100 Things I Love About My Kids

I've been feeling especially grateful for my kids the past few weeks and I thought I would post 100 things that I love about them. Each one is so different and those differences make me smile.

I Love...

1. The way Alexis will lay in her bed and read for hours

2. The way Tommy will voice when he feels he has recieved unjust treatment

3. Michael smiles

4. Amy's language

5. Alexis' jack-o-lantern smile

6. Tommy's dancing style

7. The mournful sound of Michael's cry (really, I love it and I melt)

8. When Amy pretends to be a puppy

9. Alexis' ability to learn and retain knowledge

10. Tommy's hand eye coordination

11. Michael when he walks into the room and says "I love you mom"

12. How well Amy goes to bed for naps and for the night, she is the best

13. Alexis' love for all animals (why can't we have pet crickets?)

14. Tommy's desire the do what is right

15. How Michael looks up to Steve

16. Amy eats her pinto beans and rice and loves it

17. Alexis' fascination with how the human body works

18. How all the kids will play together and find a way that each of them can join in

19. How the kids love TV (me too)

20. How the kids don't need TV to have something to do

21. When Steve turns on what the kids call Dad's music and they totally head bang and dance all over the place

22. The way they love to read the scriptures

23. The way they argue over who gets to bless the food

24. The way they try to get out of blessing the food (I said it last time!)

25. That Michael's favorite song is Called To Serve and he loves to sing it

26. That the older kids are tired of singing Called to Serve at FHE

27. How Amy gets excited when the Gilmore Girls theme song comes on

28. That Tommy and Alexis can help with the laundry

29. That Tommy loads the dishwasher

30. That Alexis unloads the diswasher

31. They all look forward to their "day off" with Dad

32. That Tommy is gifted (it is hard sometimes)

33. That Alexis is just advanced and not gifted

34. That Michael loves doughnuts

35. That Amy wants us to hold her like a baby

36. Alexis looks so much like Aunt Molly

37. That Tommy has loving memories of his Great-Grandpa

38. That we have picutres of all the kids with great-grandma and great- grandpa Burke

39. That the kids love to spend time with grandparents

40. They love to play in water

41. They love to play with paper dolls that they make up on their own

42. That after their video game time is over, they pretend their toys are the characters from the games and they keep playing

43. Tommy really likes Star Wars

44. Michael always wants to be the bad guy even though he is sweet as sugar

45. Amy is part mokey

46. Tommy and Alexis are good at memorizing scriptures

47. The kids always remind us to do FHE

48. They try hard to brush their own teeth and somehow toothpaste ends up all over the counter
49. Alexis is so good at math

50. Tommy is so good at spelling

51. Michael loves to tell me his letters and the sounds they make

52. Amy tells me what color her dresses are

53. The kids all like to watch Steve take his shots

54. They love to make forts out of blakets

55. They get frustrated when the blanket forts don't stay up

56. How they have a different favorite color everyday

57. They get excited about going places

58. They get bored as soon as they find out where we are going is not as fun as they expected

59. They are not afraid to try new food

60. They love to try new cheeses

61. They don't get scared to try something new (slide rock)

62. Alexis is scared of the lightning except when she's asleep

63. The way Tommy says things are awsome

64. The way Michael still wants potty treats (and I give them to him)

65. The way Amy wants potty treats when Michael gets one

67. Alexis wants to be a runner

68. Tommy can do anything he sets his mind to (500 weeds pulled for a penny each)

69. Michael likes to wear capes

70. Amy runs around with her arms straight up and says "SUPERMAN"

71. Alexis picks out Amy's clothes everyday

72. Tommy loves to sleep in

73. Michael does flips off my bed onto our giant bean bag

74. Amy belly flops off my bed onto the giant bean bag

75. They all want to sit on my lap at the same time

76. Everytime I take a picture of the kids they want to see it and run from the pose and I have to show them

77. All the blue eyes

78. All the blonde hair

79. That they are so close together in age

80. That they are best friends

81. That Tommy and Alexis are only one grade apart, so I get the scoop when one or the other has misbehaved

82. They both take their grades seiously

83. Tommy's smile

84. The way Amy somehow only shows her two front teeth when she smiles

85. The way Amy says "sure" instead of "yes"

86. How Michael will start reciting things he's heard on the radio when I didn't think he was listening

87. That when they have time-out they will stand there and say "I'm ready to be good!"

88. They tell me what they want for Christmas everyday, even when Christmas was yesterday

89. They want to help

90. They ask me five times what's for dinner

91. They cry when dinner is served

92. Michael wants PBandJ all the time

93. Amy wants jelly beans

94. That because rice cakes have the word cake that they are the best treat

95. Amy climbs into Alexis' bed and wakes her up

96. Alexis complains that Amy woke her up

97. They are good in church

98. They really are so smart

99. They change everyday

100. I get to be their mom. It's the best thing on earth.