You cannot know the sweet unless you have known the bitter, right?

Whatever kind of test that was yesterday, I must have passed. Because, wow, today was awesome. Simon didn't fight me to get dressed. He helped me clean the whole apartment -- and I don't just mean that he stayed out of my way. He cleaned his room and made his bed and vacuumed and put his books away. Oliver took a long nap while Simon and I worked, and even slept after we finished so that I had time to help Simon make his current favorite play-dough creations: a 7-legged elephant, a 6-legged squirrel, and a long, thin wiggly fish. We even had time to go to the playground before lunch, where Simon figured out two ways to climb up the tricky ladder and onto the equipment, a feat that has been thwarting him for weeks now. When it was time to go he came without complaint or comment. He ate the lunch I made for him. He went right to bed when I told him it was naptime.During his nap, I put Oliver's crib together (we figured it was about time since he is about 26 inches long and his basket is only 28 inches). I cleaned the bedroom and played with Oliver, and when Simon woke up we went to the playground again where Micah met us when he got off the train and we all went home and made dinner together and I kept knocking on wood and keeping my fingers crossed that the magic would not be broken.
The boys are in bed now. The magic has not been broken.