Happy Halloween!

Whew!! Today was quite the jolt back into reality. Jocelyn woke up twice during the night and Molly was up once - no idea why. We barely got out of the house on time to get to school. When I picked up Jocie from preschool I was told she had an "off day" and even had to go into time out (something which NEVER happens). I had to move mountains to get the girls to tiptoe around this afternoon so Ben could get a few hours sleep after his shift. Dinner was all but a lost cause, since the girls were all way too excited to eat.

It was all a distant memory, however, as the girls got their costumes on to go trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. They went with a few of our neighbors and walked for about an hour gathering goodies. They burned off only a fraction of their energy but had a great time.

The most fun to watch, once again, was Molly. I think partially because she has two older sisters but equally because she's pretty darn smart, she just seems to UNDERSTAND so much for her age. All day she was obsessed with dressing up - a princess tiara, a Mickey Mouse sorcerer's hat, even her parka was worn for a bit for no real reason. She said "Happy Halloween!" to everyone she walked by all day long. Ben took the kids around the neighborhood and said that, without any coaching, Molly would say "Trick or Treat!" at every door, as well as thank the people for her candy. She loved looking at everyone's costumes and snacking on the few candies we let her have tonight. I'm really enjoying all of my kids being old enough to understand and participate in holidays and traditions. I get to relive these moments through their eyes, which is a precious gift all its own.

my itsy bitsy spider ready to go!

Jocelyn was a spider too, and Ava was a black cat

Third and Final Day

Today our break from reality thanks to Hurricane Sandy reached its conclusion. We had one more day "off," which included surveying the damage we were so blessed NOT to get and playing around a little bit more. It was overall a good day. There was the occasional spat or two - we have been cooped up together for 3 days, after all - but in general we all got along well and had lots of fun together.

The end of our little staycation also meant returning to the daily grind, which this week means Ben going into work at 2am. So after dinner he headed straight to bed to get a few hours sleep before what I'm sure will be a very long 13-hour shift. My struggle of course came with keeping the girls quiet so Ben could sleep as peacefully as possible.

Or so I thought. Turned out once again my children blew me away with their ability to step up and surpass my expectations. After an early bath they dressed quietly and came downstairs. I had set up a little craft project for Ava and Jocelyn (just foam shapes and paper), which they did quietly in the kitchen for 15 or 20 minutes while Molly and I relaxed on the couch. When craft time was over, the girls were treated to a brownie for dessert and one TV show before bedtime. Then it was upstairs for book, prayers, and lights out. I had to gently remind the girls two or three times to keep their voices down, but I didn't REALLY have to get on their cases to settle down or be quiet. After 3 days of being in this house, looking at the same toys and walls and people, I would not have been surprised to be faced with three hyper, stimulation-deprived hellions incapable of settling down for bedtime. Instead, these girls got along, did what I asked, and were very respectful of their Daddy and his need for rest. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my kids are rockstars. My job as a mother is not always this smooth or easy, but I often feel I have many more easy times than I deserve.

Day 2

We survived our first day with Hurricane Sandy. While it has rained nonstop from the time we woke up until now, 15 hours later, it took a while for the winds to pick up. We are sitting in the worst of it now (or so I keep hearing), but other than a flicker or two we have not lost power or experienced any other catastrophic damage. Saying many prayers of thanks for that tonight, and hoping our good fortune continues in the days ahead.

So what did we do with our day off? We played restaurant at breakfast. Ava and Jocelyn played school. We had a dance party. Ben and Ava played on the Wii. Rooms were cleaned, dishes were washed. We all had a brush or two with cabin fever (before noon I might add), and I'm not sure Ben and I had high hopes for how the day would turn out. Lucky for us, our kids were great and made the best of it, and so did we. My favorite part of the day came at the end, when we let Ava stay up late to watch some of Dancing with the Stars with Ben and I. She loves watching it almost as much as I do, but never gets to watch it live since it comes on past her bedtime. No school tomorrow meant the perfect opportunity to let her have the treat of watching some late night TV with Mom and Dad. She loved it and was sad when we sent her to bed at 9:30pm. I was sad to see the day end as well. It may not be the ideal circumstances, but my family is a bunch of rockstars and made Day 2 of our staycation another great one.

