Psalm 133:1 Moments

In the midst of the rush and noise and swirl of life with four young boys, I want to be careful to not miss the sweetness of it all--the moments of "brothers dwelling in harmony" that are pure delight to a mother's soul.

Even if they happen when we're all still wearing our pajamas...  :)

Yes, we have plenty of chairs in our house.  No, I don't know why four boys felt the need to cram into two chairs.  No, that's not our strategy for how to make them "be close."  ;-)

Josiah wanted to practice photography, so I handed him my old camera and let him go to work.  Many (many!) pictures of trains and dinosaurs were taken, and even a few snapshots of his brothers.  As he watched them and they watched him, I watched them all.

This morning, while I was doing laundry, Shav and Tobin disappeared.  I discovered them in the cellar where they had dragged our two laundry baskets and were using them as boats.  Later I discovered them dropping (*not throwing*) pieces of gravel into their boats and onto the ground.  Messy fun for a pair of little boys.

That picture makes me smile when I see it because I remember how dim it was in the cellar and how I was forced to use the flash to get clear pictures.  I NEVER use the flash, so when I did, it startled the boys, resulting in Tobin hiding his face and Shav having a half-grin/half-grimace on his sweet face.  :)

One thing I've learned as I've gotten older and have had more children is to lighten up!  If Shav wants to wear a jacket in the house, who cares?  If he wants to put a hat on, that's fine!  If the boys get my laundry baskets dirty, it's not a big deal; I can clean them!  When I relax and make it my goal to enjoy my children, it sets the mood beautifully for the rest of the family; and usually, we all end up having a good time.

Like this...  :)