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Hugs

In the past 24 hours all three of my kids have come to me and crawled on my lap for a hug.  We do hugs all the time, but these were different ones.  These were the kind that communicated some sort of need that they couldn't put words to.  Sometimes you just need a place to rest for a while; I know that feeling.  As they came to me, each of them in their own moment of need, they would hook their chin over my shoulder, drape their arms around my shoulders, and bury their heads in the crook of my neck.  And I could feel the weight of their worries, fears, sadness.. whatever it was, in the heaviness of their little bodies against my chest as they started to release it, relax, and finally sank into it.

There's a lot of change going on in their lives and it's a lot to handle.  Or sometimes it just sucks having a little sister and a big brother and feeling like you don't fit in.  Or maybe it's hard being the only boy in the house with three other girls.  Or it could just be frustrating to be the baby of the family and always feeling like you're too little to do anything.  Whatever the reason or whatever the need, I love that they come to me in those times.  I love that I don't really have to say anything in those moments to set it right.  As we sit there with our arms wrapped around each other, shoulder to shoulder and cheek to cheek; you can almost see the love passing between us - it's so palpable.

The best part is when it's all over and they've been set straight again.  Each of them lets me know they're okay in their own way and gives something back that is so precious.  Grace will squeeze as tight as she can with all four of her limbs - not just her arms - and she'll ask for a squeeze in return until she all giggles and silliness.  Henry will give butterfly kisses with his eyelashes to tickle my cheeks, which he thinks is just hilarious.  And Lauren will grab my face with her two hands and rain a thousand kisses on my face.  And then they're off and running again, right as rain.

I love it.  It's definitely one of my favorite Mom Moments, those hugs.  I have a friend who is always saying you need at least ten hugs a day.  Yeah... I'd agree.
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