Little Observations....

has been the theme of this random Wednesday night.

As I was getting supper ready for the kids tonight, I glanced over at Miss Tay eating in her highchair. Usually I smile at her and we have our own little version of a babble baby-talk conversation, but tonight I caught myself just staring at my beautiful little girl and taking in all the little things about her that I love so much....

• The way her blue eyes sparkle as she watches every little move I make.
• The way she hears what I say and then moments later I see the wheels turning and her little mind processing what I just said.
• The way she hears clapping and immediately smiles like crazy and claps along.
• The way she doesn't just pinch a piece of food between her fingers, but instead puts a fistful of the goodness in her mouth.
• The way she seems to do everything with her left hand.
• The way she hears her Daddy's voice and begins to immediately giggle.
• The way she crosses her legs as she sits in her highchair.
• The way she stops drinking from her sippy and clicks her cute, little tongue.
• The way she goes to take a step, stops, looks around, and decides the safer option would be to crawl.
• The way she could spend a whole day people -watchin' in her stroller.
• The way she melts my heart and makes me realize that it's impossible to love anyone more than I love my kids.
• The way she makes me just want to figure out a way to keep these memories from ever fading away.

Then, as I headed out to the backyard to tell Trey it was time to come in for the night and wash up for dinner, I stopped by the back door for a moment and just watched....

• The way he hurried and hid behind a bush, hoping to get just a few more minutes of outdoor time.
• The way he giggled from behind that same bush as if I hadn't a clue that's where he'd hidden.
• The way he came out from that bush and laughed the whole way over to me, asking if I'd realized he was hiding.
• The way he looked at me like he really couldn't believe he'd gotten away with it when I told him that I had no clue where he'd gone.
• The way he turned, waved to the neighbor girl he was playing with, and said in the sweetest voice, "See you tomorrow...."
• The way he sat and wiggled his tooth with his Daddy because he's so ready for that thing to fall out.
• The way he cuddled up on my arm as we watched the opening scene of American Idol before it was time to hit the hay.
• The way he waited patiently while I tucked in both girls and eventually made my way into his room.
• The way he still, at less than a month shy of SIX, can't fall asleep until he's tucked into bed.

And, of course, I relished just watching Tylee as she played in the bathtub. I couldn't help but think about all the little things I notice about her on a daily basis....

• The way she creates a voice for each one of the bath toys and carries on the funniest conversations with them.
• The way she sings nursery rhymes, but only includes the words that she can remember and makes up her own words for the parts she forgets.
• The way she sprints over to me every day, the second I walk into her school, and gives me the biggest leg hug.
• The way she sits on her Daddy's lap as he combs her wet hair so the "tangles go away."
• The way she tucks her babies into bed and gives each one a kiss on the forehead.
• The way she has to have her Hello Kitty blanket in bed with her each and every night.
• The way she "sings" to her sister when she's trying to fall asleep.
• The way she always remembers to brush her teeth, but still lets us finish.
• The way she is always willing to help pick up and keep our house from getting "junky."
• The way she colors and takes her time, doing her best to make the prettiest picture possible.
• The way she LOVES to have you "draw" and scratch her back.

Now, as I sit here planning out tomorrow in my mind, I'm truly glad I took the time this evening to slow down and reflect on the little things. It's soooo easy to get caught up in the business of our crazy, busy days and all the "grown" up things that need to be taken care of. It's sooooo easy to find my mind wandering to a list of "things" I wished I had (a new car, a skinny body, a bigger house, a whirlpool tub, a cute Coach purse, etc...). And, in this exact moment, I know that all those things I wish I had could NEVER, ever mean more to me than all the "little" things I'm blessed with enjoying each and every day!!!!

THANK YOU, Trey, Tylee, and Taylen, for continuing to teach me what life is really all about. Tonight will go down as one of the best nights I've had. Just watching you three lovin' life shows me that I need to enjoy all these moments because these "little" things are really the BIG things and definitely what matter the most!!!!

So, I'll go ahead and end this little sentimental blog entry, one that I hope my kiddos will one day be able to read long after I've gone, with one of my favorite pics from this past weekend. It's a pic that show's true happiness on two of the faces and I know, without a doubt, that there's a huge grin on the little face we can't see...

Now, who says that those darn helicopters, that are flying off tress and landing everywhere this time of year, aren't fun?!?! And, tell me just how eager Miss Tay is to get out there and play with her older sibs?!?

LOVE you, MUNCHKINS!!!!!