my favorite things about having two toddlers

It is so easy to complain about the difficulties in spending every minute of every day raising my babies. Not because they aren't the best thing that ever happened to me, but because it is a tireless job and my two have an endless amount of energy. I am so grateful for the time I have with them, especially since Ty will start preschool in the Fall, and I wanted to write some of my favorite things about this age. I'm sure one day I will look back and forget these details.

1. Watching them drink their milk in the morning together on the couch.  It's not going to last forever.  In fact, with Ty starting preschool in the Fall, I see time racing by even faster and I am cherishing our mornings waking up together.

2. Listening to them "talk".  I love hearing Ty say things like, "Good girl, Lena!" and hearing Elena coo back.  It's amazing how much they communicate at ages 3 and 1!

3. When we eat meals and Ty makes Elena start cracking up uncontrollably.  He doesn't even try to be funny, but she will just look at him and start cracking up.  Her giggles make Ty laugh and the next thing you know, all of us are laughing for no real reason. My kids make my world so happy.

4. Watching Ty wrestle with E and watching my girl hold her own.  At first Justin and I would tell Ty to stop wrestling with her, but then we caught Elena provoking him because she wanted to.  From that moment on, we let them have at it and it's always full of smiles and exerted energy (which I LOOOVE!)

5. Having two kids whose age is perfect for having everything be magical and wondrous.  I can be slicing veggies for dinner or drawing with chalk on the driveway and Ty and Elena's eyes fix on what I'm doing and their hands start reaching to try for themselves.  I wish that we could all look at all the small things as if they were big things. So much less would be taken for granted.

6. Seeing them both try to figure things out... like how to put on shoes or how to fix your hair. My favorite is when we are getting ready for the day and getting ready for bed. Ty has learned how to put on deodorant, brush his hair, and brush his teeth, to list a few. And now Elena is learning about brushing her four little teeth, know just what to do with a hairbrush, and will attempt to put her own (or my) shoes on her feet. It is absolutely incredible what little sponges they are!

7. Going for ice cream... or even a trip to Lowe's Home Improvement as a family. I love putting the kids in the cart or walking up to the counter of Goodberry's with each one holding my hands.  I hope that our family outings will last a long long time. I dread the day that they would rather be with their friends.

8. Playing outside with two kids that can WALK! WOOHOO!  Those months where the kids were still crawling made for messy pants and dirty little hands. I love that they can both be outside on their feet now and I can enjoy watching them both.

9. Seeing Ty hold Elena's hand to go somewhere or encourage her with "Good job, sweetheart."  He's such an amazing big brother. :)

10. Hugs around the legs and someone's hand to hold while watching our favorite shows.  Feeling those little arms wrap around my leg while I wash dishes makes my heart smile. I just love watching a show with them and having one crawl into my lap and the other ask if we can snuggle. Toddlers are full of so much love.

This makes all the tantrums, constant noise, bathroom trips, dirty diapers, loads of laundry, and sleepless nights all worth it.

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