beautiful.

All good things must come to an end. This morning at 5:45am Clay's alarm sounded, "WHAA! WHAA! WHAA!" My eyes slapped open and my body went stiff. My ears straining to hear the slightest sound of morning wake in one of the girls' monitors.

Typically, our kids are not game for lazying mornings. However, while Clay was home on "vacation" for the holidays, our little lovelies did not rise before the sun had fully graced the day. A true Christmas miracle in its self. Still, each morning, I'd wake at 5:45am and wait - not a tousle of a sheet, no creak from a mattress, no crib side clanking like a dinner bell, "Ma, Maaammm, Maaammm-EEEE!". 

Just peace and quiet. Ahh-mazing.

Alas, normalcy returned just as the sun shared its first peek of light this morning. Delaney beckoned first, "Maaammmm-Ahh?!"  Yep, we were back in action. Let the party begin. I switched off Delaney's monitor and grabbed Emme's then shuffled down the hall to fetch the littlest one. Just as Delaney & I had nestled into the rocker for an early morning cuddle, I hear rustling from Emme's bed. "Mom! I! Want! You!" The finale. Back to life as usual.

My head is fuzzy. All I want is a cup of coffee.

Delaney and I shuffle to Emme's room. As I crack open her door and peer inside, she looks up, sees Delaney is in tow, and per usual, scowls, and buries her face in her pillow. Delaney squirms and shimmy's down my side and climbs onto Emme's bed. She flops her body beside her big sister and giggles, "Em." 

Usually Emme would whine that she doesn't want Delaney in her room and she wants just mom. Not pretty, but it has become routine. This morning, however, Emme slipped one arm out from under her covers and cupped Delaney's cheek in her hand, "Good morning, beautiful." 

It was a good day.