Remembering and Recording

These kids are growing up so fast and life gets so busy and I feel like I plow right past great moments and funny, cute things kids say or do way too often in the midst of carpooling and getting dinner and getting kids to bed. So I'm trying to capture more of the great stuff the kids come up with - anyone got great ideas for doing this? My mind gets so cluttered up with logistics and worries and the basic processes of doing the daily stuff that I find I can remember that someone did or said something really funny that day - but I can't remember the specifics. I can't record it when it happens that often - but I guess I could try harder to do that when possible... Anyway, as an attempt to do better with this capturing of moments, here are a few things I remember from this last week:

• Silas was looking for Ashton the other day, walking around the house calling "Ashton! Ashton!" When that didn't work, he tried "Ashton! Ashton Idaho!" Ashton thought that was hilarious and so did I. Guess he's heard us talking about Ashton, ID quite a bit this summer.
  
• On the way back from the pool the other day, Oliver said "Mommy, what's going on with you? Why did you weave Ashton and Isaac?" So funny when the twins pick up on these little ways of saying different things. I explained that the boys were riding their bikes back from the pool and Ollie was much relieved. He's always concerned about anyone getting left anywhere - he's quite alarmed when I leave Jared at church for a meeting or if Jared leaves me at church for the same reason. And he's very concerned about being left when we go somewhere. He's inevitably the last kid in the house getting his shoes on and he always calls out to me quite urgently, "Mommy, don't weave me!" I assure him I'd never leave him and he hurries as fast as he can. I don't think I've ever accidentally left him - or anyone else for that matter - not sure why he's so worried about it!
• After capping off a big day of hiking with the Greenshow in Cedar City, we ate a late dinner at Bajio. As we were finishing up our food, Liza looked out the window and was surprised by how dark it was. "Wow, Mommy, it's dark now and when we came in here, it was pitch light!"
• Ashton tells me a dumb joke every chance he gets. His current favorite: "What's the coldest animal? Mice - because if you take off the M they're ice." Great one, huh?
  
• I had an amazing moment with Isaac the other night. After having him read me a few pages in his reading book as usual, he actually BEGGED to read another page - then another - then another. Something somehow has clicked with this boy and he's really taken off on reading!
• Jared got called to be Ashton's Cub Scout Den Leader and I loved seeing the cute smile on Ashton's face when he found out.
• Isaac totally notices nature - he's always pointing out something really cool that I wouldn't have noticed without his help - different shapes of leaves, beautiful flowers (he always picks me one to put behind my ear - what a sweetheart!). And he's SO into babies - human babies, baby animals, baby lizards (he caught one the other day and is so into it), baby mice (we saw one on our hike the other day and Isaac kept raving about how cute it was). He's got a serious following of babies at church who get so excited to see him since he always notices them and is so sweet to them. Elsie freaks out with glee whenever she sees him and runs up and jumps into his arms.
  
• Ollie and Si always have so much to tell me about preschool each time. It's so fun to hear the details they choose to share. They're always telling me what their teacher Ms Bowen said and singing me the song they sang and telling me the story they read - and correcting each other when someone gets anything wrong.
  
• We've been learning the first verse of a hymn that goes with our FHE lesson for the week - and with something the kids need to work on. If they can pass off the hymn perfectly at the end of the week, they get a point. Ana and Olivia have been learning the songs too since we sing them as I drive the carpool to school most mornings! It's been a fun way to start and end our days with uplifting songs and the kids are learning a bit about music and the gospel. Anyway, last week's song was "Put your Shoulder to the Wheel" (we had some serious shirkers around here so we really needed that one - and they really got into singing it while doing their jobs) and when Isaac was passing it off, he had us all laughing pretty hard when he sang "Put your elbow to the wheel" instead of shoulder - Ashton did a great rendition of what it would look like to try to push something along with your elbow and everyone was laughing. Then when Eliza was passing it off, she sang "we all have work, let no one jerk" (instead of shirk) and that set everyone off trying to push something along with their elbows while jerking around. Then Ashton sang his version with "we all have work, don't be a jerk, put your shoulder to the wheel." It's so fun to see what is so darn funny to these kids.
• Current conversation between Ollie and Si (writting this as it's happening). Ollie's sitting at the kids' computer and Si comes in. Si: Honey, it's time for you to go - the clock says. it's time for you to go with me and do a trick because it's a rainy day and then I'll feel better, OK? Get your hat on, OK? Ollie: OK, I'll get my sheriff hat on and go riding horses (puts on his cowboy hat and vest). Now look on the map - it says go on this left and go on the other sign then turn around and then we gonna go to that one - let's go, brudder (brother). Si: Now I want to go to number five da, da, da, da, tada! It's time for me to weave. Now lets go this way to da da da! Ollie: No, let's go this way - I can't belive it's right here! Si: Yeah! And I'm the king now! Ollie: Oh, yeah. Si: Now brudder, don't go. Brodder, I need the map! I'm right here and I need you! Ollie: meow! meow! I'm a kitty and I'm a dead kitty - you be the daddy to wake me up, OK? Si: You're just sleeping meow meow. I'll wake you up. Think the twins are ready to write their first screenplay? The transitions are a little jerky but there's some good raw stuff in there, huh?
  

That's all that comes to mind right now. Maybe isn't as funny or meaningful in the telling as it was in the experiencing - but hey, I've got to capture what I can - and I'll get better at remembering the best stuff.