I don't remember this bit...at all.

I think I must have selective memory. I seem to think back to raising Dan, Jordan and Sophie and have fluffy moments of recalling sweet smelling squishy people who were always clean and tidy and pleasant to be around. So what happened?
I do laundry, tons of it, I pick up clothes and wash them and give them out to little boys. I clean and wash and wipe and trim and battle against all odds in an effort to keep these boys clean. I am losing. They are 3 of the stinkiest, grimiest, sweatiest, dirty nailed buggers you will ever come across.
I trim their nails almost obsessively, yet always, when we get to school and I sit and read with them I will notice to my horror that Isaac has 3 inch nails with half a ton of black Plasticine underneath them. He oozes slime, I swear I could sterilise this kid and shut him in a sterile room and he would come out with his head plastered in a stinky sweaty glob and his nails filled with mud.
Elijah somehow manages to get pen everywhere, I mean everywhere, not a part of his body escapes a scribble. No matter how often I scrub this kid he will still have green stripes somewhere, along with the toe jam and obligatory grime filled nails.
Seth. Oh my goodness. He somehow wins the stomach churning revoltingness test. He has the longest nails, I can clip them to the quick and the next day they are talons again, I cut his toenails today and I kid you not I was heaving as I did it, he was thrilled and held up the ghastly clipping from his left big toe and said " Hey you could make a NECKLACE with that!"
He hates to have a bath, until he is there ( and then I can't get him out) he will run and hide and cause all kinds of stress and vein bulging anger in order to avoid getting his stinky little body into that bubbly water. Yesterday I was bathing Eli and Seth came running upstairs, he ran into the bathroom and then
"Argh! NO! NOT bathtime.....oh, I SO ran into that one!" Even he saw the humour in that one and was gracious enough to get in the water without too much of a battle.
I cut their hair today, another battle of wills, although ( with the exception of Seth, who does nothing without a fight these days) it was pretty painless, Eli is always a good boy at haircut time, Isaac said ( in a rather grown up fashion)
"oh the sooner I start the sooner it will be done" and sat super still without too much fussing ( although his head was SO sweaty, that always hurts with the clippers) I also cut nails, fingers and toes.
They had another bath and I stood for quite some time, staring at the bath after the water had emptied, toying with the idea of taking a picture, you really should be able to see what that bath looks like once they are out. But I won't show you because I didn't take a picture. This time. I have a smidgen of pride left and if I were to show you what the bath looks like after 3 little crap magnets have been taken out, after haircuts, well I wouldn't be able to hold my head up again for a long time.
They all have clean, matching PJs on, clean toes, sweet smelling short hair. Divine, it will last until the morning and then they will be sweaty, stinky, grimy little oiks again.
I miss that baby smell. I miss the sweet breath and velvet skin. I think back to being able to bite a tiny finger nail to stop it scratching and never, no NEVER can I imagine biting these nails now.
When he's had a bath and is asleep, if I kiss Elijah's neck and breathe in deeply I can almost catch a faint whiff of baby but it's disappearing.
In a few months time I will have my grandbaby to sniff. The Lord is good and I shall be sure to cherish every breath of that baby smell.
When I make myself remember, I think there were times that my big kids were stinky , Jordan hated bathing when he hit 10 for a while but really, they were fastidious kids, Sophie never minded getting dirty but the boys hated it. Sophie never got smelly until she started smoking, she was sweet and fresh smelling.
I am completely sure that my other three were never as grotty as these little gits. Totally sure.