Confession time…

My girls do not have baby books. Well, Emma has one, but I think I spent one day filling it out when she was like 1 month old, and Kendall’s is totally empty and downstairs in the basement near the wrapping paper. (I think.)

And, well, poor Brooklyn didn’t stand a chance.

That was truly why I started this blog way back in 2005. I didn’t start it to become some celebrity blogger or get all sorts of free stuff (which is a good thing cuz none of those things even came close to happening); I started it because it was an online stat keeper, memory logger, and photo holder. But then I had Kendall and I realized that as much as I loved writing about my girls for fun, I couldn’t do it if it meant sacrificing the time I had with them.

Now I could get all noble and say that I purposely decided that experiencing life with my kids was more important than blogging about it, but really, the decision was more along the lines of I’m-totally-overwhelmed-with-this-mommy-thing-and-I-can’t-take-on-one-more-task-without-losing-my-mind.

But I’m starting to forget stuff. I can feel the little nuggets of cuteness, the stories — their stories — slipping away, and it scares me. Somewhere in the midst of “getting through the day,” they went from my babies to little ladies that are starting school, losing teeth, and spouting the word, “whatever.” And it’s not so much the milestones I’m afraid of missing, it’s what is sandwiched between the milestones. Those little moments that define them much more than any milestone ever will. Those moments that I know I will miss. Heck, I already miss them.

So, here is a list of random things I don’t want to forget. Things I remembered today and hope I will always remember, but just in case I don’t, I’ll have this nice little list as a reference. Maybe I’ll do this regularly – since these are clearly very short lists of the majorly cute things my girls do (a-hem!) – but I’m not making any promises. I like to keep you guys on your toes after all. (Translation: I never can seem to follow any sort of blogging schedule.)

So without further a-do, a random list of Forget-These-Not:

Emma

• The way she used to say “applepines” instead of “pineapples” (still not sure how she found out the correct word…)
• The way she narrates when she plays with any sort of figurines or Barbies (“Wait, Ken, wait,” she said, as she ran down the stairs.)
• That she read me an entire Fancy Nancy book at the age of 5 (and continues to blow me away every day)
• That she prayed for Brooklyn literally every day until she was born
• She lost her first tooth on April 25, 2011…when she should have been sleeping but instead was informing me that she and her sister were in fact not sleeping but were playing and she thought I should know
• The way she wraps her blankie around her head like a babushka every night before bed.

Kendall

• That she says “berry” instead of “very” (Our berry own Strawberry Shortcake.)
• She calls leprechauns “leppermens” (and will never be corrected by me…)
• Her opposing desires for all things action-packed and beautiful (i.e., she wants to either be a pirate or a ballerina for Halloween; would like her birthday theme to be cars; and wants Barbies and a pink or purple Power Ranger — the one with the dragon — for Christmas)
• How she needs to give me “a hug, a kiss, and a mah” before bed (which is followed by a few dozen “Let me tell you somefings”)
• That she reminds us to do the prayer bucket every day and loves to pray for other people (especially “the people in Japan”)
• The way she brought down the house at her Christmas program this year (The girl has moves!)

Brooklyn

• The wide goofy grin she gives me as soon as she’s done nursing
• The way she grips my “Mom” necklace like it’s her lifeline
• The giggly cry that tells me I must hold her N-O-W!!
• The way she lights up when she sees her Daddy or her sisters
• Her pink blanket that is now her trademark at Children’s Memorial (Just ask any nurse…)
• That it only takes that very blankie, a few snuggles, and the chorus of “Here I Am to Worship” to get those eyes ready for dreamland