I’m gonna miss Raine always wanting to share my chair while we are eating. She insists on sitting on whatever chair I’m on even though there are five other identical EMPTY chairs around the table.

I’m gonna miss Carter keeping our kitchen floor covered with tupperware and mixing bowls AT ALL TIMES. Resulting in the need to re-wash them each time I want to cook or put away left-overs.

I’m gonna miss Raine’s explanations for why she did or needs to do something that I told her not to do. Like the other day when she explained that she had to eat all of Carter’s orange M&M’s “so he doesn’t drool orange.” (Apparently only orange drool is a problem, not red or blue.)
Or her constant need to “help Carter” climb onto furniture that he shouldn’t be climbing on in the first place. I finally decided that the best thing I could do was teach him how to get down safely, because there was no way I was going to stop him from getting up there as long as Raine was around.

I’m gonna miss the un-ending questions from Raine. “Mommy, why does that boy have a pony-tail?” “Mommy, what do rhinos say?” Or the one she asked while we were at the urgent care in Seattle. I was filling out papers at the desk just outside the room when I heard Raine calling to me. I thought she needed something important, so I hurried in there. “What Raine?”
“Mommy, how many feet do ostriches have?”
That girl’s mouth is always moving and 98% of the sentences out of it start with “Mommy, why…?”

I’m gonna miss Raine getting herself “dressed.” Today it included her tutu, princess shoes, boa tied around her waist, two other scarves tied around her waist, one necklace, a bracelet, two ribbons tied around her legs, and three baby-doll blankets tucked into her boa. This girl makes Punky-Brewster look like Plain-Jane.

Carter’s response: “This is the only accessory I need!”
I’m gonna miss his chubby baby belly and how excited he gets when he shows it to you.

I’m gonna miss putting Raine to bed. After reading a few books and scriptures, she says her prayer — it is always enlightening to hear what she prays about. Then she climbs into bed and insists that I lay by her. She makes sure that I have plenty of room and am sufficiently under the covers; then she wraps her little arm around my head and falls asleep with her sweet baby-face just inches away from mine. I love it!

One thing that I’m NOT gonna miss is making emergency bathtub evacuations due to hazardous waste contamination. We had one today, right after I got the tub filled and both kids in it. Usually Carter waits until the end of the bath, but this time it was before I could even get them wet so we had to drain, rinse, and refill. And if that wasn’t enough drama for one bath, when it was time to get out we had a little hazardous waste of the other variety. I had gotten Carter out, wrapped him in his towel, and set him on the mat. Then I turned back to get Raine out. As I was wrapping her up I heard the pitter-patter of rain — except it was sunny outside. I turned around and Carter was standing there with a little yellow puddle on the floor in front of him. Sheesh! This is why bath-time is normally Daddy-time!!