Worth it...

Tonight I was lucky...I had a house full of kids. Oh, they were wild, but were having so much fun. They played hard, running, jumping, skipping, riding bikes, trying to talk louder then the person talking at the time, imagining. At dinner, everyone wanted to say the prayer...I mean every kid. I picked a number and whispered it in Andys ear. Each kid took a guess, the number was picked, and he was SO happy to pray.  And, I was happy. After dinner and clean up, more play. Upstairs, downstairs, backyard, the garage, they were running past me. I really don't think kids walk very much...mine seem to run everywhere they go! So many places to be, and things to do. Tonight I had Bat Man at my house, Spider Man, Thor, and several Princesses. I watched sword fighting, monsters fighting, baby kittens meowing, and best friends playing. I witnessed sharing, trading of treats, bargaining of toys, yelling, occasional bickering, and then making up.  All of this was accompanied by the Scooby Doo music playing in the background, from a movie that seemed to be getting louder each moment. I wiped faces, gave out snacks, (even as early as 20 minutes after dinner!) held hands to go up stairs, kissed cheeks, held a sweet baby and rocked him in my arms, picked up toys, sang a lullaby...and, I was happy...and it was chaotic, and I was tired at the end of the night, but I was living, and I am so happy to do it. It's totally worth every second. I can't wait until next time...