Remember When

Alana loves to reminisce. She dreams of a simpler time, before she was four, when life didn't seem so complicated. Her memories don't date back far, after all, she's only four, but sometimes I'm surprised at what she remembers.

Remember when I held the hamster at Aunt Dole's when I wasn't 'posed to and then Aunt Dole made me wash my hands and I said I hate you and you were sad?

Remember when I used to watch Ratatouille every day?

Remember when Ava was a brand new baby and she was nice?

Remember when Jayden and I were fighting over that one toy?

Remember when I used to want to go outside in the back room everyday to blow bubbles?

Remember when we had our dog Daisy and then you didn't want a dog anymore cause you were tired of cleaning up after her?

Remember when we went to Disneyland all those times and I met the princesses and gave them hugs?

Remember when I said I wanted the candy with sour cream in it and you knew what I was talking about but Daddy was confused?

I do remember almost all of these things. I remember her as a chubby little baby with crazy curly hair, but the older she gets the harder it is for me to remember what it was like when she was brand new, even when she was as small as Ava.

My kids love to watch home movies, and I always sit there with a hopelessly nostalgic feeling as I watch a cute two year old Alana hold brand new Ava. I see Alana, then Ava, learn to crawl, then stand, then walk. I listen to Alana talk like a toddler, then grow a little bit sad with every word that she now pronounces correctly. No more fooies, instead of fairies. No more yucky charms, instead of Lucky Charms. Bye bye yittle, hello little.

The baby in our children sometimes fades so suddenly that before we realize what's going on it has vanished. Its nowhere to be found. You can check under the bed and in the closet, but the only place you're going to find it is in old pictures. It seems surreal that 30 pound Alana was once a seven pound baby that was in my stomach. It seems crazy that one year ago Ava couldn't sit up on her own, crawl, stand or walk. Now she's a force to be reckoned with. A stubbornly independent 17 month old who feeds herself and dances along to any music on TV.

I'll try to remember when, but I'm getting old and my mind is a little fuzzy sometimes. Luckily I have photos to help refresh my memory. I swear I just took these pictures yesterday.

Also, for the record: I did not put those ugly socks on Alana in the above picture. And candy with sour cream in it is York Peppermint Patties.