Remember Not to Forget, Part 2

First and foremost, I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the prayers for my unnamed prayer request. I received many kind words and prayer promises both publicly and privately, and you truly have no idea how much they mean. I will continue to pray. I hope you will, too. And again, truly, thank you. 

On a different note...

Back in March, I wrote a post I called Remember Not to Forget, and I have recently been feeling the urge to write a Part 2. You see, lately I have been tapped slapped punched in the face with the reminder that every good and precious gift is from above, and I need to remember and relish these childhood moments as they pass. Because although the days may feel long at times, the years are short. 

So. 

At this precious stage in my babies' lives, I want to remember not to forget:

• The fact that my sweet baby girl, Raleigh, is, without a single, solitary, doubt, the most verbally affectionate child I have ever been lucky enough to know. Y'all. You think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. Rals says, "Love you," at LEAST 30 to 50 times per day. Per. Day. To me. To her Daddy. To her big brother. To family. To friends. To the man stocking groceries at Harris Teeter. To the gentlemen checking us out at Target. Basically? To anyone and everyone who passes her love-sharing path. She is just the suh-weetest thing. Until her little dear-Lawd-she's-a-handful attitude kicks in. But that's a whole other bullet point.

• The adoration, as in complete, head-over-heels L.O.V.E., my sweet little buddy, Banks, feels over all things race cars. He is, in a word, Ob.Sessed. No really. He sleeps with race cars. He grabs more cars than his little hands can hold the second his eyelids pop open in the morning. We tell race car stories alllll day long. We race his many, many, MANY race cars around the playroom, kitchen, back porch, swingset, driveway, any-flat-surface around, all day, every day. On family movie night, every Friday night, we almost ALWAYS watch "Cars 2." I create fun race car activities for him simply because I just cannot wait to see the expression on his face. Yep. Race cars are his love language. And he is fluent.

• My completely non-biased opinion that I think my girl is a little smarty pants (don't we all say that about our babes??). My most recent example: She recently (completely independently) started using first-person when talking, skipping over that whole third-person business. Specifically? Rather than saying "Raleigh do it," (a stage she just seemed to totally bypass), she will say, "I do it!" Or, for example, I ask her, "Are you having fun?" She will smile broadly and exclaim, "I are!" When I say, "No, Raleigh, you can't have that," she'll exclaim, "I want it!!" I know this probably sounds trivial to most, but knowing that this is a skill not usually acquired until closer to 3, and the fact that she is 19 months, makes a Momma proud. Okay. Bragging moment over. Until maybe the next bullet point...

• That my little buddy is incredibly outgoing and friendly. He loves socializing with others, whether they be his friends from our weekly playdates or the strangers he encounters in the grocery store, he never hesitates to smile, say, "Hi!", and interact with anyone within his line of vision. And, while my little girl tends to initially clam up around others, especially in a big group setting, she will quickly follow suit when she determines that her big brother feels comfortable with those around them. 

• That my little girl seems quite coordinated and flexible for her age. It is not uncommon to find her jumping off of every object she climbs (no matter how high), hopping around the room, swinging from the table with her legs out in a "pike" position, doing splits, etc. Did I mention I am signing her up for gymnastics this Fall? Look out, McKayla Maroney.

• The way that my Banks has always, always been an early riser and always will be. He has no pause button. No off button. He has endless energy and needs to get.it.out. one way or another every day. He is certainly not one to sit quietly and independently for long periods of time. His favorite thing is interaction, which means, during the day, constant interaction with his Momma. Constant. All the time. Always. Every minute. And, while exhausting sometimes, given his boundless energy and seemingly ever-present desire for dependent play, I constantly remind myself that these moments are precious and I should take full advantage of the fact that right now, one of his most favorite playmates is his Momma. 'Cause one day, when those teenage years hit? He may want nothing to do me.  

• The fact that my little girl has a hard time with listening. It's not just that, though. When she hears no, she will do EXACTLY what she is being told NOT to do. In fact, when she hears no, she will frequently need to do exactly what I have told her not to do just one more time. And, often, she will look me in the eye, say, "Love you!", and then do what she knows she is NOT supposed to do. She is also starting to develop quite a temper. So, basically, when she's not being the most lovable child on the planet, she is screaming, running in the opposite direction of where I tell her to go, and then throwing a full-blown tantrum when I re-direct her course. Yep. This lovable little lady is going to be a handful. Whew.

• The way that my children love each other with their whole hearts. When you ask Banks who is best friend is, his first answer is always, "Raleigh." And while they may steal each others' toys every other minute and play too rough sometimes and simultaneously want their Momma's attention almost all the time, the conclusion is always the same at the end of the day: They simply adore each other. And that's enough to make any Momma's heart soar. 

So, again, I say I will try my hardest to remember not to forget, not only the beauty of these moments, even the tough ones, but also how truly beautiful these memories will be, safely guarded in my heart forever.