Cousins!

My nephews come to sleep over sometimes. There is a little extra noise in the house but it's beautiful noise because it's happy. I try to encourage outdoor stuff because my nine year old son, who knows more about computers than I do, is constantly showing them videos and games. Some of the videos have a lot of beeps on them so it's easy to tell that they are not age appropriate. I usually yell my warnings at Shane and he changes the video until he thinks I'm not paying attention.

Today I let him have it for overloading the smoothy maker. He did the same thing last night and the poor machine was smoking! Later, I served sliced fruit and Shane served up the peanut butter to go with the apple slices. But he served half the pot. I raised my voice again "maybe you'll understand when you're paying for the food!!!"

When I was clearing up the table, my oldest nephew said "but Mary, there's so much peanut butter left, is it going to go to waste?" He lovely face was frowning.

Although I reassured him that I would make Shane eat it another day, I was touched by his concern. He and Shane are the best friends in the world but in this respect, they are so different.

The most magical part about having my nephews over, apart from watching them have so much fun, is when they are all sleeping. One on the top bunk, Shane below and the younger one on a mattress on the floor, one daughter in my bed and the older one in her own. They are all fed, teeth brushed, and completely tuckered out with fun. I feel full of goodness, content, complete.