Staycation: Day 1

It has been a crazy last few days, to say the least. This morning the girls barely woke up in time to get dressed, eat, and make it to Mass. The only thing I could entice them with was the knowledge that when we came home from church there was nothing else we had to do today. We could get back into our sweats or pjs or whatever and just relax. The girls were actually pretty excited about this, and I was thrilled. It's no secret I love some down time, and today was a long time coming.

Then about 2pm I received a text stating that school had been cancelled for both girls for tomorrow and Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy approaching our area. At first I was relieved - I wouldn't have to drag kids out in the rain unnecessarily. Then it dawned on me: now I have an extra 2 days to entertain my kids, probably without electricity. I love my daughters, and we get along great, but creative entertainment is not my strong suit. I enjoy that they come home from a full day at school and want to play independently. Weekends are fun, but they really are more needy. So suddenly I found myself concerned with what the heck we are going to do to occupy ourselves during this mandated staycation.

A quick trip to Michael's craft store hopefully did the trick. I now have a few extra items in my arsenal of kid-entertaining activities. Today's activity was pumpkin painting. Ben is the pumpkin carver of the family, but since he's been working funky hours I decided it would be more fun for everyone for the girls to just paint on their pumpkins. And fun it was. Each pumpkin is a masterpiece. Ava was very methodical with her design; Jocelyn had fun painting the top of her pumpkin (for some reason the bottom remained bare); and Molly was so excited to be painting, it may take until Halloween for all the paint to dry. Overall it was a successful day at home. I'm crossing fingers it's the start of a fun extended holiday, and not the calm before the storm indoors as well as outside.

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves

So we're still getting used to living on the East Coast and having real seasons, including leaves that fall off the trees in autumn. It has been even more interesting this year, as it's the first year we've lived in our house with the ginormous leaf-shedding tree in the front yard. Today was leaf-gathering day. Ben was out there with his leaf blower, and convinced the girls that cleaning up the leaves was a great game. They were all out there, singing the Clean Up Song while scooping leaves into pails and dumping them into a trash bag. Later in the afternoon, Ben had gathered a sufficient pile and let the girls play in it for a bit while he started scooping it up. They had such a great time. Growing up in Florida and Texas, I never played in leaves as a kid, so I was having fun watching my kids experience something I never did. It was a beautiful day; here are a few pictures to help describe this great day. I am not even going to write captions - I think the smiles speak for themselves.

Big Girl 'Do

This morning Molly got her first real haircut. I feel like there's been once or twice that we've had a strand or two cut to even her out, but this was a real, sit-in-the-chair-with-the-smock-on haircut. She did wonderful, as I expected. She held still and looked where she was supposed to most of the time. When all was said and done my daughter who usually looks a hot mess with her straggly thin hair looked not like a baby but like a little girl. It's silly, but she just seemed to grow up before my very eyes. I know lots of people wait years to cut their babies' hair for the first time. I have looked forward to it with each of my girls. There is something so cute about a little person with a haircut. One more step away from babyhood, and while it's a bittersweet moment I couldn't be more excited for this cute little bob-styled head to keep growing up.

before picture

cheesing and holding still - the kid's got talent

after :)

Dance Your Cares Away

My ears go through a lot in a typical day. Lots of whining, constant questions, the random stories that come out of nowhere; fighting, screaming fits, and songs that break out at a moment's notice. Most days I take it all in stride. But some days, like today, I am begging for silence by dinnertime.

My pleas would not be answered tonight. Instead, there was loud chaos until the girls were in their beds with the lights out. Tonight, however, the noise was centered around music. Ben turned on some of the Dancing with the Stars episode we had recorded for the girls to watch. This resulted in the girls joining in the dancing, squealing all the way. Then the party moved upstairs, where Ben was blaring music for the girls from the study while they bathed. The highlight of the evening came after the girls got out of the bath, and rather than get dressed in their bedroom they went straight to the study to boogie down in the buff. I'm not going to lie, my ears felt like they were going to start bleeding at any moment. However, there was so much joy and giddiness in those little girls dancing the night away, I sucked it up and embraced the otherwise undesirable noise of the moment.

