The sound of silence

It is quiet for a change. I almost don't know what to think or write... Things have been pretty nutty around here over the past 10 days. Two Saturdays ago Bryan and Zach had a fun camp out in the living room. They pitched this giant tent, got out the sleeping bags, and even had flashlights. Zach was excited for this camping experience, so the lights went out earlier than I'd expected and Zach fell asleep quickly. That left Bryan just laying there on the living room floor staring up in the darkness... So, he slipped away to watch a little TV with me in our bedroom. After one show I told him he needed to get back to camping; afterall, Zach would be scared and upset if he woke up all alone. So, Bryan went back to the tent in the living room. He woke up the next morning with a stiff back; Zach woke up with a runny nose. Over the next couple of days, Zach's runny nosed turned into a cold. A cold that Luke caught a few days later, then I caught a few days after that, and Bryan caught a few days after that. In addition to the colds, the holidays are over! Bryan is back to working five days a week and Zach is back in school. I have been busy with ministry stuff, so the kids have been getting less of my attention than we all would like. However, the deadlines are quickly approaching and the work is close to complete, so I am enjoying a slower pace today. Yesterday we actually went to a friend's house to play for three hours! We had a fun time enjoying our friend's company with no agenda, no emails to get off, no phone calls to make, absolutely nothing to do but be together. This morning we had breakfast without fussing - I even sat down to eat! After breakfast, I cleared the dishes and we sat around coloring together. And after coloring, the boys sat in my lap for a little while and watched a movie with me. Then we all got dressed, ate a pleasant lunch, and then got Zach off to school. It has been a very nice day. I am usually grateful for rainy days that give us a good excuse to lounge around and do nothing.. Today I am grateful for a beautifully sunny yet bitterly cold day that gave me every reason to spend time quietly enjoying my kids for a morning.