When the kids are happy....

Apparantly our kitchen has become the cool place to be.    Of course, I've known that all along, but the kids have caught on to that this week and completely took over the area.   And though I am a little bit puzzled as to why, I like to think they just wanted to be closer to me! ;)                                            
For a couple of evenings in a row the kids set up their own little houses that sat right next to our kitchen table.    Practically ALL of our extra kitchen space was filled by these little makeshift shelters where the kids actually ate out of for a few of our evening meals.
John and I  actually put up with the whole thing, because as much as we'd like to say we were encouraging their desire to play - we were really just happy to enjoy visiting with Grandpa while we ate.

It's pretty safe to say that John's and my motto as parents this week has pretty much been:

   "When the kids are happy- we are happy!"

After the kids got tired of using the kitchen as their campsite (around day two),  they turned it into a train station - lining up all the chairs in a row, and filling them with stuffed animal passengers.      And then...when they grew tired of that, the kitchen was quickly turned into a Library!

Abby and her cousin Mya were the perfect librarians!    I wish I could say that this place was as QUIET as a library should technically be, and I would have liked to have been able to used this area to actually you know...prepare dinner, but it's all good.    Dinner can always wait right?  

Besides, if there is one thing that John and I have learned, it is that - 

"when the kids are happy - we are happy!"

Abby was super thrilled to get to have Mya over on Friday after school (hence the library in my kitchen;)   I had told Abby that Mya could stay for a late over but not a SLEEP OVER.    (It was my attempt at punishing Abby for pretending to practice her piano songs this week when she really hadn't practiced them at all)    Abby seemed to understand the plan perfectly well, and when I left that evening for a baby shower I was expecting to come home around 9:00 and take Mya home then.     Well when I got home after the baby shower, my sister Jewel had already come to pick up Mya, which was definitely not ok with Abby.    As a result I was greeted by a teary and dare I say dramatic little girl standing outside my bedroom door.    As I approached she extended her arm enough to hand me this note and then without saying a word, she walked back to her room.  

I wish I could say that this letter affected me in the way Abby had wanted it to.    Perhaps this was supposed to make me feel a bit guilty.   But it didn't.    I know it sounds mean-but honestly, it is notes like this that bring a smile to this cold mother's heart!    Can't you just feel her pain!  (hee hee)  I personally love how she signed it- "from your best sad dother,  Abby"    It was just sooo cute!  AND I learned a very important lesson:

Even when my kids are Mad - they still make me so happy!

Go Figure.

**************

PS:   On a completely different note:   Isn't it incredible what is happening over in Egypt?   John says this past week has been historic.  Like, right up there with the fall of the Berlin Wall kind of historic.    It definitely is inspiring to think that those people have brought themselves so much closer to freedom!

We sure are lucky to live where we do, that's for sure.

PSS:   HAPPY VALENTINES DAY tomorrow!