Shiny
Shelby’s got a friend named Corey. We all like Corey. He’s a good kid.
Last night, after work, I was doing some things around the house & the kids were lobbying to go to the pool. I told them that we would, after I was done with what I was doing and after I had dinner under control. So, they asked if they could go in the tub, to cool off & wash their hair (I just taught them how to do it themselves last week & they’re really enjoying practicing, now). So, I filled the tub & they went in.
While they were in the tub, Corey’s mom called. She said that Corey had been asking her, all day, to call & see if he could come over - asking her to go to www.shelby.com to see if we were home 
I said, sure, we were home & going to the pool soon & he could come join us anytime at all.
I told the kids in the tub to get out & get their swimsuits on, because Corey was on his way over.
Annie asked if he could sleep over, too. I told her that I’d ask Corey’s mom about it when she got here. Annie said, “Good, I like when Corey sleeps over. It’s all shiny when he’s here”. I thought that was beautiful, so I asked her what she meant. She said, “The last time he slept over, when I woke up in the morning, the bedroom was shining & I was excited about having a good time playing all day.”
So, last night, at bedtime, she was having a hard time falling asleep. They all were - just too much excitement & too much talking still to do, with all four of them (Bryce had joined us by then) in the bedroom on the bunks. Annie came out to me in the living room & was sad because she couldn’t fall asleep. I suggested she sleep in my bed. She was resistant, because she wanted to sleep in her own bed. She wanted to wake up to the shiny feeling.
She eventually did sleep in my bed, Corey moved up to her bed & Annie asked me to bring her back to sleep on the cushion under her loft bed, when I went to sleep. This is, of course, the exact opposite of the usual bedtime promise that I have to make, to bring the kids from their bed to my bed, when I go to sleep, so that they can wake up by me or dad.
We ended up with a teenage cousin stopping by late last night, too, to hang with Allison & check out a new video game. He slept over on the sofa, because they were up too late.
I like having a house full of everyone 
It’s all shiny when it’s like that.
