Memory Bank

I lay awake in bed burning the day's images into my memory bank and realized I didn't want these memories to escape my brain. So instead of using this precious time for sleep, I'm making a list.

Laith

He runs everywhere; to the kitchen for snacks & drinks, to the bathroom to brush teeth, to the front door to put on coats and leave, back and forth through the living room playing. It's not often I see him walk.
He uses a Grrrrrrrsh noise when driving his trucks & cars. I taught him this noise when he first started playing with the heavy machinery dump truck and he uses it for all vehicles.
He stands on the couch back, leans against the wall, gives me a huge grin and jumps onto the couch.
He has one dance move, running in place, doing a quick 2-step river dance move.
He likes to stand behind me in my work chair, and wrap his arms around me giving me a hug. He also loves to lean around my right side with the sweetest grin and say Mmmmmmhhh which means I love you in his language and then I get an extra special hug.
He helps me with laundry by pulling the wet clothes out of the washer and handing them to me to put in the dryer.
He said Yeah today in conversation for the first time. I asked him if he'd brought me Elmo and his reply was 'Yeah!'
He likes to hold the sippie cup lids while I make up drinks. It's his way of helping.
When I yell it's time for lunch, he runs to the kitchen to open the pantry. He pulls the peanut butter off the counter and hands it to me.
He stands in his high chair when finished eating and says ooooooooo and waves his hands, giving me the signal he's done.
He reads books in a loud commanding voice, saying da-da-da-da-da-da again and again.
He splashes in the tub like crazy, doing this funky leg move, like he's running in place to really get the waves going.
He is always ticklish and has an infectious laugh. He has super ticklish knees.
He loves to wrestle, making all sorts of noises and pulling us to the ground. He's super strong and he makes this silly tough guy face when he comes running at you to wrestle.

Both

Whenever a show finishes, a series of high-pitched unh-unh-unh-unh follow until I get a new show started.
When snack time is declared, two sets of feet run to my arms to be swung up into their seats. Lately it's added a new twist, with each sometimes running off in a game of chase, huge grins ear to ear when I catch them.
Both climb into the toy chest, but most commonly it's Vivienne who then unloads every toy to Laith to strew around the living room.

Vivienne

She makes everyone comfortable. If you need a blanket, she's there handing you one. Need a pillow for your head? She's there to hand it over. Needed the bean bag to prop your legs? No problem, here it comes.
She runs off whenever I try to put her coat on. She thinks it is chase time.
She gets hurt and needs loves, each love ends with a kiss better.
Scrunching her face in the funniest smile ever when we say Cheese!
Dancing like crazy to any & every song. She has a bum bounce move, a rock back and forth on her feet move, a twirl move, a clapping move, and a new wave her arms move.
She sings to every song, and is really good at keeping to the tune.  She gets me giggling whenever the song has a high note, as she hits it every time.
She reads all books in a quiet commanding voice. She knows the color book by heart and will randomly burst out reading it from memory, pointing to her hand for the colors and doing the moves when needed. She does this with the So Big Elmo book too. And today when she got a new book, she immediately grasped the new moves for Pat-a-Cake.
She loves to sit in my chair and pretend to work. She's super quick and runs to my desk the moment I stand up. If I come back too soon, or beat her to the chair, she gets angry as I've ruined her fun.
Her most common word is 'astsss'. We couldn't figure out what it meant and it sounded a lot like...well no way around it 'ass'. It made us giggle a lot. Yesterday we realized she's saying "That's...".
She loves Blue's Clues, Daniel Tiger, and Doc McStuffins mostly in part to the songs. She sings them beautifully. She also loves the Minions and smiles huge grins whenever we watch a Despicable Me.
She loves when we go out and she gets to actually go into the store we've gone to visit. She has shouted Yay! a few times when we open the car doors to get out.
She cries at any closed door I go behind and lays on the floor reaching her fingers under the gap best she can to reach me.
She loves to jump on her bean bag and has huge giggle fits to herself each time she does it.
She walks around the house with her blankie and will wrap it around herself looking like a miniature Mary.