things we say, things we do

This is an ongoing post that I have been adding to from time to time for awhile now. Just a few memories that I want us to remember about things the kids say or do, and special little things about our family ~

• Back eyes ~ The kids are convinced that I have 'back eyes' (aka eyes in the back of my head). One of them will occasionally try to move my hair in attempt to find them. I tell them that only Mommas with little children have 'back eyes' and, thanks to the little mirror in the van that lets me see their every move, well lets just say its pretty convincing that I can see E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G (I typed that while I said it in the creepy way Woody on Toy Story did, Lol, thanks Pixar)

• Singing ~ We love to sing. Usually silly songs in crazy voices. And of course lots of times the singing is accompanied with some weird dance moves. Right now the kids have favorite song they beg for every time we get in the van. "Islands in the Streams" is one of their favorites, yes, I know that's weird. But they love singing the "Uh Huh" part. :)  "Carry your candle, Go light your world" is their other current favorite. Caleb has the sweetest little singing voice and he knows nearly every word to this song. The two of them singing this little duet is adorable. Veggie tales CDs in the van are their other favorite request. And when we listen to it, I inevitably am the one who ends up singing about Barbara Manatee being the one for me and the Veggie Tales theme song.

• Riding ~ Of the things the kids are good at, riding in the car is one of their better points. They travel incredibly well and always have. Its never been an issue for me to pack them out and head off on a trip with them by myself. I'm so thankful for that!

• Converse ~ I love Caleb's little converse shoes. They seem to just fit his little boy ways and I remember my little brother wearing shoes like this. I know these shoes will be one of the things I keep of his

• Sleeping ~ Of the things the kids are NOT so good at, sleeping away from home would be high on that list. They rarely ever spend the night away from home so they never have learned how to sleep in a bed other than their own. So this is an area we will learn ...someday.

• When Laney was smaller, she too had a very cute way of talking. She couldn't make the "f" sound at the beginning of a word, and so she replaced "F" with "S". She would say "I'm Waney Tay Hargis and I'm sore years old." 

• Ninche and Tubber

•    "pink tails"~ Laney calling her little pig tails ~ pink tails. After all, who wants to wear their hair in pig tails when you can have pink tails instead?! 

• Caleb's country british/outback accent ~ Somewhere he picked up the funniest way of saying things. While he is very country (over thar, come har, etc...) he also pronounces his "I" in a british or Australian way. If he says "slimey" imagine a British guy saying "Blimey" and well, you get the drift. There are about ten words he pronounces this way and needless to say he keeps people laughing when they hear it. (knife, nice, bite, night, kite ) and Ricky keeps getting him to say "good day mate" and "that's not a knife....this is a knife" thank you crocodile Dundee!

• Laney's Goodnight routine. From the time Laney was about 18 months up until she was about 5 years old we had a nightly routine she had to go through before going to bed. It went, kiss, hug, eskimo kiss, dog pat, cheek squeeze, ear flap, nose honk, right hand high five, right hand bones, left hand bones, left hand high five. Every night she did this with me and then she did it with Ricky. She developed this routine all on her on and added to it until she got the perfect combination. We would shake our heads and laugh, but not that she has grown out of doing it, we kinda miss it. 

• Caleb and his peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. From the time he wakes up he requests peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for every meal! He loves the PB&J and will pick it every time he gets the chance.

• Eskimo kisses ~ something me and both my babies have always done. Love them little noses!

• Crazy Neck- Laney poses for pictures by craning her head as far down to one shoulder as she can. So we have lots and lots of pictures with her and her crazy neck pose. So funny! :) 

Another Crazy neck picture

•  Sandbox ~ We have this huge massive sandbox that was here from the previous owners. We keep meaning to make it smaller - but maybe someday. Laney and Caleb love the sandbox. Most of the time I do too, but I will say they get incredibly dirty playing sometimes and all the gritty sand gets tracked in. But, for the fun they have I guess I won't complain :) They will play out there for hours and usually at least once they bury the other one in a pile of sand. That's just good clean, dirty fun.

•  Caleb's Clifford shirt ~  One thing I found out from going from having a girl to a boy is that I saved all kinds of Laney's little clothes and things, but boys stuff just doesn't seem as keep-sake-ish somehow. His Clifford shirt is an exception. I love seeing him wear the Big Red Dog shirt and again, it just completely fits his little personality.

•  When Laney started getting up around the age where moods starting appearing and grumpiness, I started telling her "Have a happy heart" I am not sure where this came from, but this saying has stuck around our house and from it came another one that I use the most when the kids are not at their best. Often when they are in trouble or are "on the line" I will tell them to "put a smile on your face and a song in your heart". This is a nice little warning that their disposition had better change for the better. I need to find somewhere in the house to put this quote, as it is a family original.