What can make me feel this way?

My girls.  A lot of my time is dedicated to Abi and Eli, be it school or "extracurriculars" (Even as I am writing this Eli is giving me a Ballet demonstration)  and I haven't really written much about them yet.  The remedy for that follows:

Today it rained for the first time in six months.  We didn't let that stop us from our ritual of reading outside.  We do school for 4-5 hours every day and it is refreshing, after sitting so long in one attitude (as Caroline Bingley would say) to read our chapterbooks outside.  This week we are reading "A Door in the Wall."

This is Abi, Doll, Eli and Bear, respectively. 

Abi and I discovered some success in practicing her Flashcards!  Thank you to every prayer warrior advancing on that front.  For the last week and a half she has actually requested to play this game, and it is really good memorization practice.  We combine a history lesson (which I love) of the Civil War with the card game "War" played with flashcards.  Abi always elects to be Lincoln and the Union, while I am Davis and the Confederacy.  Our "soldiers" are the flashcards.  For each battle Abi tells me the answer to the two problems and the winner gets both soldiers.  If she gets the answer wrong the soldiers go to the boneyard to be resurrected later.  About 15 years late I am getting really good at multiplication facts.

Yesterday Eli and I spent a lot of time together, Abi was pretty tired so she listened to Little Women in her room.  [Prayer request insert:  when Abi is tired her passionate emotional self is unfettered, which makes for high highs and low lows...which generally come out during school, where she has but one outlet:  me.  She tends to get pretty personal with her lashes, and no, I should not let my feelings be hurt by an 8 year old]  Anyway, after I read about 30 children's books and sang every song in my repertoire [Julie Callow prepared me for these 3 months in a way she never could have imagined.  The girls and I have passed many a long road trip via the entertainment of the Erin Juke Box] Eli climbed up on my lap and requested she tell ME the Wide Mouth Frog story.  It was so delightful, then we recorded it.  Only watch this video if you feel like smiling. 

The FAR from exhaustive list of things I am learning from Abi and Eli:

-math facts
-how to maintain a character voice as I read aloud
-patience (as though I will EVER be done learning that lesson)
...connected to that...
-the effect my tone of voice has...and how important it is.
-US geography songs
-how to say "no"
-how to make simple fun
-discipline....how to live under it myself and how to administer it lovingly
-what homeschool looks like on a practical level
-that kids can be trusted with responsibilities that help around the house, even adorably active 5 year olds