Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Choosing the Happy

I was going to write about the many (MANY) irritating behaviors currently being displayed by my two small ones, but I thought I'd try something else instead and focus on the good. Perhaps not as immediately satisfying as a good vent, but better to look back at someday!

5 Things I am Loving About Pacey

1. His voice. It's a little raspy, a little gravelly and he has the slightest little lisp. He's talking more and more, which is wonderful in itself and he produces the absolute sweetest rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Seriously, the best.

2. He loves toddlers. He likes all kids, really, but for some reason he will make a beeline for kids between 12 and 18 months. He gives the gentlest little hugs and can be sort of protective of them.

3. His attachment to his daddy. Lately Brighton has been opening his door in the morning to get him up and he comes charging down the stairs, into our room and heads straight for Chris. "Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada!" It's really sweet and I know it means a lot to C.

4. His appetite. He has always been a decent eater anyway, but he will now try a lot more new foods and I can actually count on him to eat when he's hungry. I still have to limit the less healthy foods (he would honestly probably eat 10 chicken nuggets if I'd let him), but in general he's getting pretty good about regulating his own intake.

5. His ability to lighten the mood in a room. If he can sense tension or realizes that he's crossed the line in terms of naughty behavior, he'll often get a cheeky look on his face and give you a good tickle. It works every time too. He reminds me of C when he does that; my husband is very good at defusing unnecessary tension with humor.



5 Things I am Loving About Brighton

1. Her imagination. It's running wild right now and it is so entertaining to hear the stories she comes up with. It's a style of play that I have not had much chance to observe firsthand and I just love watching and listening to her.

2. Her language. She is in this funny place between adopting much more mature vocabulary, using some pretty advanced adjectives and stuff, but also adorably mispronouncing things. My favorite of her baby words is "whack-a-moni cheese" for macaroni cheese and I will be so sad when she stops saying it. She loves watching Peppa Pig and Charlie and Lola, two British television shows for kids and so she will sometimes affect an accent and uses words you don't hear so often from American children. The other day she was hot and told me she was "absolutely BOILING."

3. How excited she is for her birthday. She adores going to other kids' birthday parties and is very, very good about allowing the birthday child center stage (not easy for someone with her personality). She is so incredibly excited about her own special day and I just can't wait to see her sparkle.

4. How much she still loves to snuggle me. When she comes down in the morning she loves to fold herself up next to me in bed and will often press her cheek against mine and just lay there. Being able to provide such a basic comfort is one of the best feelings in the world. She will sometimes open the freezer and stand in front of it for a minute and then come ask me to warm her up with a hug.

5. Her enthusiasm and zest for life. She gets So! Excited! about so many things. She chirps more than talks and loves to recount things in great detail for you. The other day we took the kids to an arcade and they exchanged their tickets for Ring Pops. Brighton started eating hers and said, "Mom, this is SO cool! And sooooo good. And soooo tasty!" It's really hard not to spoil your kids when they get such absolute joy out of the things you give them.

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