Blowing Raspberries

I woke curled up next to a little boy who snuck into our bed sometime in the middle of the night. He's been here so many nights in a row that I've lost count and always takes over the entire middle of our king sized bed. Usually I go across the hall and spend half the night in his bed just to get some sleep. We had cereal for breakfast (again) which always makes me feel like a terrible mom. I am just too tried to make anything else.

The boys alternated between fighting and playing all morning long. In the middle of an army battle Hyrum said, "Joe, put your finger on your nose to pause the game!" He had to run off to the bathroom and didn't want his brother to have free hands to play until he got back. I grinned as I listened from the rocking chair. 

After an extra long afternoon nap, Oliver woke up cooing and smiling. He is such a pleasant baby and I feel so blessed to be his mamma. He slept so long that he required an outfit change. After undressing him and putting him into a fresh cloth diaper I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of him in the afternoon light. There's something about a naked baby that is oh so kissable. Joseph wandered into my room while I was snapping pictures and couldn't resist blowing a giant raspberry on Ollie's belly. They both laughed. Joseph kissed his cheeks, his nose, his forehead. He told me how much he loves his baby brother and how glad he was that Ollie is a part of our family. It was a definite bright spot in my day.

I put a roast in the oven for dinner. The house was chilly and the oven always warms it up and fills it with pleasant smells. I snuck a batch of lemon & berry muffins in beside it to cook late afternoon. The children enjoyed them warm. Shortly after the sun had gone down the power went out. The children all came running upstairs to find me. We lit a few candles and they continued coloring by candle light. It was a very cozy few minutes but we were glad when the power came back on so we didn't have to eat lemon muffins for dinner. 

After enjoying roast and potatoes, Daddy left to young men's. I yelled good-bye from the bathroom as I put our dirty toddler in the tub. He splashed and played while I supervised clean up duty. Camilla cleared the table and Hyrum fought for the job of rinsing the dishes for the dishwasher and did an exceptional job with no complaining. I was a happy mamma (until I went into the bathroom and stepped in a flood of water by the tub).

The last of the littles is finally tucked in. As I look around our house I see blocks and cars strewn across the toy room as well as some stray socks. There is shoes on the stairs from a bored toddler who enjoyed throwing them down just a little too much. The children's coats are carpeting our tiled entry way and there's a backpack in the middle of my livingroom floor. And next to the mountain of dishes on my counter is a cup of tea waiting for me to add two spoonfulls of honey and enjoy. My house might not be in perfect order, but tonight I am choosing to be okay with it, because I'm much too tired to worry about it now.