Siblings

This morning, Kyle and I woke up to the familiar whimpering of Gabe.  After a couple hollers from Kyle, "Go back to bed Gabe" we hear a few moments of silence...then it started...

"Elle."

"Quiet Gabe."

"Elle."

"Leave me alone Gabe."

"Elle."

"Leave me alone Gabe."

"Elle."

"Gabe, go back to bed!"

A few more moments of silence...then...

"Elle."

"What Gabe?"

"Elle."

"What Gabe?"

"Elle."

"Gabe?"

Then the chattering of siblings.

When I finally compiled enough energy to drag my bottom out of bed, I tip toed to the door of their room because aren't all parents interested to see what their toddlers do when we aren't looking?

Do you know what I saw?

Elle and Gabe, sitting in Elle's bed.  They weren't pulling hair, hitting faces, kicking shins, or yelling at each other.  My almost 4 and almost 2 year old were laughing while gently tossing a football back and forth to each other.

I whispered to Kyle to come and check it out but his energy composition wasn't strong enough yet. So...

I was gifted this small moment all to myself.  This sigh of relief amidst hair pulling and face hitting, screams and full on sharing battles, my house being terrorized and nothing being in its right place.  

God smiled on me today, like he does every day, but today...I felt it.  

God smiled on my kids today, like he does everyday, but today...they lived it.

There was nothing miraculous about that moment today, but God made it.  

With a brother 6 1/2 years older than me and being a horrid little sister myself occasionally, siblings get a bad rep.  But Elle and Gabe rely on each other, they love each other, and most of the time, they even LIKE each other.  So even though there was sibling rivalry today and will always be, today, God smiled on us...and we smiled back.