Favorite moments

Favorite moments throughout a typical day:

• I wake up to the sound of Emily shutting the microwave door, either to heat her butter for 7 seconds or to cook Audrey's oatmeal for 3 minutes.  I hear the beeping and the door opening, and I smile and laugh to myself about my independent little Emily
• When Clara wakes up, she squeaks for me to come get her, and on my favorite days, Travis is still in the shower so I get to bring her back to bed with me, and we snuggle in the super-warmness of my covers.  She lays on my chest with her little fuzzy head under my chin, with her hands on my arms, scritching her fingers back and forth.  She never wants to get up; I'm not sure how long we'd stay there if I didn't have to eventually get up myself. :)
• Audrey is my watchdog throughout the day.  As soon as someone arrives (especially Amanda), she's peeking out the garage door, or flat-out running into the garage for a greeting.  It's my very favorite thing about coming home from work, is her peeking through the door and then bouncing and smiling at me.  She might have rough moments here and there, usually at bedtime, but that girl never has an entire bad DAY.  What a ray of sunshine! She always surprises me with something she's learned, something new, each day.
• Clara's bedtime is special because of how much she likes to read books together.  She knows her routine and loves it!  She especially thinks Goodnight Gorilla is funny because of the hilarious page in the middle with the surprised expression.  She turns her little head and looks up at me to see my funny surprised expression too.  And then she lets me lay her down in her crib and snuggles off to sleep, usually singing. 
• Then I go into the girls' room, and Travis has usually tucked them into their beds and they are waiting for me.  Audrey has on her nighttime chapstick and gives me chapsticky kisses and very wiggley, emphatic hugs.
• And then, my very favorite moment, I think, is when I climb the ladder to hug Emily, and she says, "Mom, what are we going to do tomorrow?"  Something about it makes me feel like an adequate mother... and there aren't many moments that actively confirm that.  there are some moments where I feel inadequate, and most moments where I just keep grooving along with things, but then there's that moment where I get the sense that I'm doing something right.  This girl likes her life enough to look forward to the next day, every night.  She's content with the day she's had, and ready for another.  And I love talking with her about the things we'll do, because there IS so much to look forward to.  I don't know when else in our life that it will be so clear that the future holds so many good things for us.  It's just a simple little question but I love it.

 So, that's why I took 10 minutes to write this down.  It's the little things that make things so good!!