Kiss Me Goodnight

Over the years, Ben and I have created for a bedtime routine for our kids. It more or less goes as follows: bath, book, prayers, hugs and kisses, music on, lights out. It's something we've come to go through the motions with, and our kids follow along. What has been great to watch, though, is that as they get older the girls have begun to embrace this routine, and participate in more and more as they grow. Over the past few weeks, we have now evolved the routine. Molly walks into Ava and Jocie's room with whichever parent is putting her to bed. (We'll say it's me, just to makes this explanation easier.) She walks to Ava's bed first, then Jocelyn's, giving them each a hug and kiss. And not a baby hug and kiss - a real, little person embrace and kiss. She gives her Daddy a hug and a kiss as well, then takes my hand, says "Goo-nite!" and walks into her room. I love that it is so important to my kids that they say goodnight to each other and show how they love one another. It is something Ben and I have shown by example, but that can only go so far. These daughters of mine continue to grow closer and closer, and that is a blessing I cannot begin to describe... I can only be truly grateful for it.

Pack Rat

All three of my kids have had special "lovies" - blankets, dolls, animals, etc. that they cannot live without. Ava had two consistently - her blanket Nini and Doll Doll, a stuffed baby doll. Jocelyn has always needed to sleep with an animal of some kind, but has several that she will choose from depending on the day. Molly, however, has several animals and things in her bed... and wants them ALL in there at all times. This evening she had taken everything out of her crib to play in her room. I had thought, great! Now we can only put a couple things back and she might actually have room to sleep. Alas, as I was going to put her to bed, she one by one picked up every single item that "belongs" in her bed and returned them to their rightful place. The funniest part was that if any arm or tail was sticking out between the rails of the crib, she would pick the toy back up and push it toward the middle so every stitch was safely inside the crib. I really don't understand how the kid sleeps comfortably with so many bedmates, but she manages (and is pretty darn cute doing it).

Pretty Pony

This is another one of those little bright moments that has been making me smile for a few days. Jocelyn goes through phases when it comes to how she wants her hair done. For weeks she wanted one clip in her hair to keep her "bangs" out of her face. For almost the entire time we were in Texas this summer she wanted pigtail braids. (That one was especially painful.) Once she decides on a hairstyle, she wants that exact same look everyday for weeks. Recently she has latched onto a single ponytail. What makes it special is she has been borrowing a pony holder of Ava's that has little strips of fabric coming out of it. Add that to the curly-cue that naturally occurs in Jocie's hair, and every time I look at her I half expect her to break out in the old song "At The Hop." She skips and her whole head springs to life. It is a great visual for her whole personality, and I really do smile every time I see that little pony bouncing around the house.

(the picture doesn't give the preciousness of her ponytail justice, but it gives you an idea)

Hooah

This morning Ben and Rob ran the Army 10 Miler. Their families were poopheads and couldn't get their acts together to see them at the finish line, but the did a great job. Both finished in under 86 minutes - top 10% for overall times! The best part of all was Ben ran for TAPS, or Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a non-profit organization that helps those who have lost a loved one on active duty. It's an amazing organization, and when a friend of ours who was supposed to run for them was unable to, Ben asked if he could step in. It made an pretty awesome experience even more special. I couldn't be more proud of our runners.

After the run, we had lunch with the McClellands before sending them on their way back home. It was a great weekend - lots of little girlies playing and having fun together, many laughs and old memories shared by us grown-ups. The best indicator of a great weekend is always how exhausted we all are at the end of it. The girls were in bed with the lights out before 8pm, and I am aiming to be asleep before 10pm. Perfect way to end a terrific weekend.

Thanks and Gig 'Em

Another tough Aggie football day. A game well-fought, a few mistakes made, not enough time to adjust and win. What made today much more bearable, however, was sharing our Aggie Day with old Aggie friends. One of the guys from Ben's old Corps of Cadets outfit, Rob, and his wife Katy and daughter Meghan came up to visit us for the weekend. They arrived with just enough time for the girls to get comfortable and start playing together before we needed to sit down and cheer on our Aggies. Turned out Ben had even run into another old outfit member at the grocery store this morning, so two more Ags showed up at our door at halftime. We yelled and cheered loudly the first half, then groaned and growled quietly the second half (so as not to wake napping children). After the game we let the kids run around outside, had dinner, and caught up and chatted until we were all ready to crash. It was such a fun day with us parents being good friends already and our kids becoming new friends. The game may not have ended up the way I would have preferred, but I can't imagine how else this day could have been any better.

