I am guilty of something. I do not write down as much as a should. Yes, I have a baby book for each of my children, and I write down their milestones. But there is so much more to children then their first baths, first words, or rolling over onto their bellies. Yes, those things are terrific and I want to remember those milestones, of course. But I don’t want to forget the details that make up who my children really are.I want to remember that after we eat, my son loves to get down from his seat at the table and sneak up and play peek-a-boo with Halle. They both laugh and laugh. I want to remember that Max’s 2 month obsession with Barney was replaced by Elmo, and now by Dora the Explorer and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I want to remember that Max fake sneezes complete with his hand over his mouth and nose. He recently learned all of his shapes and loves to count and say the alphabet. Sometimes we let him watch The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune, and he loves them. I don’t want to forget the way Halle army crawls around the first floor. If Max has a bowl of crackers, she moves at lightning speed. Literally, the girl will crawl for food. I want to remember her fondness for (of all things) puzzle pieces and Little People animals.

I want the time to go slowly. I want to bottle up their laughter, the way their eyes look at me with love and wonder. I want to remember the way my two-year-old misbehaves to get my attention, even though right now I find it frustrating. I want to remember that because he had a pair of Spiderman shoes (he’s since outgrown them), he now still calls all of his shoes “Spidermans” and we cannot convince him that they are simply called “shoes.” I love the way Halle will laugh and laugh when we give her Eskimo kisses. I want to remember how much Halle loves her baths. I want to remember how when Halle wakes up in her crib, she moves herself around so she can peek through the crib slats where the breathable bumper doesn’t reach.

I know someday it will be a distant memory. I wish there was a way to bottle it all up and save it for later. For now, all I can do is enjoy every moment. Take a lot of pictures and videos. Remember to laugh at the hard times because someday when my kids are grown, we will look back and say realize that they weren’t really that bad.