peace and quiet does exist...

This morning Ryan wouldn't come downstairs to eat breakfast. He was content to sit upstairs by the bookshelf and look at books. By himself. And I was more than happy to let him because Ryan never cares for entertaining himself. So, the older kids and I ate a quiet breakfast and I was able to clean up the mess by the time he came downstairs. Then I put him in his seat and gave him his breakfast, and I continued to load the dishwasher. After a minute or so I realized the house was quiet, and I was in awe. Ryan was eating peacefully, without screaming my name over and over, and Alexis and Tyler were sitting next to each other in the over sized chair, reading and writing, and not at all fighting. I felt prompted to take a picture, so that I could remember the peaceful moments. Or maybe so I can prove to others that they do in fact exist. (I think there are some who are around us often that may be skeptical of that.)

But as soon as the camera was back in its case, the peace ended. Alexis' ride for school came, Tyler moved onto some other (loud) activity, and Ryan started yelling my name and then dropped his cup on the ground, the remainder of his smoothie splattering all over the floor and door behind him (though thankfully not into that clean basket of laundry on the left).

And I'm glad that I took that moment to recognize and appreciate the peace, because it is the thing I'm thankful for most these days. Not the peace that comes when I'm alone and far from my children (though I do appreciate those times too), but the peace that comes when we are all together, quietly enjoying being nearby, but lost in our own quiet thoughts. April has been a busy month. Our lives have turned into busy lives, and so we need these peaceful moments to renew our spirits.

Now, if I can survive the month of April, I have more to share. Namely, a recent trip to Moab, just the five of us.

Don't let the picture fool you. It was a lot of fun.