Nice Neighbor Part II

I did it again this morning - I locked my keys in the house. We put a new doorknob on the kitchen door a month or so ago, and I've been saying we need to make a spare for that lock, since we only got two keys with the door. Then this morning I had the kids out the door and loading up into the car, when I realized I didn't have my keys in my hand. I got out the spares that are in our lock box, knowing they wouldn't do any good. I tried the front door in hopes that the dead bolt that doesn't have a lock on the outside was undone. Of course it wasn't. So, with me on the verge of tears, we all walked Ava down to our neighbors' house, since Ava was set to carpool this morning anyway. I asked Rachel if we could just sit in her house until I got a hold of Ben. She not only immediately said yes, but started thinking of how to help me get Jocelyn to school and keep my day as uninterrupted as possible. It was so unbelievably nice of her! I know I would do the same thing for one of my neighbors, but I don't expect others to be as generous as I expect myself to be. (And to be perfectly honest, I know for a fact not all of my neighbors would be so kind and helpful.) I finally was able to jimmy my way into my house and get Jocie to school only about 30 minutes late. Rachel provided a small ray of sunshine on what started to be a very rocky day, and I am so very grateful that I could count on her in such a pinch.

(And for the record, as soon as Jocelyn was settled at school I went straight to Home Depot and had 2 spare keys made - will never be unprepared again!!)

Morning Walk

Today was my dad's last day visiting. I took advantage of an extra adult in the house, and left him at home with Jocelyn and Molly while I took Ava to school this morning. She wanted to walk, which was fine by me. This resulted in about 20 minutes of one-on-one time with my oldest daughter. It was a flashback to years past - she talked almost the entire walk, seamlessly flowing from one subject to the next, just sharing with me everything that popped into her head. I can't even tell you what we talked about, or if I was able to understand or keep up half of the time. I just had a great time savoring the few minutes with Ava, relishing in the young lady she is so quickly growing up to be. It was a wonderful beginning to yet another great day.

Call Me Maybe

I'm bombarding you with cute Molly stories this week. I think she's just at that age where her personality is really blossoming and it's so fun to watch. For the last week or so, she's begun singing her favorite songs. One such song is a version of the pop song "Call Me Maybe." Shortly after the song came out, Ben found a spin-off that has Cookie Monster singing the song about sharing cookies. (It's called "Share It Maybe.") So out of nowhere Molly will start singing the lyrics she remembers from the two songs.

Here is a video I took of her singing this evening. I will explain what she's singing, or you can skip this part and just watch the video. The first part she's singing "I miss you so bad, so so bad." Then there's "Craaaaaaazy." Next comes "You've got cookie, so share it maybe."

I mean come on - just thinking about it brings a gigantic grin to my face. I find myself singing this silly song to myself several times a day. It's not the greatest song ever, but when Molly sings it I find it much more tolerable.

Pass the Cheese

I discovered this afternoon the way to occupy a 22-month-old for 45 minutes while her sister is in dance class. All it requires is a box full of old costume hats. The dance studio director has old costumes and hats out for sale before Halloween, and Molly spent the entire time we were waiting for Jocelyn putting on the many hats in this big box. Funniest part: she would put on a hat, turn to look at me and the others sitting in the lobby, and say, "Tada!! Thank you, thank you!" while giving little bows. I have NO idea where she has heard that from! Usually I hear my kids say random things and I am able to connect it to some show or book. But this was a new one for me. Over and over she would present herself and thank her audience for who-knows-what. It was amusing and endearing all in one, and has erased any doubt I had that Molly is a total ham.

Opposites Attract

This evening I had a very rare treat: my second girls' night out in just a few days. (To assuage my constant guilt, it's also my second girls' night out in probably 6 months, so it all evens out.) I had a great time sitting and chatting with my friends. We even closed down two different places... never mind that it was by 10pm.

