Sweet Ending to a Long Day

Children have a way of effortlessly lifting the lowest of spirits and making you smile in spite of your frustration, sadness, or bad mood.
Today was a long day. It's a hard job taking care of kids all day, especially when one of them is sick. And, that job is made harder when the caregiver isn't feeling so well herself. Our day started early (way too early for my taste) and involved lots of whining, fatigue, fevers, coughing, runny noses, misbehaving, and tantrums. But tonight, as I'm getting ready to go to sleep, I'm thinking of a few sweet things the boys did that made my heart melt.

I was sitting on the floor in the family room, surrounded by toys, thinking of the housework I needed to finish and the dinner I hadn't started yet. Every time I got up to leave the room, Alex threw a fit. He has been especially attached to me lately. So, I was feeling a little tired & grumpy, wondering how I was going to get everything done in time, when I look up to see a pair of big blue eyes gazing at me. Alex was watching me, and when I looked up, he smiled at me. Impossible not to smile back. Then, he walked over to me, put his arm around my neck, and leaned in to press his cheek against mine. It was like he was thanking me for staying in the room and playing with him & Jacob. All of his whining was forgiven & forgotten in that moment.

And Jacob, even though he's sick, still managed to be his usual sweet self. He is usually a very polite little boy, but today, he was the king of etiquette and a regular Mr. Manners.
Because of his fever, I was pushing fluids this morning, offering him everything I could think of. When I suggested "white soda" (probably known to you as Sprite), he nodded. I ran downstairs, made his white soda just the way he likes it (Sprite on the rocks and topped off with a little bit of water), ran back upstairs, and handed him his cup.
Jacob: "Fank (thank) you for my white soda, Mommy, but I don't need it right now." At least he turned me down politely. And he did end up drinking it 2 minutes later.

I press my lips to the boys' foreheads in order to determine whether I need to check for a fever. My hands are unreliable. Every time I kissed Jacob's forehead today, he looked at me and said, "Fank you, Mommy."

And my favorite...I did get around to cooking that dinner tonight. It was stressful because Alex was clinging to my leg and crying and the meal took longer to bake than I thought it would. After we finally sat down to eat, Jacob melted away all of the evening's stress & frustration and made me smile.
Jacob: "Yummy, I like dis chicken, Mommy. It's so good."
Me: "Good, I'm glad you like it, buddy. I like it too."
Jacob: "Fank you for makin' dinner, Mommy." And when I looked up at him to smile and say, "You're welcome", he was looking at me with such a loving expression and genuine appreciation.
So sweet. I wonder if he'll remember to thank his wife one day? :)

I love my sweet boys.