Lovely Little Mess

I hate being alone at night. I feel so empty, like I need to fill the quiet with sundry sounds. Sometimes when the husband isn't here I turn on the dryer when it gets dark, just to hear the towels jostle inside. I love scent of fresh laundry and thought of warm towels makes me want to curl up on the couch and go to sleep. And if these quiet hours weren't so precious, I just might.

Peace comes to me during this time of day. My mind settles down from the restless rush of routines when I turn on my audio book and begin to clear the counters and the floors. I know that the boys will just get it all out again in the morning, but I love wiping away the messes of the day. I remember all of the funny activities Atrain embellished with piles of toys and puzzles and swords, etc. Today while I fed Jdog, Atrain insisted on creating a tower toys right on my lap. "They came in the mail just for you!" He said with smiling eyes. How could I not let him continue to bury me and J in everything he could find on the floor.

As I clear off the TV area, I'm reminded about how cute it was to watch little Jdog discover that he could pull himself up on the entertainment center. He stood there, grasped onto the ledge, scratching at the bubbly surface of the TV stereo area with such fascinated furry. That little boy's first test of anything new is how it feels to his scratching little fingertips. And then, of course, he shoves it in his mouth as expected. I think he has a rather large mouth for a baby. Today we spilled the bottle of balls to shoot baskets into J's baby bball hoop. I was momentarily frightened when Jdog shoved an entire ping pong ball right into his mouth. Jdog was also rather surprised. He stared at me with wide-eyed astonishment and confusion, unsure of what he had just done and whether or not it was un-doable. I helped him pop it out quickly, but immediately hid all of the ping pong sized balls lying around.

I love my little boys so much. I love the messes we make together. I especially love it when Atrain pitches in on clean-up duty. But, if bedtime comes around quicker than clean-up duty (as it does so often when my little mess makers exhaust themselves too early), I'm reminding myself tonight to try and remember the lovely memories made in the mess rather than loathing the mess itself. (And if plan A fails, I know my audio books or Beyonce play help me drown out the drudgery.)