On the way home, however, I was thinking not as much about the nice evening I had, but how lucky I am to have the husband I do. I told him about this dinner out around 2:30 this afternoon. I was a little weary of how he would react to my wanting to go out for the second time in three days while leaving him with all 3 children after a long day at work. He never complained or made a fuss about it. He just said it would be fine and to have a great time.

Part of what also amazes me about my husband involves money. I am pretty damn frugal when it comes to money. I say I come by it honestly: my dad is very money-conscious, and I either paid too much attention to him as a child or just inherited the frugal gene. Either way, I am constantly on Ben about how much money we're spending. Did we need to eat out again this week, or did he really need that item he bought on his way home. I don't mean to be critical, it's just the way I'm wired. Even tonight at dinner I was thinking about the ridiculous amount of money I've spent on food these past few outings. (Probably more a sign of how rarely I go out than anything else.) I also know that if the tables had been turned and it was Ben going out twice in a row, I'd have said something to him about how much it was costing us. He never lets thoughts of cost get in the way of a good time. I greatly appreciate that he lets me go out worry-free, and doesn't throw in my face what I inevitably do to him constantly. This is one of those instances where opposites attract, and the balance each of us brings the other is one of the great ways our marriage works.

Pumpkin Play

It's October, which means pumpkin patches have sprouted up everywhere. We hadn't gone yet, and I was thinking of going to one of the bigger ones that's a few miles from our house. Only kink: it costs what I consider to be a ridiculous amount of money for my kids to just run around and maybe go down a slide or two. So we did the next best thing: went to a nursery near where we used to live and let the kids climb a much smaller but no less fun pumpkin mound and run around for about 45 minutes. The kids had a great time running around the "pumpkin patch" and I got a few token pumpkin patch pictures. Overall, a nice shake-up to an otherwise dull day.

Bonus moment: had to add this at the last minute. Ben came home from his Reserve weekend with a costume that he borrowed or was given by one of the other guys in his unit. It is clearly way too small for Molly, but as soon as he put it on her she was waddling and quacking her little heart out. Pretty darn cute, I have to admit.

Dance Moms

Tonight I went out to dinner with some of my favorite dance moms. As Ava became more involved in dance, I knew I would be running into the same moms at various events. I never really expected to make such amazing friends. These ladies are awesome, and provide endless hours of laughs. The biggest problem we face is finding the time in our hectic schedules to actually get together outside of the dance studio. Tonight all the planets aligned and we were all able to sit down to dinner and catch up without being interrupted by costume changes or make-up applications. It was a great time. I wish we could do it more often, but I will just hang on to the memories from tonight until the next time.

Picture Preview

Today I got a few great pictures. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, here's a few for added context and explanation.

* We walked to pick Ava up from school. I thought this would be more fun with Papa along, but the kids seemed whinier than usual. Papa did however save the day - he held Jocie's hand most of the way home, which I think she interpreted to be him saving her from the hardships her mean mom imposes upon her.

* We ended our night with all 3 girls sitting on my bed watching a little TV. It's supposed to be a cold one tonight, so they were all in footies. There's few sights better than walking in to find my girls snuggling and quietly enjoying each other's company. It truly warms this Momma's heart.

Supermarket Sweep

This morning I went to the commissary with my dad, Jocelyn, and Molly. We were there a little less than an hour. I was able to find everything I needed, and the financial damage was minimal. We may however have psychologically damaged several of the other customers in the store. Being the ever-entertaining grandparent, my dad chose to occupy my daughters by taking the cart they were sitting in and RACING them around the store. He would make the cart go really fast, then stop it suddenly. He always made sure they had plenty of space between them and the other patrons, so in that regard he was very considerate. However, every single time he would speed up my kids would SCREAM in delight. Happy sounds, yes, but still very VERY loud. Oh, and of course Thursday morning seems to be the morning when everyone over the age of 75 wants to go grocery shopping. Needless to say, I got a few less-than-amused looks from people, and I can't imagine how many others were more discreet in their disapproval. I was duly embarrassed, but my dad had fun and the girls had the best time they've ever had at the grocery store. I guess in the end that's worth a few ugly looks.

