The Easiest Thing for me to Write About

I am thankful for my kids.  I know this seems like a cop out, but seriously, if you met my kids... you would probably report my poor housekeeping skills to CPS to try to get custody of them. That's how awesome my kids are.  I am so tired, and have such a headache... so, i am going to default to list mode.

Day 2:

• Even when my kids make me nuts, they are hilarious and adorable.
• They mispronounce things in such awesome ways, I can't correct them because I never want it to change.  (Who would want to correct Meglical Joidan back to Michael Jordan or say lasagna once you know alabazunia is an option??  How could we ever go back to "family movie nights" when "fanny noonie nights" are so much fun!?)
• They give the worst compliments, that are really the best.  Like "Thank you, Mama, for these yucky eggs!"
• They are so honest. ("I don't like your air smell." aka breath.)
• They have given me the chance to have my dream job.
• They still want me to come to their school and eat lunch with them and read books to their class.
• They all sleep in a specific position, but there are no repeats.  
• Awake or asleep, they are completely unique individuals, which I feel like is rare for a large family.
• When London wakes up, she has one flap of hair on top of her head that sort of stands up and waves back and forth slowly like it is under water.  It is a gravity-defying miracle on top of a child's head.
• Harper tells me I am beautiful pretty much every day, even if I haven't showered in decades.
• Annalee has a scroll the width of our block with detailed illustrations of tiny vegetable people.
• Marlie can identify most of the seasonings and spices in a dish, using only her sense of smell.
• Harper can dribble better than most junior high basketball coaches.
• I don't know if her clock is ticking or what, but London cannot pass a baby on the street without petting him and gently shooshing him, then asking if we can keep him.
• If it isn't a school night, the girls sleep together on the top bunk and stay up late having "quiet sister talk."  If you press for details all you can get outta them is that they talk about "their feelings."
• They have inspired me to say and do things I never thought I would say or do.

I could seriously go on and on about them forever.  Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while already know that.  :)  I am thankful for them and I will never understand how in the world I am the one who gets to be their mother.  

All of us either have kids, work with kids, know kids, or know somebody else who has kids.  It is a big responsibility to have influence in a child's life.  I am going to work on encouraging parents more, and I am going to work on the way I speak to my kids.  I want to eliminate all harsh or critical talk and only speak nurturing, life-giving words to them.  Here goes nothing!  What child could you influence??