October 1

My allergies flared again last night and today, so I spent most of my Thursday lying low. I emerged from hiding for dinner, and then joined the others in the family room for some playoff baseball action. I plunked down in front of Adam (which is The Signal for 'rub my back pleeeeease'). A little later, Isaac plunked down behind Abby while Abby gave his Slime Dog --who is so often her nemesis that I had to do a double take to be sure I was seeing it correctly-- a rub down.

They swapped places a few times, which resulted in the boys telling Abby she was rubbing too hard, but there were also giggles. They were interacting in a way that didn't involve war. Or harsh words. Or anything negative at all, really.

I absolutely love it when they act like friends; when they speak kindly and support one another. They definitely still have their blow ups at times, but moments like this give me hope that one day, they'll all be buddies who sit around and talk about their (mostly) happy shared childhood.