Just the Girls

So Cara, Maddie, Leah and I all ended up wearing the same colors one day at church. Of course Leah is wearing the amped up version of gray, silver. We didn't plan it, but it was very coordinated. But looking at this picture makes me realize how much joy my daughters have brought me (the boys also, but that is a different post). They are young, smart, beautiful and fun. So this is a shout out to all things girl in our family. Like clogged shower drains. We clog them with our hair, but think it's way too gross to unclog them. Steve is our hero every time. He pulls out the hair because he knows if we do it, we will vomit. I think he would rather clean out nasty hair, than nasty vomit.

And how about our shoes? Cara has so many that her closet actually smells like stinky feet. Something I think she should remedy, but if I look at her closet long enough to do something about it, I feel guilty at the unwanted lesson on materialism and its consequences. Maddie leaves her shoes all over the house and I swear I won't buy her more until she picks them up. But then I buy her more. Leah likes all shoes that sparkle, and she has grown a collection. My justification? She grows out of them so quickly. The boys all have two pair of shoes each, tennis shoes and church shoes.

Make up? Cara is a pro. She has tried to do my eyes, but it never works out and it frustrates her to no end. But, in her daily tours on pinterest, she stumbled across an idea for thinning hair. On special occasions, she has painted my part with eyeliner to make my hair more luscious. The smell of nail polish is never quite eliminated from the guest bathroom. Maddie gives fabulous pedicures. Her intricate designs are much appreciated. And Leah has been known not to eat because it would rub off her lipstick.

Did I mention smart? Maddie consistently pulls A's without acting like it's in her nature. Cara is so smart she has stayed above the drama of teenage boyfriends (a mother's dream come true). She trades math lessons for piano lessons with a mother in our neighborhood. She hates math, but recognizes if she finishes this year with all four years of math, she gets a scholarship, so she sticks it out. And Leah is as smart as a whip! She knows the names of all the people in our neighborhood and how to get them to give her what she wants.

Fun. I've been thinking about fun a lot. Cara and Maddie have rooms across the hall from each other upstairs, on the opposite side of the house from Steve and I. They laugh and talk so much. I've been known to go upstairs and stop it when their laughter drifts down to me and wakes me up. I'm usually not happy when this happens. But in the last year, my brain just tunes it out. I know this won't last forever and I want them to have good memories when they leave home (which will be soon enough).

So yes, our bathrooms are messy. Our closets are full. Our laughs are loud. And I'm counting my blessings. Thank you girls for all you give me.