allowing the mess

This is really difficult for me, but I am trying to allow the mess that comes with creative play!  I have been trying to organize random parts of the house, and when I pulled the toddler mattress out from under Colby's bed, he was super excited to play on it.  That led to me pulling the other toddler mattress from the closet, and those soon became pirate ships.  I can't remember where Kevin was on that Saturday, but I was able to get a ton of stuff done around the house while the kids literally played for 8 hours together!!  I absolutely loved hearing their chatter and creative ideas flow.  Every time I checked on them, the mess was getting bigger and bigger, but I simply told them not to forget that they would need to clean it all up when they were done. They assured me that they would, and kept on their merry way.  It really made my Mama heart so happy that they could play together for such an extended period of time without a single fight.  They really only came to me when they were hungry, which was a miracle. 

This picture was taken early on, before the mess multiplied, but I really liked the owl on his perch :)

Before bed, I helped them clean up a lot of the scattered mess, but I did let them leave out their main set-up.  

The next day was Sunday, and their love for each other continued.  Kevin was off at a Ward Conference, but as we got out of the car, they grabbed hands and my heart was full.  They held hands all the way into church, which gave me the perfect opportunity to capture the moment. Nothing is better than sibling love.

After church, they were back in the loft to continue their play. This time, with the addition of a fort.  (Brooke even carried all those chairs in herself!)

 I have so much love for these littles, and I hope that their bond always runs deep.