a good day

Have I mentioned how much I hate dropping off or picking up the kiddos from daycare? I don't know why, but it's one of my least favorite things to do. But yesterday, I am so glad I was the one to pick them up. I got there pretty close to closing time and the teachers had all the children out in the great room. While I was signing them out, Matthew ran into the infant room. I didn't notice until I heard the teachers saying "awww" - when I looked up, he was coming out of the room with Scarlett's carseat. I went on in the room & was getting everything else, but was watching out the door and saw him take her hat out of the seat & put it on her head (with the help of one of the teachers, but he did most of it on his own). He then tried to take her from the teacher & put her in the seat. By this time one of the other teachers had gotten his coat, hat, & mittens and was helping him get them on. When I got over to them he said "hold shish-ter, me put seat" - he was wanting so badly to put her in her seat. So I grabbed her & asked him to help me, then he put his arms around her & kind of plopped her into the seat.

I just love that he wants to help with her. It makes my heart melt.

Then we got home & his memory just astounds me. Maybe it's because I haven't spent that much time around children his age, but he got a monkey for Christmas that you basically play hide & seek and hot/cold with. You hide the monkey & then it has a stick that beeps louder as you get closer to the monkey. Well he got this gift the Saturday before Christmas and only played with it that night. We packed it up Sunday and hadn't unpacked the box it was in when we got home. So last night he saw the monkey sticking out of the box & reached for it, saying "hide monkey". He hid the monkey & then went back to the box & said "where stick?" - I gave him the stick & he hunted the monkey. I was impressed he remembered how to play the game when it had been 1-1/2 weeks since he played with it, and even then he only played with it for a short time. Is he smart or do I just underestimate what he should be able to do?