I love those moments, right before the storm begins, when the air is cool and sharp and electric and the wind whips around in every direction at once.
It had been one of those days - full of chaos and bottled-up energy (mostly theirs), short fuses and raised voices (mostly mine). One of those days when all my earnest intentions of mindful mothering go right out the window and I end up being the worst version of myself.
We abandoned the mess and the crumbs and the broken things and spilled outside to watch the dark clouds pile up and feel the first drops of rain on our faces. Juni chased leaves and danced with the wind. Owen laughed and laughed. I took deep, deep breaths of the cool, rain-heavy air and let go of all the tension and frenzy.
The storm, it washed everything clean and we began again with hot cocoa and long, slow stories and the sound of raindrops on the roof.
That dress? Still fits.