Sleep

What a marvelous thing sleep is. It rests our tired bodies. It gives our bodies time to heal and grow. And when you have kids, it gives you time to look at these amazing beings and simply be in awe.

In sleep, you can observe them in a way that you can't when they are running around getting into everything. You can see the small marks or scratches, they've gained in the battle of life. You're reminded of the fingernails which need clipping and the toenails that don't. You get to caress soft cheeks and place light kisses on them. You can run your fingers through unruly, yet soft dark brown hair trying to bring some order to it.

You see how quickly one talks in their sleep when their sister decides to use their head as a foot rest. "Get off of me!" Or in the case of the baby, "Get off me!" being yelled so she can sleep free of a sheet or blanket. You can also sometimes hear their dreams as my big boy on more than one occasion has had many a conversations with someone.

In sleep, you don't think of all the times you're going to say: stop that; leave your sister alone; are you tattling; are you having a good attitude; can you not climb on that; what is taking so long; why'd you do that; wait; no, you can not have trick or treat (the baby's code name for candy), you just had breakfast. Or how many times, you will sign and say, no, no, no. This last is done enough that Layla said a certain way with a certain look allows the aforementioned person to grin as she signs and says it before I can answer her question.

In sleep, you want to pick up their sleeping bodies and place them on top of yours and just hold and cradle them in their sleep. To share this type of closeness that is only available for a limited number of years. Because in sleep, you see how the baby you rocked in your arms has grown taller, longer. The faces a little less babyish.

In sleep, you can be amazed at how you ended up with three horrible sleepers who you have to be slightly on guard with to make sure no one falls out of the bed. Really not one good, still sleeper in the mix?!

In sleep, you see all the possibilities in their faces and you pray that God will bless them, keep them and protect them. That one day they would come to know Him for themselves, believe in Him, and let Him direct their paths as they run this race so at the end they will hear, "Well done. Well done, my good and faithful one."

In sleep, you see these absolute miracles, these adorable faces and you thank God He blessed you in such an awesome way. That He allows you to parent these beings created in His own image. These beings who in their sleep seem like perfect angels that you just want to wake up and play with, but you don't because you know they really aren't perfect angels and sometimes if they don't wake up on their own they wake up whining and crying and that is such a killer way to start the day. So instead, you let them sleep and you go back to gazing at the gorgeous Irish twins sleeping next to you and think what perfect angels they are.