There are so many things about my kids

I should write about. And a lot of times I think I should just live and let memories be precious and let some of them slip away. But it's 7am, everyone is asleep (except Emmett -- sort of, who wants to come down and watch TV, but my friend Chris is sleeping on the couch). I feel like this is a good time to talk about my kids and how they're growing.

EMMETT - 4 1/2
Emmett is not like a 4 1/2 year old. He's like a 5 or 6 year old. In fact, last weekend he played with a 7 year old and had a great time. Emmett is exceptionally mature for his age. He is very in touch with his behavior and his feelings. He's obedient, he loves to learn (in periods of 20 minutes) and wants to do what's best for himself (drinks water a lot-- by choice). Emmett and I continue to have a very special bond. He knows that I love him very specially and in a different way then I love Ethan. Emmett is the apple of my eye. He's my first child. He's an angel. Every child loves him. When we were at the playground the other day, there were two little boys arguing over "which team" Emmett would be on. He loves music and at least once a day I play Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes for him. Here are his favorite songs: Star Wars theme, Indiana Jones theme, Seventy times Seven (Brand New), Fish Heads (TMBG), Particle Man (TMBG), Pirates who Don't Do Anything (Relient K), Yellow Submarine (Beatles).

Emmett is an amazing dancer. He rocks out to fast songs on this list. He dances like my dad. He takes up a lot of space. He also idolizes skaters and wants to be a skater more than anything. He wants to wear his hair in a ponytail. He eats very well at dinner. He loves to get tickled. He plays Playmobil and Little Legos constantly. He writes his name very well. He asks me questions constantly, and they're smart questions. In the Brand New Song, the singer says "Think of me when you forget your seatbelt and then when your head goes through the window" and Emmett was asking about that line and what it meant. I explained that it is a really great song, but that that part was kind of not as great and that he was saying that he wanted his friend to think of how angry he was if he ever got into a car accident. Emmett didn't understand it. The point is, he was listening to the words.

I'm worried about Emmett's preschool. The teacher is wonderful and has promised to provide more advanced work for him, but I worry that Emmett is ahead of the rest. There's only one other 4 year old in the class. We are looking into other options.

Emmett is like my little buddy. He does well with rules and routines. He does well with discipline. It makes him love me more -- it's strange. Emmett wants to be parented and excels in structured environments with rules.

ETHAN - 11 months
Ethan melts my heart and is so much like me, it makes me smile. Ethan is my baby. He's energetic and gets into everything. He has a short attention span but is always very happy. If he's unhappy, he makes sure to communicate it by putting all of his effort and energy into a strained and angry sound. It is utterly adorable. He barely cries. He LOVES to go out. All day he is trying to get out the door. As of 2 days ago, Ethan learned to clap (to say good job). And yesterday, while Emmett was listening to music, Ethan was clapping ALONG WITH THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC. He was in perfect beat for what felt like a long time. He also learned to play the recorder by blowing into it. Whenever there's music on, Ethan dances as much as he can. He loves dancing with Emmett. He also idolizes Emmett. He wants to be with him all the time. And he loves action. He gravitates toward "the most" action in the room. Whether it's me on the computer or Emmett playing with a friend, Ethan wants in wherever the most is happening. And he's tough. He rarely cries from pain. Shots are no problem. When he bangs his head on something, it's a quick cry followed by laughter. He has a very high pain threshold.

Ethan has a special relationship with rough and tough men that play rough. Particularly my dad. Ethan loves rolling around and fake punching etc. He's thrilled to be thrown up in the air. There's little that scares him... except the vacuum cleaner. He is petrified of that sound.

Mike holds Ethan much more than I do (mainly because I'm working) and I'm not worried about this. With Emmett, I would have been. But Ethan is so laid back (even from an early age) that I know he's fine. He's much more simple than Emmett and much less complicated in his thinking. If he wants something, he just wants that. If he wants my attention, he'll let me know. The connection with taking things personally isn't there, whereas with Emmett, even at a young age I could see this sensitivity. In this way, Ethan is not like me and I love him for it. He's a guy's guy. He has brute force and strength. He's messy, squirmy and wants action all the time. I ADORE him for this and he melts my heart.

Ethan has been smiling since he was 3 months old and when he was first born and smiling, I used to call him Smilefest 2007. He makes playing very rewarding by laughing hard and smiling big. He wakes up in the morning smiling. Ethan is confident and stable. He KNOWS he is adored by the family and he knows he's one of us.