The Night the Lights Went Out

As a mom, I sometimes find myself in amazement at all the energy young boys have. They are constantly on the go, running and jumping around. When music comes on, they love to move their bodies around in the funniest of ways. Any chance to play outside or ride their bike is usually thrilling and the Wii offers contant opportunities to wiggle, steer, kick and scream. It's actually exhausting to corale them. As they get older, it gets harder and harder for me to keep them near me. Even on Halloween, as they walked around dressed as Star Wars troopers, they didn't want to walk with me anymore, only their friends, running from house to house. So when I look at them sleeping peacefully, I gaze at their serene faces and breathe it all in, knowing when they wake up we are off to the races. That's why these days any chance they give me their willing positive attention (I am not referring to when they get hurt or need food), I cherish it.

I live for these moments:
-Evan said, "Sit here, mommy," when I went to use the computer in the kitchen and not at the table next to him.
-We had a snack outside on the back patio. They definitely requested my presence and asked me to make them fresh squeezed lemonade that we all could share and do "cheers."
-I came home from getting my hair done and Evan shouted "Mommy, you look beautiful. I love your hair that way!"

-Probably the most special moment recently was when the power went out one unusually chilly night. We came home from being out and they were super worried about entering the house with no power or lights. Both John and I were there to reassure them. We lit candles and had battery powered flashlights. I decided to sit in the living room by the fireplace and John got it cranking for us as a source of light. They thought it was funny how we were all using their DS's as a light source as well. Its portability came in handy when trying to get the fireplace working. But the best part of the night was when the fire was lit and the boys snuggled up next to me on the loveseat-sized couch and told me theyjust wanted to be near me. We all played the DS together and enjoyed our talks and the quiet around us.

Some cute words of the month from Evan: vamillia, (instead of vanilla)and skatue, (instead of statue). Jake's cute quote..."Talk to the booty cause the hands off duty!"