Sweet spot

As you might have guessed, that last post was from Omar. What I was wanting to post was THIS.

We are just in such a GOOD place right now.

I mean, yes, there are the daily kid tussles, eye rolls, whining and general nonsense, but in the big scheme of things, we have hit a sweet spot previously unknown as parents.

Max continues to be happy, endlessly helpful and has hit a new skill of really making me laugh. True laughing, not parental charity laughing. It is such a wonderful feeling to genuinely relate to your kid and feel like you are starting to have a true friendship, not just a parent/child relationship.

Calvin, though always a tad stubborn and fairly sure that he could hack it in this world with nothing but his own smarts and a pocketknife, has also started to think of others than just himself. He is being kind and helpful to Leo instead of argumentative or indifferent. School is a breeze, and he is one step from just taking off with reading. There are times when all the big 3 will have their noses in books. So. Awesome.

Spencer has been saved by Ritalin. Ok, that may sound overly dramatic, but I truly don't feel like it's an overstatement. Homework is completely doable now, not an hour and a half knock-down drag-out tear and scream festival. And though I will have to delete this post when he gets older, I can't tell you how nice it is that I haven't had the thought "I don't really like my own child" in months. And the reality? I think HE likes himself better. He is happier, he laughs and smiles more. He has confidence in school that he didn't have before. I think he felt dumb before, and the opposite of that is the sweetest gift anyone could give a kid.

And Leo. Oh, Leo. That little critter is just the funniest, happiest, goofiest bookend this family could ask for. He and Spencer have a gift for irritating the living tar out of each other, but nothing can make our whole family bust a gut than his little comical face saying something ridiculous. 

Today was late start at school, and I was driving the big three to the shoe store with the windows down, the sun shining and everyone belting a song on the new favorite CD. This weekend, we were at the cabin and spent many cold and damp hours Geocaching, smiling and chatting as we went.

This is such a great family to be part of. (And no, we aren't going to try for the girl!)