Did I hint the other day that things in my life are about to change? Things around this household have been crazy for years, but this last few weeks have seen new priorities and big changes in the pipeline (I’m moving to a new job). The new job is going to have a major knock-on effect on the household, but none of us know how far-reaching it’ll be just yet.

The main thing is, I’ll have less time at home to see the kids. That pisses me off, for reasons I’ll make clear later.

So, this last week or so, I’ve spent a bit more time focussing on the children and our relationships. For instance, I took Rachel (and Dan, in his pram) to the library on Saturday. Our local library has recently been renovated, so it was time to go up for a nosey around and also pay a fiver’s worth of fines. Whoops! Dan fell asleep on the way to the library, so Rachel and I pottered around and chose some books. We even found the time to read on at a table and she cuddled up on my knee as we read Handsome And Gretel (she decided the name was Handsome). We took a few books home to read at bedtimes.

Rachel is a funny creature. She’s old beyond her years and fiercely independent, but sometimes you’ll get a glimpse of the little girl she really is and the beauty of those moments is hard to describe. But for a short time, maybe half-an-hour, you know that she loves you and needs you. It’s almost like seeing the werewolf in the fleeting light of a full moon (but nicer). For four delightful days, Rachel has been our little girl again.

Then Jake. I swear that child can do no wrong. So physically strong, yet so loving and vulnerable, Jake can bring tears to your eyes with just a hug.

For instance, tonight I took Rachel and Jake to the video shop and rented a couple of DVDs for us to watch together. We put on Monster House and sat sprawled across each other on the sofa. Later on, Lisa and I were reorganising Jake and Dan’s room when Jake came up to me, wrapped his arms around my leg and said “Thanks for the great DVD, Dad!” While he was initially upset that I’d vetoed the weekly Power Rangers/Star Wars selection, he loved the Monster House movie and just wanted to say so!

Dan loved Monster House too. Despite his age, he seemed to sense when the plot was getting intense and would stand up on the sofa and shout “look! look!” while pointing wildly at the television. In between times, he sat quietly on the sofa watching the movie with everyone else.

Those little moments of time out, when the family sit down together (even just to watch a DVD) are just so damned precious. I know both Lisa and I spent a fair bit of time this evening looking at the kids and each other and marvelling at our little family unit.