Five On Friday – Things to Remember About Right Now

Happy Friday!  This weekend is going to be especially great because Brian and I have a date night planned for Saturday.  We’ll be heading to a benefit ball that we attend every year, so it should be a fun night of dressing up, good food, delicious drinks, and good times with good people.  The food is always amazing, so I’m really looking forward to it.

With Olivia’s second birthday rapidly approaching, I’m reminded of what a thief time really is, stealing seconds, minutes, and hours away from us without notice.  And before you know it, your newborn baby girl whose feet barely dangled past your chest when you held her is turning into a toddler who has to curl her legs up when she lays across your lap.  And that tiny button nose on your baby boy’s face is replaced with one more refined, more prominent, and you realize sadly that he’s no longer a baby or even a toddler… he’s a boy.    

It happens to the best of us, and the older we get, the faster time goes.  Before we know it, our sweet babies will be grown and gone. 

There are so many little things that we experience in our day to day routine that we don’t give much thought to in the present, but eventually those things will be gone, and one day we will miss them. 

That is, if we even remember them in the first place. 

Today I wanted to capture a few of those routine moments and bottle them up so I never forget.

O N E – Jacob’s Bedtime Routine

Brian helps Jacob get ready for bed while I put Olivia down each night, and then I meet up with them.  Before I come in, Jacob puts on his own PJs after his bath, and then he and Brian always read a couple of books followed by teeth brushing.  After he brushes his teeth, he goes back in his room, turns on his star projector, turns off his lamp, and then he wants to lay in Brian’s lap in the dark and chat until I come in.  If I come in before he’s done with that part of the routine, all hell breaks loose.  Lol.  So Brian has started leaving the door cracked open an inch and once it’s dark in there, I know to wait a minute or two and then it’s safe to enter.

Once I get in the room, I kneel down beside the bed and he comes and loves on me a little, then Brian puts Chap Stick on his lips, and then Jacob crawls into bed.  He never wants his blanket at first, and he likes for me to ask, “Do you want Mommy or Daddy to stay with you for a few minutes?”  And then he always says yes, and depending on what “pattern” he’s using, he decides whose turn it is to stay with him.  The pattern we are currently using is, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Mommy” so clearly we know who his favorite is right now.  ;o)

Then whoever stays with him scratches his back (UNDER HIS SHIRT!!) for a few minutes and then we ask him if he wants water or his blanket and he always says that he wants water first.  He sips the tiniest sip of water, and then we cover him with the blanket, pat him for another minute, kiss him goodnight, and make our exit.  That is, if he doesn’t say, “Don’t leave yet.”  If that’s the case (which it usually isn’t anymore – because growing up) then we stay for a couple more minutes.

T W O – Olivia’s Bedtime Routine

While Brian is assisting Jacob, Olivia sits in my lap in her rocking chair while we read a couple of books, and then before we turn her lamp off she has to pick up the giant picture frame of monthly pictures from her first year and she has to “feed” her paci to each picture, wipe it off, and then tell it goodnight – “Goodnight, Wee-ya” (Olivia).  She does this thirteen times.  It is a hoot.  And some nights, it is a bit exhausting.

After she tells all thirteen of herselves goodnight, we turn off the light and she says, “Pray-yah, pray-yah” (prayer) like she’s from Boston or something.  We say the bedtime prayer first (Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep), and then we talk to God about what we are thankful for and we pray for any special intentions that we have.  My sister-in-law, Cheryl, is pregnant right now so we’ve been praying for her and the baby a lot lately, so now after we are done saying the bedtime prayer Olivia always says, “See-rawl, See-rawl!” (Cheryl) to indicate that she’s ready to pray for Cheryl and the baby.  It is the sweetest. 

After that I rock her and breathe in her yummy scent for a few minutes, and then I lay her down in her crib.  She sleeps with three lovies – Sheepie, Lambie, and Baby (we’re so original with the names) – and she likes for me to place Sheepie in her left arm, Lambie in her right arm, and Baby on her chest.  Then for some reason she lifts her legs up in the air until I say, “Put your legs down.”  Then she lifts them even higher, and I have to say, “Put your legs down” one more time.  Once I’ve said it for the second time, she gives me a big grin, slams her legs down, I put her blanket over her, and we blow kisses to each other before I leave the room. 

T H R E E – The Kids’ Favorite Toy

The kids’ very favorite thing to do each day when they get home from school is to run in our front sitting room, and play with the Hot Wheels Garage that Jacob got for Christmas.  That is the best gift that either of them has ever received, hands down!  They play with that thing for hours at a time!  A lot of the time they fight, but a lot of the time they get along, and it’s really sweet.

Olivia always says, “Gwaaaajsh, minute?”  (Can I play with the garage for a minute?) and it’s quite possibly one of the funniest things ever.

F O U R – Drying Olivia’s Hair

Since it’s winter now and Olivia’s hair has gotten really long, we have started using the hair dryer to dry her hair after her bath so she doesn’t have to go to bed with a wet head.  Lately Jacob has been running in and wanting me to dry his hair too.  Olivia was terrified of it at first, but now she requests to have it done.  This is a relatively new thing that we’ve started doing, but I have a feeling it’s going to last for a while.

F I V E – Jacob’s New Game

Just about a week ago, Jacob started asking Olivia, “Do you wanna play accidents with me?”  The first time Brian and I heard it, we looked at each other in horror wondering what in the world he was talking about.  We asked him if some of the kids in school play that, but he told us that he made it up himself. 

Apparently “Accidents” is where you stand up on the seat of Olivia’s ride along elephant and then you jump into the ball pit.  Lol.  We don’t let them do that, of course, but it’s hilarious every time we hear him ask her if she wants to play “accidents” with him.

Sometimes we’ll be going up the stairs before bath time and he’ll yell, “Yay!  Let’s go play accidents!” 

Little things like these are the things that I know I’ll forget about one day if I don’t document them, and who would want to forget about the game of accidents?!  #Classic

Enjoy your weekend!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures for Five On Friday and A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites.