BEDTIME

Most nights, Daron brushes the kid's teeth and then reads them a book while I do the dishes from dinner. After a book, they always request that he "hold them like a baby and sing songs to them." Once they are tucked in bed, he hollers at me that it's my turn for hugs and kisses. I walk in their cozy room with their little heads poking out from underneath their blankets.

Carter always squeezes me really tight and has the biggest grin on his face when I tell him that "I love him with my whole heart." I usually tell him what I loved doing with him that day and a few reasons why I love him and it's one of the very few times where he is perfectly quiet. Then it's lots of kisses. Boy do I love those kisses. 

As I wander over to Naomi, I'm usually wondering how long Carter will willingly give me such big kisses and hugs. 

Then there's Naomi giggling in her bed, thrilled it's finally her turn. 

Each night it's the same. She says, "I'm going to do this to your cheeks." Then she smooshes my cheeks together which looks a lot like this...

then she says, "say I love you." And she makes me tell her "I love you" over and over and over. She makes me alternate between saying it loud and then in a whisper. 

The other night, she was really sad because I couldn't find her binky. As she was sobbing from exhaustion she asked me to lay by her. I crawled in her tiny toddler bed and held her hand while she fell asleep. I had a perfect view of the whole profile of her face - with her curly eyelashes, button nose and prominent chin that looks exactly like mine. 

I found myself staring at her perfect profile having one of those incredibly rejuvenating moments as a Mom. Those moments that are just that, a small moment lasting maybe only a few seconds, but in those few seconds it feels as if your heart just grew 3 sizes.

I started picturing her as a teenager and tried to figure out what that cute profile was going to look like and said a little prayer that she would love me back, just like I love her, forever and ever.