Would YOU do a cartwheel to save your life?

We were driving down the road, on our way to the gymnastics gym to drop Sam off for his class. Jordan and Lucy were trying to come up with riddles that would trick the other. Henry was playing with a little Lego car he'd brought from home, and apparently Sam was deep in thought, pondering the complexities of life. Or at least pondering the flexibility of his very pregnant mother.

"Mommy," he said. "If you HAD to do it to save your life, and you were as pregnant as you are now, could you do a cartwheel?"

"I guess if it was going to save my life, I would have to try. But it might hurt," I replied.

"So what if you knew it was going to hurt, and you thought it might hurt the baby. Would you still try? To save your life?" he pressed.

"Well, loosing my life would hurt the baby even more, so yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd still try."

Complex thoughts for a six year old, huh? And ever since then, I've been pondering the feasibility of me actually completing a cartwheel. With my center of gravity so completely off... I wonder...

Tonight when I tucked Henry into bed, he asked me to sing him a song. He usually asks me to sing him a song, but tonight, it was extra sweet because while I sang, he reached up and stroked my cheek.

Maybe I'm a little bit smitten with him... just a little.

Lets round off the post with stories of all the children, shall we?

Jordan just finished reading the first three Fablehaven books, by Brandon Mull. He has thoroughly enjoyed them, and rated them a close second to the standard by which he measures all things in print, the magnificent Harry Potter. I would consider that a pretty huge compliment, to have written something that is almost as good as Harry Potter.

I love that my kid loves to read. They all enjoy reading, but Jordan really soaks it up, just like I did, and still do. When it's time to close his book, for prayer, or dinner, or bed, he'll hold his finger up as his eyes frantically dart across one more page. I tell you what... the time we spend waiting for him to "just finish one more page!" It would annoy me, except he is me when I was 8.

Lucy helped me make dinner tonight. She loves to help, with anything really. Earlier this afternoon she helped me scrub spots off the carpet upstairs. She's a little work horse - always willing, and always tough when it comes to getting things done. But today her helping me wasn't about getting stuff done. I could tell it was more about just being wherever I was. It's a pleasant thought, her desire to be with me - ego boosting, and yet totally humbling, sobering, and terrifying all at the same time. She, my little girl, will always look up to me. Heaven help me lead her right.