I had been wanting a baby. For like the last year, I really wanted to have another kid. I didn’t know how it would possibly fit into our lives, but I wanted it. And then I didn’t. I think it was when I was hanging out with one of my friends who is the the grips of motherhood right now. She has teeny kids that demand so much of her attention and time and I thought, I’ve paid my dues. Really, I have. I went through the teeny kids who yelled about everything and made messes faster than I could clean them. And now I’ve got kids that are at the perfect age. They are in school, they make their breakfast every morning, dress themselves, do chores (with lots of threats), wipe their own butts, take their own showers and they READ.

This has been my biggest dream with my children: to get them to the point that I can say, please go read your books. I mean really, it’s amazing. The other day I told Honor I would buy him a book at Borders and he was so excited that he told all of his friends at school about it and asked me if I could go buy it and bring it back to school that very minute. He stayed up til 10:30 that night reading (really, how much trouble can a kid get in for reading?) And the next day he chose to STAY IN FROM RECESS so he could read his book. Eden is the same way. I have grown a pair of nerds! It’s the best thing ever!

So at this time where my kids run through the house chasing the dog, repeat the same phrase 50 times, have disasters of rooms and yap non-stop, I’m just deciding to be thankful for the way they are. So much easier than toddlers and, I imagine, so much easier than teenagers too.