We danced

She was fussy, sleepy,

but not ready to give up.

In the muted room,

we danced

cheek to cheek,

my hand cradling her small frame.

Kissing her sweet chubby cheek,

I inhaled, that soft sweet scent

Tears crest and threaten to spill from my eyes

remember the sweetness of such a wee one.

We danced past the mirror

She giggles, catching a glimpse of some cute little thing

smiling at her in the mirror.

We danced,

swaying to silent music

her chubby hand wanders

from my shoulder to my mouth

(as all little ones do from time to time.)

She pulls her fingers out and relaxes a bit                                                                

head lulling to the side,                                                               

a soft, resigning sigh releases from her lips,                                                             

and she gives in                                                           

as we danced.                                                         

Droopy, double dog tired

My right arm and leg had long since gone to sleep under the weight of my slumbering child. My bleary eyes focused on the TV, realizing the decorating show I thought I was watching was long since over. The clock was flashing 1:17 a.m. Nudging Connor awake, I point him towards his room as he slides off my lap. I'm not really sure how my lap is so much more comfortable or if he thought that sitting up with me he would be able to watch some exciting show on TV. Obviously, neither of us found it overstimulating nor did we get any new decorating ideas!

I'm beginning to think I have a malfunction in my timing system. We put up room darkening shades, shut all the doors that would let in any light, and still... 6:30 on the dot each morning. I wish I had a built in snooze button!

This morning was a blur, and I'm so thankful that Work Camp was over and I didn't have to drive the kids into town. Though we let the kids sleep in for a bit, I was ready to crawl into bed by the time they got around at 9 a.m., but alas the dirty dishes in the sink, piles of laundry (must have been those laundry bunnies), school work to do, laundry soap to make, kids to take swimming, and dinner to make. **I secretly think there are a bunch of laundry bunnies in my laundry room that multiply magically when the lights go off.** (Actually there is one bunny in my laundry room that I can find. Haven't found the other one yet!

The Verdict: Laundry bunnies almost won the war, the kids had a great time swimming, I read 3 chapters in the new Sisterchick book, leftovers saved the day, and dishes are gone from the sink, tummies are full, and laughter is drifting from the living room. Better go before I miss out! I think they're eating ice cream~~~

Will this be The Last Time

As my youngest crawled onto my lap

I was reminded of "Will this be the last time"

He didn't fit on my lap very well.

Legs were hanging near to the ground.

When did he get to be this big.

It's funny -

I've always seen him as my "baby"

But he's almost 10

He doesn't quite fit on my lap anymore.

I'm not sure when it happened.

I remember those night of all night rocking,

holding, nursing, comforting, singing...

His breathing evens out

falling into rhythmic breaths

I hold my breath and shift,

and feel his arm relax.

He melds against me

snuggling on my lap

Will this be the last time?

Those sweet toes I used to kiss

are a tad size bigger and dirtier,

Those sweet rosy cheeks

now have dirt smudges from last night playing outside.

That scar on his chest,

a reminder of God's saving grace

is smaller, oh so much smaller.

That baby fine hair

now wildly sticking up

"I like it that way" he claims.

Gone are the cute baby outfits

replaced by mismatched short and t-shirts.

His body jerks in his sleep,

his blue-berry eyes open sleepily

Will this be the last time?

He slides from my lap

reaching for his Indy hat

placing it on his head with practiced habit

he nods at me and mumbles

"Thank you Momma"

as he kisses my cheek,

he walks out of the room

Will this be the last time?