(101) Shhhhhh

Generally speaking, my house is not a noisy house. Owyn and Lily haven't reached the constant noise stage of life and both actually play rather quietly. I also am a fairly quiet person. Mike is definitely louder than me, but not in any way that creates a noisy house.

Still, we have our moments. Like when I'm cooking and dancing and singing in the kitchen. Or, when I put on the happy music while I'm cleaning.

When Mike gets home from school, there is usually a good 30 to 45 minutes of running and screaming and giggling (not just from Owyn).

When Lily is tired or hungry or lonely or bored, she can be a very vocal baby. When Owyn doesn't want to sit at the table and eat or when she doesn't want to stay in bed, she is becoming a masterful tantrum-thrower.

When Lily is happy, she has developed a habit of squealing...loudly; and also she loves to blow on her tongue. When Owyn is happy, she tends to break out in song. (Today it was more of a scream than singing, but the general idea was there.)

There are bedtime story-readings that start out loudly, end with quiet snuggles, only to become a frustrating cycle of Owyn getting out of bed and getting put back again and again accompanied by alternating screams from toddler and baby when one wakes the other up with her fits of grandeur.

It is days like this that I really appreciate the quiet moments. I love sitting at the table with Owyn as she quietly enjoys her spaghetti. I love how she quietly chats with me about everything that comes to her mind.

I love watching Mike sit with Owyn at her desk as they color. I love how Lily looks at Mike when he sits and talks with her. I love having Mike home as he sits quietly at his desk studying.

I love how Lily loves to be held and will quietly watch everything I do as I carry her around. I love how she is so close to crawling and is quietly getting into whatever she can manage to reach.

I love how Owyn can sit for so long playing with her kitchen toys or her coloring or books. I love that she is happy as long as she is close to me or Mike. I love (love) that sometimes she enthusiastically runs up to me and wraps her arms around my legs, then turns and runs away.

I love the bedtime snuggles. I love when they fall asleep and look so peaceful. I love when I am done working and can sit in the quiet living room, listening only to the hum of the fan and the tippity-tap of my fingers typing my blog post. I love chatting with Mike at the end of the day. I love closing down the house, turning off the lights, locking the doors, cuddling up to my softly snoring Mike as we quietly fall asleep.

I enjoy the loud, but I love the quiet moments. =)