Absolute Love and Joy ...

... Is when you hear your little 3 year old little son sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in the most sweet, earnest voice, with eyebrows wiggling around expressively, working so hard to remember the words, while you sit with him eating dinner, sharing a slice of pizza, and feeding your baby daughter who's giggling and kicking around, watching him. And he's telling you, "Now your turn, Mom" and then "Now, it's MY turn, let's SING it toGEDer, Mo-oooom."

I should have gotten the video camera. Someday, I will give my right arm to hear that little boy voice again, I will wish I could see just 10 seconds of him singing. But honestly, I was too caught up with the moment ... and how truly good life with kids can be sometimes.

Because I Still Have Children - Photos from the last month or so

Rachel in her little black dress shirt from Grama Claudia.

Mike and Matthew at the first Spring Zoo visit.

The kids ready to tackle the Zoo.

Rachel sits up in her baths now like a big girl - and yep, she's almost always this happy and smiley these days except when she's sleeping or hungry (aka our lil piggy).

More to come ... unless I am lying and disappear for another 6 weeks, he.

Out of the Mouths of ...

I don't think I share enough with you all how damn funny my kid is lately.

Me (changing his diaper): Okay, we're going to do this and then read books and go night night.

Him: You have GOT to be kidding me.

Me: Um, what?

Him: You ARE kidding me!

Me: (laughing at this new expression that I'd never heard before and wondering where it came from...)

Him (appreciating me laughing): NO PROBLEM! NOOOOO problem.

Me: (lauging even harder because, is he just tossing our terms now?)

Him: (catching on to what's making me laugh): Oh, it's not a BIG deal...

Me: (OMG laughing ... he IS just rolodexing through catchphrases he hears us say)

Him: Mom, it IS a big deal! It IS.

Me: (Yep, and that certainly sounds like one of mine ...)

So, I don't if this translates a funny, but just picture a Yakov Smirnov type character trying out American phrases randomly and inappropriately.

Now picture that coming out of my sweet chubby faced 2 year old, grinning with glee at making tears come out of his momma's eyes.

At this age they so often say stuff, that is just ... so damn funny ... you can't help wanting to share. But then I get busy. About 10 times a day, I wish for a new mobile device that could translate the words from his mouth, to Twitter or blog. Now THAT's a mobile device I REALLY need.

So, Blackberry and iPhone techno geeks ... you want the mommy bloggers to buy? Consider the "instant toddler translator" app.

BrrRRRRR!

Remember Halloween, that holiday 4 weeks ago?

I do, because I've got skads of unposted photos. UNTIL NOW.

Meet the 30 lb. pride of Webster Groves, Stampy the Elephant 2.

From Halloween 2008

(Stampy 1 would be the stuffed one he sleeps with ... a gift from Aunt Lisa to Rachel ... that got intercepted along the way by our resident elephant lover.)

Working on the rest. We actually had darling ones of Matthew with BFF and ladybug Bridget, stay tuned...

Sleeping Beauty

Monday night we enjoyed the singular experience that can drop young (yes I'm still labeling myself young) parents to their knees: Matthew didn't sleep all night.

He went to bed fine - which is saying something, it's a semi nightly power struggle. But then it was, "I have boogies." "Turn my music back on." And finally then just "WAHHHHHHH!!!"

Over an hour later, I asked Mike to come home from his "having a quick beer" night out. Because when one kid would get settled, the other needed her paci. When she was drifting off, Matthew suddenly MUST have me put his blanket back on. Momma wasn't able (or willing) to keep up alone.

So Mike hustled home, to which Matthew first said "You're home with Mommy now?" and we thought, ah yes, that was the problem. Now we're okay. Buttt...we weren't, he wasn't, and six hours later, we were both losing our sh^t.

I'm happy to report that its good I waited to post this, because I'm sitting on the other side of 11 hours of SLEEP - Matthew's - and about 7-8 hours of ours - from last night.

So what HAPPENED, Mommies? (Erin, I know Bridget had us guessing this same thing that night she didn't sleep ...) Was it the stuffy nose? Impending cold front? Or just his uncanny knowledge that Daddy had a night out planned, followed by Mommy's the next night (which was since cancelled given I really can't whoop it up on 1.7 hours of sleep)?

Or is this just LIFE WITH KIDS?
Wait, don't answer that.

Happy Early Halloween, Gramas!

Sweet girl in her festive new p.j.'s from Grama Claudia.

Cheeks are expanding!

Just in case you missed the booty on this baby.

Happy its almost Halloween!

My two sweet treats.