"We're a family!"

Today's start was a little unwelcome.  I had been up, off and on, all night with Logan who has been experiencing growing pains.  (For all of you nonbelievers out there, yes, growing pains are real!) Needless to say, when the alarm went off this morning Jacob and I both groaned.  I was tempted to shout, "already?  boo!" but it actually required more energy than I wanted to use.  So, we got up.  I went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, which included accidentally spilling coffee grounds all over the countertop.

When the boys woke up earlier than usual, I'll be honest, I wasn't too thrilled.  "Why are you already awake?" The second they emerge from their room they come up to me and say, "My tummy's hungry."  Logan's breakfast menu varies from day to day.  Alex's, however, has been the same for about 6 months now.  Every single morning I will try to encourage him to have some cereal or a bagel.  No, he always ONLY wants a waffle.

So, I fixed Logan's cereal and Alex's waffle and then stepped into the bathroom to brush my teeth. The minute I closed the door I saw four little fingers appear under the door. "Mom? What are you doing?  I can't see you!" came Logan's voice.  "Mommy's brushing her teeth!  I'll be out in a minute!"  I stood in front of the mirror and reached for the toothpaste.  "But, mommy, I need you," he said.  I sighed.  I might have rolled my eyes, too.  I said, "Let me brush my teeth.  I'll be out in just a minute."  Silence.  YESSS!!  Success!  I could brush my teeth in peace and . . . nope . . .
"But Mom, I need to go potty! Can I pwease come in?"

It seemed as if it was going to be a stressful day.  Logan saw Alex's waffle and decided that maybe he didn't want the cereal sitting in front of him after all.  A waffle sounded (and looked) pretty good.  "Mom?"  he shouted from their "breakfast table" in the playroom.  "What?"  I called back.  "I want a waffle."  I laughed.  I walked into the playroom and looked at the two of them sitting there at their little Spider-Man table eating breakfast.  I said, "Logan, you eat that bowl of cereal and then if you still want a waffle, we'll talk."  He thought about it and then said, "Okay, mommy" and started eating his cereal.  Of course, by the time he finally finished he had completely forgotten about the waffle.

Then, to my surprise, as I was getting ready, I found a $10 bill in my pocket.  "Where did that come from?"  I thought.  "Who cares," I answered myself.  (No, I don't usually have entire conversations in my head, but some days it happens.)

I eventually got the boys ready to go and we headed to the school.  Another nice surprise awaited us.  A parking space was open.  This NEVER happens.  On a good day you're lucky if you can park in the street a block from the school.  So, we took that spot and walked with Alex to his class.  The boys were asking questions.  "Why did we park here, mommy?"  Logan even said, "Mommy, you messed up."

We made it to Alex's class and I knelt down to hug Alex and tell him goodbye.  He said, "Mom, one minute." He walked over to his teacher and when he had her attention he pointed to me, Caison, and Logan and said, "We are a family.  Daddy is at work, but we are a family."  He walked over and put his arms around Caison and Logan and said, "Caison isn't my little brother, but he is my family too."  It was a very special moment.  I couldn't help but smile.  It made my day.

I hope it makes your day, too!