June 16

I own it: I was worried that my kids would be attacking each other constantly by today. But to my delight, they actually got along quite well, with Abby watching TV and playing a computer game and the Little Boys playing one of Isaac's new Wii games. (I know: no Parent of the Year trophy for me. It's all good.) Then this evening, after a surprisingly harmonious family trip to Costco, Adam and I settled down to watch the Warriors beat the Cavs in the NBA finals. At one point, Abby came downstairs holding this:

I don't know what inspired her to make it, but it's a little zoo scene featuring an elephant, a monkey hanging from a coconut tree, and a snake.

She can be so creative, and it's one of the many things that I love about her. I love seeing how she views the world and getting a glimpse into what she's thinking about and what she values. And I love her sweet heart: after she stood shifting from one foot to the other, explaining how she'd made the entire thing from two sheets of paper and had had to cut carefully to be sure she had enough to include every single requisite detail, she got quiet for a moment before saying she'd made it for us, and where should she put it down. An unexpected gift.

She's a dear, that girl of mine.