The Quiet and Loud of it

Today gave me two great Molly moments which were completely opposite of each other. The first came this morning. I have volunteered in Ava's class to stuff folders the kids take home to their parents once a week. This was my first time doing it, and as luck had it Jocelyn was at preschool so I only had Molly with me. Because it was my first time and there were lots of papers that needed to be sorted and stuffed, it took me almost an hour to complete the job. Molly occupied herself the entire time, quietly snacking and playing with toys in the classroom. (The class was at recess, so we had the room to ourselves.) There are many times when my children don't behave the way I'd like them to, but today I couldn't have been prouder of the way Molly behaved herself. It made my job as Momma and folder-stuffer much more enjoyable.

Then at dinnertime, my dad (aka Papa) arrived for a visit. This brought out the crazed, shrieking Molly. My ears are still ringing from all of the squealing and laughing that went on the last few hours of the day. All 3 of my daughters love their Papa, but Molly is the funniest to watch. She has a laugh that ONLY comes out for Papa. It's really funny! And he doesn't even have to do anything. At dinner, Molly kept yelling "Wake up, Papa!" I have no idea why, he wasn't pretending to be sleeping. Every now and then he would turn his head quickly and look at her, and she would burst out in guffaws of laughter. Life is a much brighter place when Papa's here. I'm very glad I got to have my quiet moment with Molly earlier, because I think I'll need that to remember that quiet moments do in fact exist, as the next few days will probably not have many of them.

Snap out of it!

I start this post by confessing that, in all honesty, I am writing it a day late. Yesterday was a rough day. Nothing specific happened to make it bad, but I felt weighed down by all kinds of negative energy. By the end of the day I was so down and depressed I didn't even want to pretend like I could come up with something positive to write.

I was lying in bed, hoping to fall asleep and being horribly unsuccessful, when Ben came upstairs. He asked what was wrong, and after I talked as little as possible, he made me feel better as only he can. He was not sympathetic or apologetic. Rather, he told me I was being silly and needed to snap out of my funk. He wasn't especially gently in his approach, but he wasn't a jerk either. By the end of our little 5 minute "conversation" I wasn't feeling better about my day, but I was feeling better about life. I am very lucky to be married to a man who can take my occasional mood swings in stride and know just how to bring a little ray of sunshine to brighten my day.

Ava Joy

Today we celebrated Ava turning 6 years old. And boy did we CELEBRATE! For months now all Ava has asked for is to have her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. I cannot begin to describe how desperately I tried to talk her out of it. In the end, I decided to give my daughter the party she so greatly desired as my own gift to her. And, truth be told, it was a great time. She only invited a few friends - 6 other kids besides my own, all who had at least one parent stay with them. We had the party today since the kids didn't have school, but it was late morning and therefore the place was not very crowded. Everyone had a great time, and Ava got the full Chuck E. Cheese birthday experience: the inflatable crown with tokens inside, trying the ticket blaster, dancing with Chuck E. Cheese and being sung to by him before blowing out her candles.

It was during the party that I was reminded of one of the things I love most about my oldest daughter. We knew two of the girls she had invited couldn't make it, and had been unsure about two others. It ended up that neither of our maybes came to the party. At one point, Ava wondered out loud where one of them was. I just said they probably ran late with their other obligations. She never said another word about it. She didn't whine that there weren't more people there for her birthday. She wasn't at all upset when she "only" had about 5 presents to open. There was never a moment when Ava focused on a negative part of the day. Ava is one of the most positive people I know. She is always looking at the silver lining. She doesn't focus on what's not going right, but rather on what's working out. Her friends range from neighbors to schoolmates to dance friends; kids her age, a few years older, and teenagers; boys and girls (finally!), varying in race, religion, and every other difference you can imagine. Ava sees into people's hearts, finds the good, and latches onto that. She knows no stranger, only a friend she needs to get better acquainted with. She is empathetic, energetic, bubbly, intelligent, independent... I could go on. She has shown me how to be a good parent, flourishing in my triumphs and forgiving me my mistakes. Today was a darn near perfect day for the birthday girl, and I hope the future holds hundreds and thousands more days just like it for her, for no one is more deserving.

