My Slaves

My least favorite time of day is right before Mike gets home from work.  I'm trying to get boys to do their homework, clean their rooms, and clean up their messes they dumped on the floor from school.  And Piper is usually hungry and especially needy and it's almost impossible to get dinner done while holding her.  Most of the time she holds onto my legs and cries while I cut up vegetables.  It's pretty frustrating.  But one thing I can count on is that one of her big brothers will step in and try to help with her.  They take her downstairs to the basement with them and try to keep her distracted.  It only lasts about two minutes before she has climbed up the stairs and I see little Piper fingers under the door and hear her saying, "Mom" trying her hardest to get past the door and back to my legs.  But they try really hard and I love it.  Yesterday I looked over to see this:

And then while I prepared dinner Eli asked if he could clean the floor.  Uh, what?  Yes.  I will always let him do chores for me.  This little guy is pretty motivated by money (and love for me of course, right?!).  We don't give them allowances but we do have extra chores they can do any time they want to and we will pay them and if they are saving for something we will match their money.  Eli is working hard for an expensive toy.

Have I mentioned that I love these wonderful little boys?  Well, I do.

Last night we read the book Bears First Christmas.  It's another one I really like.  We thought since it was about a bear's first Christmas we would share the book with a baby in the ward who is also experiencing Christmas for the first time.  We bought another book and then wrote a note to our little friend Bryn telling her all the reasons we loved Christmas and then we wrapped the book up and delivered it to her house.  We hope she comes to love Christmas as much as we do.