Simplicity

I am a busy person.  The busy lifestyle is by choice and I love every bit of every moment of the busy. However, this holiday season, I have learned the blessing of simplicity.  We have slept late, watched TV way too much, played outside, played inside, stayed in our pjs all day, ...it is just what the dr. order for all of us.  I feel as though it has been good on so many levels....Chapman needed time with her siblings.  She now calls for them by each of their names or she will call, "sisters!" or "brothers!".....I call her the little Italian because she yells for all of us in a very stern voice with this accent that sounds Italian!  She has had time to really get to know them and they have had time to just be in her world and soak it all in.  Each morning, we have all slept in to at least 7:30....Chapman still sleeps in our room so when she wakes, she will start whispering, "Mama!"....and then she will climb into my bed and whisper to me in a mixture of Chinese and English and stroke my hair...once she knows I am awake, she will say, "Back!" and point to her back for me to scratch it.  I feel like Maryn and Chapman have especially grown a bit closer during the last few weeks....instead of Maryn asking if we can send Chapman back when she cries, she now will say, "Can you please give her to daddy?"  Usually, daddy is at work so we have to go to option two and that means manipulating the interaction between our two littles so that they laugh hysterically together and forget the tears.  Maryn has taught Chapman to give nose kisses and we all think that is super sweet.  This simple time has also allowed me enough downtime to hold the littles more and just be with them instead of rushing through our mornings and our afternoons because of commitments we have to keep outside of our home.  Our middles have spent countless hours on iPods and drawing or reading.....and they have been so content.  Usually, everyone wants to know when we are going to do something fun but this time off no one has really asked!  And our boys....every afternoon, the boys and I have had our time together binge watching Friends and drinking hot chocolate.  It has just been good.  Good to be together.  Good to grow together.  Good to have no plans.  Just good.