The Week In Review

• Without fail, every time I ask if the kids had any sweet dreams upon waking, they say yes.  When I ask what they dreamed about, Caden says "Nilla Wafers!" and Addison says, "Yogurt covered raisins!"  Sweet dreams, indeed!
• When the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to me this week, they were mostly spot-on.  Except they insisted on singing, "Happy Birthday, near Mommy."  Precious!  
• One of my birthday gifts from Mom and Dad was this lovely little surprise:

I enjoyed it plenty...  but I think the kids enjoyed it even more!!

• It's a daily ritual for the kids to go check the mail when Dad gets home from work.  Today, he walked into the playroom to gather them up and Addison suddenly found it important to have some hair accessories.  In a sweet voice she announced, "We have to have a hair bow Daddy."  He dutifully looked and asked where it was (assuming that she'd taken it out herself and left it behind while playing).  She stood at the gate and pointed into the kitchen where I keep her hair stuff and said, "It's over there...  There it is Daddy!"  Then she looked at Travis and said, "Shall we go get it?"  Just as grown up as you please, that girl.  Then on her way out the door to check the mail she looked at me sitting at my desk and said, "You keep working Mommy".  Oh boy.
• Speaking of rituals...  When we get the weekend paper, Travis shares it.

• "I need a little help please..."  I hear that phrase alot.  Most recently, it led me to discover Addison perched on the window ledge in the playroom.  She had used a riding toy to step up on, then found herself clinging by her toes (to the window ledge) and the tips of her fingers (to the crosshatching).  I believe we have a future rock climber on our hands.
• The kids have gotten into the Berenstein Bears lately.  So as we were climbing the stairs to our nap today I said, "Sister Bear is almost at the top, let's go Brother Bear!"  He did as he was told, but paused where the stair railing is connected to the upper landing with a piece of hardware and said, "What's dat Momma Bear?"
• And last thing...  today, Caden helps me close the dishwasher.  As he does, he points to a little dark piece of plastic on the inside center of the door.  "Dat's the clicker", he says.  And darn it, if he isn't right.  It's the mechanism that latches the door shut.  It's also a tiny little nondescript part of the machine that I myself had never even noticed until now.  Little engineer : )