Spontaneous Outbursts Can be a Good Thing.

About forty-five minutes ago, just when I was ready to lose my patience with kids who were yelling and wrestling and having nowhere to expend their excess energy (because it's so cold outside and raining, too), a rather neat thing happened.

Matthew (with volume and exuberance): "Mom, thanks SO MUCH for the new things from the dollar store for my backpack...they're awesome!"

Seth (with even more volume and exuberance...if that's possible):  "Yeah, Mom, and thanks for keeping ME forever, too!"

What??  Where on earth did that come from?  I never expected to hear that from the boy who still sounds like he's choking on chicken bones when he says I love you!  Wow.

It was a good lesson about hanging on to my temper for just that extra second or two...because something nice might just happen!  (but I'm sure glad they're in bed now)