Childhoodtake2!

It happens on Friday nights.
We all gather around the island,
we eat messy pizza
we watch any movie
and the world stops.
It is just us four.

It happens on Sunday morning,
with a big breakfast and warm coffee.
It's calm, it's slow,
it's us.
It is just us four.

Most days, our lives are full of things.
Things to do, places to be, deadlines looming.
Things, too many things, too many to dos.
Our patience is thin, we are all tired.
Little faces do not realize how tired manifests itself.
They don't realize that they are not them because of their exhaustion and they don't realize that mom and dad are also not themselves because they are too tired.
Instead, the tension rises, the tired sets in and love gets pushed aside.

But, in these rare moments, in these times of just us four,
we are swooped up in love.
You can see it radiating off of my face.
My heart is almost in pain from the fullness.
All snuggled together,
an introverted mother getting her fill.

In these moments, we sit so close,
we try and hold hands with the other three,
we are tangled in each other.
Their curls pressed to their faces,
the warmth of the fireplace keeping us snug,
or the breeze from the open door pulling us back out of hibernation,
no matter the season,
these are my moments.
This is what I live for.
This is why we work so hard,
at our jobs, at our parenting, for each other.

This is what reminds me why I fell in love with you in the first place Cory.
You were the definition of these times.
You were always my comfort, my smile, my simple joy.
You were my lack of drama, my lack of fighting,
there was no fight left in me but I no longer needed to with you.

These moments are why I decided to become a mom.
They were the times I wanted to instill in them young and the times I hope they still run home for when they are old.
Just my little family.
Just us four.