All My Babies At Home

It felt like a miracle to have all of my children home.  With the hustle and bustle of life as the children grow older, I know that these moments will become more and more precious, especially when it is just us, together, without significant others. The family dynamic of just us meant that the days we had together were full of laughter, inside jokes, music, movies, and loads of SUGAR! It was so revitalizing to my soul to be able to reconnect in such a way. I need my children -- not in some weird creepy-over-possessive way. No, it is just that being around them, fills me with joy that I cannot feel any other way. 

Because I love them with all of my guts!! 

David was visiting his children in Idaho, and so it was just me and the children at home, and it was WONDERFUL. I recently read a post written by a widow where it was implied that trying to do things separately with the different sets of kids is not healthy for the family. I whole-heartedly disagree. Doing things separately with our children felt like the most amazing solution to a problem we have been having. It was like what we once had as a family was restored. It felt like that familiar free-spirited family fun that we were so used to having together, for so many years, with just me and the kids. I have come to discover that we are going to need that from time to time. It was so nice to focus totally on the kids! 

We had some fun and crazy moments. I also sent the kids to go see Wicked the musical, and they loved it. It led to some super funny conversations afterwards, as Daniel and William were recasting the show with silly characters and then singing the music in crazy voices, as Sammi and I were crying from laughing. It was epically silly, in a you-had-to-be-there kind of way. I am sure it was more funny to us than it would have been to anyone else in the world. I was dying, I was laughing so hard. I had to get up and go to the bathroom, or else. 

Here we are having that epic post-Wicked conversation. 

We all got an abs workout from laughing so hard. 

Baby Johnathan is a new addition to our crew, but he was able to "go with the flow" of things, for the most part, as he was tossed around between so many people. 

Lots of "flying" for the baby.

This kid is pretty cute. :) And like his brothers before him, he is wearing 2-T sized clothes, even though he is just 1. 

Johnathan caught onto the music that flowed into the house, when Daniel and Sammi came. 

Daniel surprised Henry. He didn't know he was coming. It was so cute to see him realize it was Dan standing there after school to greet him. Daniel loves trying to surprise his brothers. Dan got here first, and then Sammi the next day. 

Daniel and Will were wearing unplanned matching shirts. 

This baby LOVES Encanto. I mean LOVES it. He watches it multiple times a day! He asks for, "No, no!" I know that means, "We don't talk about Bruno..." 

BOYS! No wonder my body is tired. They all came from me! 

Daniel claiming his throne. 

They pulled out instruments. 

And they played Pirate Chess. (Don't ask.) I don't know. 

And then Sammi came!!! She has been gone from home for a whole year! The first thing she did was hug her piano. 

And she hugged her brothers, too. 

It was so good to have all my children together! It was AMAZING! 

I was trying to get them to hold Sammi up for a picture... this is as good as it got. 

I think she missed her baby. 

And her baby brother too... ;) 

We made up a little room for her to sleep in. It is one of the coolest rooms in the house. It feels like "home" like the home we had in Idaho. 

It was funny when everyone would gather in the tiny space. 

These kids have a special connection formed over the years, through the fires of life. 

Playing in the baby's room. 

We went for a walk in the lovely sunshine. 

It was SO nice to have Sammi just playing the piano and bringing it back to life! 

Sammi and Daniel put on a concert. We even Face-timed with Grandma and Grandpa so they could hear. The kids also sang in Church on Sunday, and that was so nice! We haven't had much music in our ward, and you know... Covid. But it was so beautiful! They sang the song, Gethsemane. I cried happy mom tears. 

It was sad to see Sammi and Daniel go... but we had such a good time. And we are all still trying to recover the sleep and energy we spent staying up late and laughing so hard. :) 

 I sure love my babies! 

(I know, I know... they are not babies anymore.) 

But they will forever be my babies... even when they are old and wrinkly!