Before it Escapes My Memory

You know those moments you have with your kids where you think to yourself, "I wonder if I'll remember that he was like this," or "Will I remember how cute he was when he did this."  I've been thinking about that a lot lately and I decided to record it before it escapes my memory:

Joseph has the most kind and considerate heart. He is always thinking about other people. ALWAYS!  He is fair and wants to ensure equality in relation to all aspects of his life. He's appreciative and thoughtful, generous and forgiving. He's resilient and confident, humorous and flexible. He likes to take care of Jacob by changing his diaper and letting him out of his room in the morning after he wakes up. He knows how Jacob ticks. He knows the meaning of every cry and unintelligible grunt. He is the very best big brother I have ever known. He takes short showers but is skilled at washing his hair independently. I still brush and floss his teeth every night before be goes to bed. I tuck him in and check on him before I go to bed to make sure he's still under his covers and the room is not too cold.  We play games together like Monopoly and even though i taught him how to play, he's far better than me at Skipbo. He says he's excited about going to college and wants to be a father. 

Jacob is mischievous and full of curiosity. His favorite thing to do is climb up on the arm of the couch, stand, balance, and fall forward into my arms. He does so with a smirk and a naughty twinkle is his eye. When he asks for things he says, "please... GO!"  It doesn't sound funny, but it is so endearing. When he wants to play upstairs he will grab my hand and pull while saying "play!"  When he says, "thank you" it comes out like a song. He calls everything that is round a cookie. When he asks for crackers he says "cookie" while pointing and he does so almost in a whisper. When I pick him up at the end of the day he is so excited.  I can hear him yelling, "Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!" until I am standing right in front of him. He doesn't let anything stand in his way when he runs to me. He looks up at me and repeats "up!" until I pick him up.  

My boys are incredible. They are so precious. They are my reason for living and breathing.  They have taught me the value of endless patience, love, paranoia (always seeing the possible catastrophe that could result from their actions), and so many other things. I am so grateful and honored to have been trusted with the care of these little blessings.