I absolutely loved having a "recharge" but I think it is fair to say that the carpet in the foyer is now worn down thanks to my pacing this morning awaiting the return of my babies.
They had a fabulous time. I knew they would.
And when they came in the door they looked different. Older. Taller. I had missed 8 precious days of their lives.
I had to measure them. Because I was sure they were taller.
They were.
Un. Believable.
Miss 5 is 121cm.
Miss 4 is 115cm.
Master 3 is 98cm.
My monster babies lol. And they all have massive heads too. Unsurprising really considering I have an enormous head too. Still, it isn't as though it looks massive on them. It just makes finding hats difficult.
So today we cuddled and laughed and messed around and did really very little. I liked that. I liked just being with them. Telling them how much I loved them and missed them. Giving them cuddles. Just looking at them and seeing how much they had grown in such a relatively short space of time.
It is astounding. Absolutely astounding.
I do wonder about things. I wonder if this is the only time they will spend such a long time away from me. I wonder if perhaps this may be the start of them seeing their dad on a more regular basis, or at least for some decent stretches. I wonder. I just wonder.
Enough about that though.
They are home. And tonight as they were getting ready for bed it was as though they had never left. Fights over which seat on the sofa as we read bedtime stories (and yes, I let them choose one bedtime story each, so it is three, but being that I only have two sides, we need to play musical chairs because whoever has chosen the book must sit beside me to see me read it, so you can imagine the fun therein).
So tonight was Thomas and some adventure on Sodor or other. Complete with sound effects. Cool.
Then Mr Messy, read from our Mr Men compendium which is enormous and heavy and has a dust jacket that isn't a dust jacket it is a box, and which Miss 4 finds it near impossible to put the book into and thus usually ends in tears, which of course tonight it did, even though I asked her to wait. She is not the most patient child. And is frustrated if she is unable to do something. Can't imagine from where she got that trait…..
And then there was the final book in the rainbow fairy series. Miss 5 adores them. ADORES them. Aside from the books being based upon various different fairies and their interaction with humans, the book set came with a little doll called Ruby. The first of the fairies. And Miss 5 sits there with Ruby perched on her fingers for the entire time we read, she leaning up against me and watching as I read every page, hanging off the words.
I love it. Absolutely. It is a wonderful and beautiful experience to share with my eldest daughter.
And Miss 4 loves her books too. Not in quite the same way. Still an interested way, just different. As with Master 3.
One thing is for sure though, books are invaluable. We have a bookcase, which I just moved while the kids were away. It used to be in Master 3's bedroom (as did a sofa which is no longer), and we only ever read in the lounge room now so I thought it best to move it out here. It is 9 boxes. And they are full of books.
And we will get more books as they change tastes and reading levels and interests.
Don't get me wrong, they don't "read" all these books. I do. But they do read some of them. We have a "reader" cube in the bookshelf. They are the books that are basically the same as the readers that are sent home from school. Miss 5 and Miss 4 often times decide that rather than my reading them a book they would prefer to read me a book. I love that. Adore it in fact.
This afternoon Miss 4 read me a book entitled "Which beetle?". Well, half of it anyway, before she got annoyed because the picture on one page of the book didn't match the picture on the next page, even though the next page referred to the previous page.
Yes. I know. She is incredibly like me. In so many ways. Maybe not as physically in appearance as Miss 5, but intellectually and in personality, she is me. In miniature.
And Master 3 now has a number 3 on his football jumper, courtesy of his dad. And that is another surprising and fabulous thing that happened this past week.
He goes for the Cats. Well, his jumper is a Cats jumper. 3 is Jimmy Bartel. But he chose it because he is 3. And that's his number. And when he is with me he goes for the Cats. When he is with his dad he goes for Collingwood. As do all the kids.
I think that is actually pretty special to be honest.
So anyway, I'm going to go now. Because I have to work tomorrow, and today has been an incredibly emotional day, to end an incredibly emotional week.
But I survived. They survived. We can do it.
And I hope we do again. Not for my sake, but for theirs.
This life of ours is starting to work out I think. Many good things ahead.
Oh. So. Many.
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