Little Rock Family Editor Jennifer Pyron

I've just survived four straight days with my children. While this may seem like an easy feat, I assure you it's not. Especially when you consider that we really didn't leave the house much.

It was, after all, Thanksgiving weekend. A time for rest, relaxation, cooking, counting one's blessings … and apparently watching every single football game on all regular and cable networks. So with Pa on the sofa and Ma in the kitchen, the kids had the run of the house and yard.

There was some whining. There was frequent yelling. There was the occasional "He pinched me!" and "She started it!" There was much running in and out of doors (and slamming them, of course). There were turned-up noses at meals I'd spent hours preparing. There was a complete meltdown due to a spend-the-night invite for brother and none for little sister. There was much nagging to put up the Christmas decorations.

There were many – and I do mean many – "MOM!"s screamed from the top of little lungs, their legs apparently too tired to walk downstairs into the room where I was sitting/standing/cooking/cleaning. In fact, there were so many of these, that my husband and I recalled the scene in "Wedding Crashers" where Will Ferrell's character screams, "Ma! Meatloaf" repeatedly. By Sunday night, we just kept looking at each other, saying "meatloaf" and shaking our heads. I've never been so happy to see bedtime come as I was on Sunday night.

But there were also lots of hugs and kisses. So many snuggles that our cups runneth over. There were two bonfires in the outdoor fire pit, complete with hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows. There was the parade on the TV in the kitchen while the holiday meal was being prepared. There were Christmas tunes on the radio, sung loudly by happy little voices. There was the shared disappointment of the Hogs loss to LSU in overtime, and the shared celebration of the Georgia Bulldogs' win over GA Tech. Oh, and there was the new pet snake discovered while unloading firewood in the backyard. Can't say I'm too thrilled about that one.

And then last night, there was this: My sleepy six-year-old argued and fought her way through bedtime, but finally slipped off to sleep around 9 p.m. She talks in her sleep every night, usually about friends and school. But last night, she hollered out one more "Mom!" in a deep sleep around 10:00. Then, shortly before I turned off my light at midnight, she uttered another garbled sentence or two that ended with "Mommy? Love Mommy." 

Love you too, baby. Happy Thanksgiving.