Ava working on her skeeball skills

Molly and Miss Victoria trying their luck

popping bubbles on the screen with Daddy's help

friends taking pictures

Molly was not too sure about the monster truck ride

Jocelyn was VERY sure about the flying motorcycle!

cheesing with her AWESOME cake, courtesy of miss Sharon

being crowned

the party

can I help you?

the birthday song

getting the Birthday Star medallion

Molly was applauding every chance she got!

dancing with Chuck E. Cheese

party pic with Chuck E

yummy cake!

Molly thought so too

smiles after racing with Daddy

Time Flies

Today was a pretty normal day by my current standards. Ben and I wrangled Jocelyn and Molly at Mass, picked Ava up from her sleepover, came home to nap, clean, and have friends over for dinner. There was the usual mayhem, noise, and messes that go along with having a family of five. After all the kids were in bed and (mostly) quiet, I was sitting playing solitaire on my tablet and appreciating the quiet at the end of the day. Then I started thinking: this day 6 years ago was my last day of being not-a-mom. Tomorrow is Ava's birthday, so October 7, 2006 was the last day I was not a mother. (I know I was technically a mom before she was actually born, but I'm not splitting hairs tonight.) I could never have imagined what my life would be like 6 years later. Six years ago I was just trying to figure out how I could survive the unbearable pain of back labor, survive a military health system that didn't want to admit me after we'd driven almost an hour to the hospital, and survive actually birthing this living being. (Little did I know that in the grand scheme of things the birth was the easy part.) It's near impossible to remember my life before - no balancing schedules, packing lunches, planning playdates. When Ben and I could leave the house at the spur of the moment without bringing half the house with us. And yet, while I can't really remember life before motherhood, it's amazing that my oldest daughter turns 6 tomorrow. How has it been six years already? It seems so trite to say, but time really does fly when you're having fun. This adventure of parenthood is so much more work and stress and joy and fun that I could have ever imagined. I sometimes enjoy it more than other times, but tonight I know there's no where else I'd rather be in life than right here, with the most incredible family God could have blessed me with.

After Hours Entertainment

Tonight Jocelyn and Molly were treated to an extra late bedtime. Ava is at a sleepover, and Ben and I were watching a VERY good Texas A&M football game. Halftime was set to occur around 8:45pm, maybe 20-30 minutes later than the girls usually go to bed, but they were quiet and behaving themselves so we decided to indulge a bit. It seems we almost waited too long to put them down, however, because by the time both girls were getting into bed they had begun to hit a bit of a second wind. We knew they were tired, but they were in a bit of denial. They went down well enough - we said prayers, gave kisses, and returned downstairs to our game. But a few minutes later, it started: first there was quiet talking, then some babbling, then fairly loud singing. Each girl was in her own room, but they were not quite ready to crash so they were monologuing themselves to sleep. It was very seriously almost 9:15 before all was quiet upstairs. I have many wonderful memories watching Aggie football, but tonight, watching A&M trudge through and beat the hell outta Ole Miss while listening to my children happily talking themselves to sleep may be my most favorite memory yet.

Little Quirks

Everyone has their quirks. Some are endearing, many are annoying. I think it's especially funny to see how these personality traits show themselves in kids. For an adult to be particular about the way his socks are folded is one thing, but it's way funnier when a 2-year-old acts the same way.

Molly has some really funny quirks of late. A few of them I have seen today (as most days over the past few weeks) include:

- she insists on having a spoon with EVERY meal. This includes meals when she doesn't need any utensils, like when she ate her waffle this morning. The bright side: when she doesn't actually get it dirty (like this morning) she's kind enough to return her clean spoon to the utensil drawer.

- It seems Molly thinks she's European. When she gives hugs, especially before nap or bedtime, you must hug her on both sides. In other words, she'll hug with her right cheek leaning on you, then sit up straight so she can hug with her left cheek leaning. Try to get away with only half a hug, and she very angrily corrects you.

