This is the good stuff

About an hour ago I found myself on the couch, looking at the scene around me, feeling extraordinarily grateful for what my surroundings. Lila was snuggled in to me, reading her homework. We were on our second of five rounds of assigned reading, and had already been at it for an hour. There is no way we were actually going to finish. I was grateful for her progress and the thought of the back to school blessing she received promising growth and progress. Anabelle and Elise were immersed in a hilarious game where Anabelle throws a glob of slime and Elise goes and retrieves it for her. Elise kept doing funny things and they were both cracking up, so loudly that I could barely hear the little Lila to my side. Maisey sat at the bar crying, where she had been for the previous hour. Because we had soup for dinner. And she despises soup. Not any particular soup- it's a non-sensical thing. I think maybe she hates the word. I told her that she had to at least try it before she could have anything else. Four little bites and she could have eaten yogurt and been playing with the girls. Instead she sat crying and watching and repeating her dislike of soup. For an hour. She asked me twice if I could please just make her some brussel sprouts. What? When all of a sudden she said, "Mom! I took a bite!" and I said "Nice! And wasn't it good?" and she said "Yes! It's like chocolate ice cream!" Which wasn't true at all. Anything she deems fit to eat these days she compares it to some lavish desert which it has no business being compared to. It's a thing she does. It entertains me. And just like that, the battle was over and she was happy.

I told them they could keep 15 pieces of their Halloween candy each and that we would donate the rest to deployed troops. They were sorting and trading at the table. Unbeknownst to them little Elise was on the tippiest of toes, little tiny calves flexed as I've never before seen them, reaching as far as she could, until finally she got hold of a Reese's and took off running down the hall with hilarious speed. She kept at this until she had all the girls chasing her to get their candy back. I was pleased to see the way they all shared easily with each other.

I think my belly had no less than 25 kisses and hugs today.

I tucked Elise in and she and I did our thing. I always have a tuck in thing with each of my babies starting at about this age. It's different every time but every bit as precious with each one of them. Lots of giggles and slobbery kisses and hugs with little fingers patting your back.

Lila hugged me and kissed me and said she would protect me against an attacking Anabelle. In the last week she has hugged me with feeling and intentionally given real kisses, and she has cared whether I hug and kiss her or not. This is ground breaking for her. She has seemed uncomfortable and squirmy with my affection for years. I can't express how I felt to really be hugged by her tonight.

I love family life. I adore these little people who fill my life with laughter and wonder and messes and laundry and tantrums. I'm also exhausted by it and so ready to have Braden back, not only to share the work load and responsibility, but all the love and happiness that comes with it.

And here are a series of pictures that depict Elise saying "Pleeeeeaaaase?"

she ended up eating most of everyone's quesadillas because she kept saying please to everyone and we all just kept feeding the bear.

Classic Elise face

Baby swiper doing what she does