one big mess

every week while i teach piano, leah has a playdate with three of the most darling girls on the block, literally. they're so close we can walk, which is fantastic. they all seem to adore leah and the feeling is mutual. she giggles every time she sees them! the girls are as different as can be ranging from tomboy to princess, so no matter leah's mood, she fits right in. 

as a trade, we watched all three girls the other night while their parents attending a school function. as they entered our house {they had never been here before}, the oldest announced, "wow! your home is beautiful! how do you keep it so clean?"

i like this girl. 

they immediately ran to leah's room to discover everything in sight. and, well, even things that weren't in sight. leah's room was messier that night than it has ever been. 

pictures were drawn, crayons were used, dress ups were worn {as were nearly 30 of leah's many hair clips}, musical instruments were played. 

we hadn't eaten yet, so i scarfed my dinner down while ryan stayed in the kitchen to feed leah. i'm not sure if leah really wasn't hungry or if she just wanted to be playing with the girls, but either way, her dinner ended like this. 

ryan was not amused {with the mess or the picture taking}. 

i had to leave early to go teach piano so ryan cleaned up the entire mess while the girls watched the little mermaid and the oldest said clever things such as, "do you have any snacks? everything's better with a snack."

like i said, i like this girl. 

i know it's strange, but i loved every single minute of the mess the girls made. i loved picking up their toys and putting them back in their places, knowing they had been used and loved. i don't really see that anymore and it's often hard to walk into leah's room and see all these toys go unused. her room is often spotless. you'd think that would be a good thing, but it's not. 

i hope no matter how our family grows i continue to enjoy the messes. i just hope one day they'll be leah's.