I love you, stinky face

Where have my babies gone?

In just a few short days, they will be seventeen months old.  SEVENTEEN MONTHS!  I still can't get over it.  I remember them when they were SEVEN days old and just precious little blobs that needed everything done for them.

Now they are precious little toddlers.  And while for the most part I still get a hand in their daily affairs, they are truly calling the shots now.

Example: bedtime.

We have established a nice little routine before bedtime. We have a small snack with milk and then I announce "bath time!".  This is met with excitement and grins as they run to the gate in the kitchen, all the while Sabrina making the sign for "bath" and saying "baaaa".  Sammy runs around squealing.

Up the stairs.  This is their favorite thing.  I remember when they only just learned crawling the stairs, now it is a race to see who gets to the top first.

After their bath they get nice and dry while I am soaked from all the splashing.  They cannot bathe without splashing.  Splashing mama is so in right now, didn't you know?  These toddlers say so, so it must be.

But here is my favorite part of the day.  And it's not putting them to sleep.

I love our story time right before bed.  I usually read about two or three books before we sings some songs and they doze off to sleep.  I just love this time.  This is what I envisioned when I looked ahead when they were tiny little babies.  Creating wonderful and simple memories.....and this is one of them.  One day, they'll remember that we had this little nighttime ritual and I hope that they will look upon it with as much fondness as I do.

And I know they'll love it just as much as me.  They both have a "favorite" book right now, "I love you, Stinky Face", that is a must read at bedtime.  Sammy will hear me start to read it and I automatically have his attention.  He loves this one almost as much as "I'll love you forever", but we haven't read that in a while because I need a new copy.

Today he just kept bringing it up to me, waiting for me to start reading it.  Sabrina curled up in my lap to turn the pages for me.  Even if it has been one heck of a day with teething and toddler tantrums, moments like this overcome all. 

A day will come when they won't want me to read them stories, give them kisses on their bellies, or baby them at all. 

But that day is still far away.  And so I say, I love you, my stinky faces.......