Today while Kate was down for a nap, the house was clean and quiet. Andersen was at the kitchen counter making a "treasure box" (he's been WAY into pirates lately) with popsicle sticks and lots of my help, all while I was at the other end of the counter mixing up some yummy banana muffins for the kids after-school snack.
It was a pleasant, peaceful time--one of those times that mothers love--where there's no rush, no hurry onto the next activity of the day, but lots of time to visit with my 4 year old, to talk about fun stuff, to share my love for him and to enjoy his 4-year-old mentality (which ALWAYS totally cracks me up!).
After a lull in the conversation and a few moments of silence, he said "Mom, what would you think if you and me were the ONLY ones to live in our house?" By his expression, I couldn't tell what kind of response he was looking for. . .
I thought about sharing how much fun it would be to spend all my time with him, to always do fun pirate things with him, to read to him without being interrupted by his little sister, etc. . . .
Then I decided to ask him first. "What would you think?"
At the top of his lungs with lots of drama and hand motions, he said "I'd HATE it"!
His comment totally surprised me, and at first hurt my feelings a bit, then made me laugh, then brought tears of joy.
After asking further questions, he went on to tell me how much fun he has with his big brothers, how cool Mason and Taylor are, how nice EmmaClaire is to play school with, how he loves jumping on the tramp with Abby, how he mostly always likes playing with Kate unless she breaks things, and how much he loves to snuggle with his Daddy.
I got a lump in my throat, listening to this little 4-year-old tell me how much he adores his family, how much he LOVES having us all around. I'm glad he thinks it would be boring and horrible to just be me and him at home. Because that means he loves his siblings.
John and I are both so close to our siblings. I can't imagine it any other way. Some days, after endless reminders of being kind to each other, it's easy for my motherly heart to get down and feel worried about the relationships that are developing between each other. But then there are other moments, like today with Andersen, that boost up those feelings and bring such joy. As little as those moments are, they all add up.
Someday, I hope my children are each others' best friends!
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I pretty much love your family, too! :) Can't wait to be with them all next week.
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