I was helping Eve clean up her room before bed this evening and feeling kind of frustrated with her and her messy room. She has so much stuff and it’s just everywhere. I opened her closet and was putting away doll clothes when I noticed something tucked in the back corner. I said said to her, with the exasperation clear in my voice, “Oh Eve, why do you have a live plant in your closet?!” So weird and random and totally something she would do. She jumped up and said, “Oh Mom!” and at the moment I remembered her scurrying upstairs after school with a small paper bag in her hands, and realized, oops, I think I found my Mother’s Day present! She made me promise to forget all about it (yeah, this is me forgetting) so I could be surprised on Sunday. The exchange totally put things in perspective and reminded me how sweet these years are, despite the messy room. I am a lucky momma.

Saturday night update: I just went into Eve’s dark room to check on her (I do that when they sleep), and I saw a weird glow coming from that same closet. I opened the door and found that she had hung a flash light from a hanger so that it shined down on to the plant! It casts an eerie glow through the slats of the closet door, but I love the thought. She’s sweet and clever!