Soaking up love

Another weekend draws to a close. Several loads of laundry. A couple runs through the dishwasher. Wife cleaned like a maniac Friday evening, after tossing the Kat to me. Saturday, Mom came up and watched Kat while Wife and I did stuff around the house. We got a wild idea to go see a movie since Mom was here and went and saw Tina Fey's new movie. We laughed and laughed all evening long. Pretty corny, very predictable, easy laughs through the whole movie. A nice relaxing time. After Mom left and it was Wife and I trying to get the Kat calmed for bed, we sat on the couch, the three of us. My favorite part of the day with Kat. She knows it is bedtime. We have a routine. Part of that routine is for her to not calm down. Just ask her, she will make it clear that SHE is not ready for bed. So she climbs all over me. She starts on the floor, wanting up on the couch. Then she is in my lap, arms around my neck, trying to see out the window. Then she has grabbed the back of the couch and is trying to climb over the couch, almost as though she wants to lay on the back of the couch and stare out the window like Maddie does. During all of this I take the time to smell her hair and hold her close to me. I feel her heartbeat and take in the essence of my precious Kat. All to soon she will be 11 years old and way to cool for her old man. So I soak up all the play and love that I can, while I can. And I treasure that very moment, when she has been caught in my arms and I cuddle her to my chest as she finally winds down. That very moment when she falls asleep and her entire body falls limp. One moment she is still resisting the peaceful slumber, the next, she is a limp little girl asleep in the most protected place in the world. Her fathers arms. During that moment that I anticipate so much, I feel so important. My life has such meaning to hold, protect, and nurture this little being into a person. At that moment, while I look forward to and anticipate Kat growing into the woman she will become; at that moment, I don't want anything to change from the little girl asleep in my arms.