Evelyn and I were out late last night for a fundraiser. Brent waited up for us, and all three of us were sleepy.

Evelyn had only gotten up once before in the night (!!!) and woke up bright and early at 6 a.m. I was in the rocking chair nursing her back to sleep around 6:30 when I heard the kids’ door open. Trying not to raise my voice and wake Evie back up, I threw the nearest thing I could reach at Brent, who was still nice and warm in bed…. my brush. Luckily, it landed right next to his head. A series of charades communicated to him that the kids were up too early. He made them all lay back down, and the three of us went back to sleep.

I’m not sure at what point all of the kids went downstairs, but Ezra came into our room and saw us sleeping and left again. Arwen followed after shortly to tattle on someone for something. We just kept sending them back downstairs and going back to sleep.

And the baby slept through it all.

Sometime later Ezra came in with a clementine and quietly handed it to me. I peeled it for him (sneaking a piece for Brent and I), he whispered a thank you and shut the door behind him with the quietest thud he could muster.

We all went back to sleep.

Ezra came in again and held his sweet little hand up to my face. I could see that there was a hair stuck around one of his fingers. After I pulled it off for him, he whispered another thank you and shut the door with a soft thud. Again.

And the baby slept through it all.

Brent and I went back to sleep.

Ezra came back in and sweetly tucked himself in beside me, cuddling close. Occasionally he would turn his head towards me, literally eyeball to eyeball. His big brown eye just stared straight into mine and he sighed. After he had his fill of lovin’ he left again.

And the baby slept through it all.

Suddenly I heard Arwen’s voice and looked around the room. I couldn’t see her, but I also didn’t have my glasses on. As it turns out, she was talking through the bottom of the door, so it just sounded like she was already in there. Brent told her to open the door and come on in. Of course when the door opened, all three of the kids tumbled into the room.

Arwen had been making a book all morning, and Charis confessed that I hadn’t been the only one peeling clementines for Ezra. (She said he kept tricking her into peeling them. I asked how one tricks a girl into peeling a clementine. She said he just kept giving them to her. I guess she gets it from her mother, because a that moment I found myself peeling another clementine for the boy.)

The kids all piled into our bed and it felt better than Christmas morning. All of the love and sweetness.

And the baby woke up. It was 8:30!