Just an ordinary day.....

Until.......

We headed out to water the newly planted flowers. After they helped me water the plants (or in other words, squirted me and each other with the hose) the boys spotted a caterpillar. Luckily, for the caterpillar, they were more interested in watching him instead of squishing him like they usually do. They were very intently watching it crawl by on the grass.......

When all of a sudden, they hear a familiar, high-pitched music. Their heads perk up when they realize....IT'S THE ICE-CREAM MAN!!!!!--or lady in our case.

Of course some screaming, clapping and dancing follows so I run in to get my money! After several minutes of trying to decide which ice-cream they want (there were like 30 pictures of ice-creams that were very distracting to the decision making) they finally decided on rocket pops!! YAY!

Cooper eats his in three big bites causing a brain freeze that was cured by putting his sticky, blue and red head in mommy's lap!

Evan wants to slowly "yick" his causing it to drip all over him. We had to remove the white shirt he was wearing. Slowly, slowly, slowly he licks his rocket pop.

And now.........we need baths!

Bubba and Daddy were at baseball practice and we didn't tell them! Shhhhhh!

We LOVE warm spring afternoons!

Warning....this post makes me cry...it might make you, too!

Many nights, well most nights, I count down the minutes until bedtime.....I know, it sounds horrible even as I type it, but it's true. The weekends are a different story. But during the week when I have worked all day and Jeremy is working late (until 11:00) and I am home alone with the boys and they are tired from their day and screaming at the top of their lungs because someone took their toy and I am trying to get dinner cooked and on the table and cleaned up before giving them a bath, reading them a book and helping them do homework or wind down, and I am about to scream.....well, I watch the clock and sometimes we head to bed even before 7:00. (Yes, I know that is a RRRUUUUNNNNN on sentence, but it proves my point--I am TIRED AND STRESSED on weekday nights!)

But sometimes........

They surprise me with the sweetest night ever. Like tonight....

Yes, I worked today, and yes I had to cook dinner and clean and all those other things, but tonight......

Tonight, they were the best! I cried and cried after I laid them down because I realized they are growing up too fast and I can't remember everything they do and say and it made me sad. I want to remember it all. This old brain just can't do it! I will just have to remember the special times like we had tonight.

Cooper found these pieces to a box that looked very much like long train cars. He kept putting them end to end and was just in awe that they looked like a train. He would call "mama, mama, come yook, come yook." He would lay on his belly on the floor in front of the train and his mouth would fall open with an "awwww" sound every time. EVERY TIME! Like it was the first amazing time he had seen it---even the 15th time! I would lay on my belly beside him and he just smiled the most beautiful contented smile ever.

I would get up because, after all, Evan was calling "mama, mama, help me" and I would head to the bathroom to help him potty.

Coop would come running and grab my hand in his precious chubby hand and pull me to "come yook" and would be amazed all over again at his train. He would lay down, pat the floor for me to lay beside him, and wait for me to be amazed too.....which of course I pretended to be every time...even the 15th time!

I was absolutely in love with his excitement and joy of those silly boxes. I would just kiss him all over his face every time. I couldn't get enough of him tonight. I know that he has to grow and change, but I just don't want him to. I'm NOT READY! I'm not ready for any of them to. I want them to stay little forever. I know it can't be, but for now.....I'm refusing to let them grow.

So tonight, instead of counting down the minutes until bedtime, I am counting down the minutes till morning when I can kiss, squeeze, and hug them again.

**I didn't get any pictures of the train cars or of Coop's sweet face in amazement. I was too busy enjoying the moment to grab the camera, but I plan to tomorrow!

Tomorrow: And here's his train (drool and all).......