Saturday Sounds

I have three daughters.

Yes, three.

Three girls who hold my heartstrings in their hands.

Three drama queens, each in their own special way.


Emma is the queen of all drama queens.  Everything about her everyday life is dramatic.  Everyday.

Maddie is mostly a quiet drama queen.  Except when she's not.  And when she's not, EVERYONE will know.  Because she doesn't cry.  She wails.  If something is wrong, the world will hear about it.

Avery is the youngest of the queens.  She is the law-making queen.  If she doesn't agree with you, she will tell you like it is.  And by the way, you are wrong and she is right.

To bring a small amount of balance to our castle, our three queens have a big brother.  It is he who holds my fourth heart string.  He is the king of all things boy. 

He is the opposite of loud.  He is the opposite of dramatic.  He is the opposite of in your face.  He is a master drama queen button pusher.  And a protective guard of the queens.

This royal court ranges in age from 11 (almost 12, he'd say) down to 3 (this many, she'd say, holding up three little fingers).

You can imagine the sounds I hear throughout the castle on a typical Saturday.  Playing, running, arguing, laughing, reminders...you name it, I hear it.

You can imagine the panic that raced through my mind on Saturday when the noises suddenly were absent.  The quiet in the castle was deafening.

I mentally ran through the list...

Matthew - downstairs on the xbox - check
Emma - ???
Maddie - ???
Avery - ???
Lucy - nose pressed to the kitchen door, barking at the neighbor dogs

I quickly walked to the room shared by the two oldest girls.  I peeked around the door.  I opened first one eye, then the other, dreading what I might find.

What I found was pure joy.  Pure Mama-is-so-relieved joy!  Here they were.  All three, side by side by side.  All three happily playing, happily enjoying a quiet moment, happily sharing the space.

I tiptoed down the hall and made a grab for the camera. 

You have to document this stuff, you know.  Who knows when this moment might come again!