For my friend, KM

KM, you know who you are.

What the kids are doing at this exact moment:

Tag is on the couch having conked out while watching Pinocchio. He's drooling a bit and his glasses are a bit pushed against one eye making his eyelashes spread out like a paint brush which has been mistreated. Both his shorts and shirt are backward like they've been all week as I've gently ignored him while he was getting dressed so he would do more of it on his own. His shoes are on the right feet, though. His short hair is shaggy becaue we shaved it and it needs a bit of a trim. There's a really nice bruise above the right eye that's turning a rich purple from where he tripped and creamed his face on the front step.

Princess is still awake (O She Who Does Not Nap For Heck Nor High Water) but is idly playing with a scarf I knit for her while watching the movie. Right now she has it wrapped around one leg, the other foot, around her waist, and she's chewing on her thumb. The roses in her cheeks and blue of her eyes show a sort of fatigued curiousity, the boredom of having seen this movie before, liking it, but those eyes would rather be with her little friend next door who is gone for a little while. Her hair is getting thicker and darker, her bangs are a little crooked because I'm not so good at trimming them, and her feet are getting knobley like an older child's. She sees me observing her and her eyes immediately crinkle into her sweet smile but she doesn't say a word because she's still chewing on her hand and listening to a dramatic exchange between Ghepetto and Pinocchio.

Pebbles is fast asleep. I can always tell when she's tired because she gets sad, cries, and usually brings me something to express an imperative need. She brought me one of her shoes and cried. I know she loves to wear shoes but in the morning she brings it to me, smiles, and says "shoou?" So I held her, wrapped in her favorite blanket, until I felt that certain full body limpness that can only mean either sleep or death in a little one. When Tag was this age his hair would immediately change smell once he fell asleep. He has always been a very hot sleeper like his dad. So, Pebbles fell asleep on my chest. I shifted her to look at her face. Her cheeks were a little squished from laying on her (my) stomach so that her lips poked out a little. Her mouth is such an amazing, perfect shape. Her eye lashes always looks so long against her peaches and cream cheek. Her hair hangs in her eyes nowadays unless it's in a top knot of some sort so it was all tussled and plastered on her forehead from the waffles we had for lunch.

Now Princess is using the scarf as one of those exercise bands, stirruping them on her feet and pulling in her excitement that Pinocchio is a real boy. Ha!

And now I shall clean. :)