Unexpected Sweetness

The kids have colds, snotty colds. This is not fun. Katie is constantly saying, "My nose does NOT feel good." as she wipes the snot across her cheek and reaches with the same hand to twirl my hair. Ryan is taking it a bit better, although he's had a few more fussy moments than normal. Yesterday evening as we were getting the kids ready for baths and bed both kids were fussing and whining, I was exhausted from two days of this, Sean was worn out, we just wanted to get the kids to bed before we were carried off in straight jackets.
We had just finished sucking snot out of Ryan's nose, a process that he does not appreciate or enjoy, so he was screaming his head off, but as we settled down for a bedtime snack he stopped crying, looked up at me and suddenly lit up with a smile, such a sweet blessing.
As I sat holding him, I could hear Sean giving Katie a bath in the other room. She was "wearing shampoo" and needed to have it rinsed out (not always her favorite process, despite the "no tears" promise on the bottle!). Anyway, I heard Katie say, "Daddy, you're a good washer." and a minute later, "Will you hold my hand?" So Sean held her hand as he rinsed her little head. The next words, "I love you, daddy." This unexpected bit of sweetness really ended the day on a positive.