in twin tears over this difference of opinion. Then I open the door, and tell you boys to try getting our day off to a better start.)
...prayer. During the day, you pray with Mommy before breakfast and lunch and for random things. You repeat the prayer Mommy begins, and then fill in with your own ideas (usually thanking God for each individual family member by name, and baby cows, choo-choo-trains, motorcycles and helmets.) Every night, the whole fam (of 8) is seated round the table, we hold hands to, "Pray?! Pray?!" (from your 2-year-old voices). Sometimes you boys make a quick charade of being undecided about how ready you are to hold brother's hand. We all pretend not to be amused while we wait for you to decide in your own time to hold hands after all, and Daddy begins to pray. Gabe lowers his head and squints his eyes, sometimes checking to make sure that's what everyone else is doing. Zeke unabashedly looks around, eyes wide open, not even apologizing if your peek meets his stare. (After all,
aren't YOU supposed to be closing your eyes?)
...hearing you name each other. "Z-Z?" is normally what Gabe sounds like when he's calling Zeke. Oddly enough, Zeke calling Gabe also sounds a lot like "Z-Z?" -It's a strange consonnant that's pretty close to "Gt!" ...But also sounds like a fast, "Zete!"
Maybe my vocalist friends can help me IPA it.
...cyclic conversation, mostly with Zeke. It goes like this: "Mo-mma! Momma!!"
Yes, Zeke? "Mo-mo-mo!"
Did you see a motorcyle? "No. Mo-mo-mo!"
Does Daddy have a motorcycle? "Ya."
Does- "'el-met! 'elmet!"
Does Daddy wear a helmet? "Ya. 'Elmet!" That's good. That keeps him safe. "Ya. Momma?! Mo-mo-mo!" ...And we're off for round two of a very similar discussion.
...that Gabe walks around beatboxing the rhythm to his apparent theme song. It seems to follow him around most when he's playing outside.
...hearing, "Yes, ma'am." On an ordinary day in the middle of our ordinary lunch, I asked Gabe if he wanted a (I don't remember - insert food item here)... Seconds later, I stopped and realized he'd answered me, "Yeh-eh." (Translation: Yes ma'am.) I was shocked! We have modeled this for the boys many times, but never thought to make it an expectation yet - it seems so early! But Gabe has kept up the use of his finest manners, and Zeke has begun answering that way too. Of course no one else would know that's what the boys are saying, but it's the unprompted gesture of two tender little hearts that swept this mommy off her feet. Mommy LOVES...
...common toddler words. They're just cuter when your kids say 'em! "O-tay!" "No-uh-uh" (No thank you) "Outside?!" "Play?!" "Wa-wa?!" "Wa-won" (Wagon) "Hum?" (Help?)
...that we finish every meal-time with our version of the "clean-up" song. When I taught the twins, they didn't talk! So instead they sang, "A-ta, A-ta, eh, eh, eh, eh." And while I sing "Clean-up, clean-up, everybody everywhere," those are the words they sing to this day.
...that when Gabe is running around the room, he banks his turns - literally tucking one elbow, tilting and extending the other. Maybe he's got a natural feel for aviation. Regardless, it's impressive.
...Echoes. You have to appreciate the days you hear your OWN words come out of your kids' mouth. To avoid an overly harsh sounding "No," I sometimes gesture to what the boys are getting into and say, "Att-at-at-at-at..." I don't know where I got this. It might be odd, but it's effective. I gained new perspective on the phrase, though, about 2 weeks ago when Zeke picked something else and asked me, "Ya?!" and I shook my head, no. He nodded confidently, wagged his little finger, and said, "Att-att-at-at-at. No-no-no-no-no."
...Twin reading. We were floored this week when Gabe pulled out "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," but unprompted, HE started reading it to us! It went precisely like this. "Ba-ti! Ba-ti! Wa, too, ahh?!" On every page. :)
...Twin SINGING! It was amazing and unexpected when you started filling in words at the ends of phrases during your ni-night lullabies, but now you are singing along with us on most of our songs.
"Da Lord (is my shepherd),
I'll "Wat" (with Him)
always! Always, always, I'll wat, always." "If you were a
boat my darlin', a
boat my darlin', I'd
be the wind at your
Bok!" "Amen, Amen, Amen..." (+ clapping).... The list goes on, but I love it.
...how you can dub over the facial expressions Zeke is making and he'll keep his facials going to match your story.
...Time out. Sounds strange as a "Mommy love," item, but this is how it goes. "Z/G, was that a good choice?" (Shake of the head, no.) "Ok, time out." (And you go sit your cute little self down for the next 45 seconds, quietly assuming responsibility.) "Ok, stand up!" (You bounce to your feet, when necessary, you go give your brother a "Sorry" and a hug, we talk about how bad choices have been forgiven by God, and you bounce off to play!) It's precious to see you boys take ownership for the things you know in your heart are wrong, and sit yourselves down in the sweetest pitiful posture I've ever seen. It's taught Mommy so much about the joy of redemption, and I value the reminder in our daily routine!