- One of her favorite new games is to yell "I love you." But she almost yells it like she's mad or arguing about something. I "yell" it back to her, and with each round she gets louder and louder. Think of when 2 kids are yelling "am not!" and "are too!" back and forth, and then replace those words with "I love you!" and you get the idea. Kind of cute, kind of disturbing that even sentiments of love can be given an antagonistic tone.

this was taken last week, but gives you a little idea of what I'm talking about

I write of these adorable little oddities from my youngest daughter not because we had a wonderful day together. Quite the opposite - she screamed and fought me EVERY time I put her in her car seat today (which for a frame of reference was 6 times total). She got annoyed and tossed her yogurt cup, getting yogurt all over my clothes. She screamed at me as I put her down for bed tonight. So for as bumpy a ride as the two of us shared today, I am going to remember the cute quirks that I love so much and not the stubbornness and defiance I was confronted with repeatedly. I love my children - the good, the bad, and the ugly - but the good is so much nicer to focus on.

Playtime

I was a little nervous how the day would play out when I woke up this morning. Mainly because I woke up with Molly whining and yelling at 5:30am - over an hour earlier than she usually wakes up. Jocelyn was up early as well, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that early risers can quickly turn into overtired cranksters.

Fortunately, today was a day full of playtime. In the morning I watched Isaac and Avery while their momma "checked on the baby in her belly" at her OB appointment. The kids all played wonderfully. I got to sit on the couch and supervise car zooming, puzzle overturning, and child squealing - my kind of babysitting gig. Then after quiet time and picking up Ava we had Lillian, Marian, and their momma Amanda over. The girls all vanished into Ava and Jocie's bedroom where there was plenty of princess play and tea parties. The kids all had a great time playing together - very few arguments and lots of laughs. I enjoyed getting a break from entertaining my daughters and letting their friends take over that job for a short while. Best part of the day: the girls took no time at all falling asleep at bedtime. Here's hoping to at least sleeping until normal wake-up time tomorrow, if not sleeping in. (Hey, a girl can dream.)

A Breath of Fresh Air

For some reason, it was fairly warm today, much warmer than it has been the past week or so. So I decided to walk to pick Ava up from school. It is only about half a mile one way, but with Jocelyn and Ava that can sometimes be a very long journey. Today was great. The girls were all in good spirits. Ava and Jocie walked together while singing songs and sharing stories of their days. Molly rode along in the stroller taking in the sights and saying hello to every person we passed. It was disgustingly muggy, so by the time we approached our street I was very ready to head indoors. I am not typically an outdoorsy person. I like the indoors and all the environmental conveniences that it provides. But I'm really glad we took the opportunity to take in some fresh air and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts.

Little Ballerina

It is Parent Week at the girls' dance studio. For Ava, this is old hat. But it was my first time getting to watch Jocelyn in her dance class. I wasn't sure about how Jocelyn was going to do in dance class. She's spent the past couple years running around the dance studio doing what she pleased. She has watched many a class, but I didn't know if she was going to have the self control to participate.

I was amazed and elated by what I saw. She did GREAT. She was one of the best listeners in the class. She did all of the stretches and exercises just as she was being instructed. And she did it all well! Looks as though we may indeed have another dancer in the family. And this Momma could not be more proud.

a peek into Jocie's Creative Movement class

An Unlikely Pair

This afternoon I was dropping Ava off at religious ed class when I received a text. It was from a mom I've known for years from our Mom's group, and her daughter and Jocelyn are now in different classes but at the same preschool. She said that Mackenzie had been asking all day to have a playdate with Jocie, and did we happen to be free to get together for a bit? I responded that if she didn't mind my house looking like a bomb had gone off in it that we were more than happy to host them for some play time.

Oh my goodness, you would have thought it was Christmas morning in my house!! Jocelyn was so beyond excited to be having Mackenzie over. They immediately disappeared into Jocelyn's bedroom and played with princesses and stuffed animals galore. I got to sit and chat with Corinn, who I see all the time at drop-off and pick-up but never really get to have a conversation with. It was a really nice impromptu playdate, the perfect way to make a humdrum day a little more special for everyone.

Oh, right, the "unlikely pair" part of this: Jocelyn and Mackenzie could not be more different, physically speaking. Jocelyn is tall for her age, wearing size 5 clothing at the age of 3 1/2. Mackenzie is MAYBE 2 inches taller than Molly, and therefore is extremely petite for her age. To see these two together is so hilarious, and yet very sweet and endearing all at once. They may not look similar, but these two must have something in common, because there is a very special friendship forming before our very eyes.