Cookin' & Kissin'

So I will start this by telling a story that actually happened overnight Thursday night (actually early Friday morning). The kids have had their crib rails down for quite some time. They can climb in and out on their own. Our form of toddler beds. They are learning about independence and such. The boys don't mind climbing out and do it often...Liz is a more of wait until someone comes and gets me...go figure. So if the boys wake in the middle of the night and need something, they come to our room, my side of the bed and wake me up. Zach had come in about 1:30am and I took him back to his room got him what he needed and headed back to bed. Now let me just tell you this...Zach ALWAYS comes with is blankie (sometimes an animal too) and he normally does not say anything until he is by me. Well "Zach" came back to our room about 3am. He said mommy as he entered our room. I picked him up asked him what he needed and got no answer. Also noted that he did not have the blankie but figured he dropped it along the way. It seemed like he did not lay like he nomally does. So half awake I headed back to his room. We got in there and all of Alex's animals, blankets and pillow were on the floor and no Alex. I panicked. Now remember I totally think I got Zach. I put him down and tell him to stay...I run to our room wake Jeremy up tell him to go sit with Zach and that Alex is missing. I run downstairs...flipping lights on and off everywhere and calling his name. Jeremy finally yells down that he was upstairs. The panic feeling starts to subside. I walk into their room to have Jeremy holding "Zach" (really Alex) and tell me that Zach is in bed. And he was...sound asleep. I was so tired that I did not realize the little signs I should have like no blankie, not answering my question, how he was laying, etc. So for all those mothers that are reading this that have lost a child for a spilt second, I can relate. PURE PANIC! And he was in a locked house, I cannot imagine what it would feel like to have it happen in public. So it is a funny story, but my goodness... pretty sure I took a couple years off my life.
So onto the pictures...as I have mentioned before the kids want to help with EVERYTHING. I cannot cook dinner anymore without three chairs in the kitchen with me and 3 sets of eyes watching my every move. I have found it is easier to just let them watch as they will just climb over the gate if I don't let them out. Save me time actually. So Zach was the only one around when I start dinner tonight, so I let him assist me (try to let them help me do things that are kid appropriate). Here he is helping me...

While I was getting dinner ready, Liz and daddy were playing. When I got back into the living room Liz was saying kiss and then would hold Jeremy's face with her hands and kiss him. It was one of those moments that brings a tear to your eye. I was able to catch her doing it.