Precious sounds

Thanks to technology, there are some memories we can 'bottle.'  Precious girl, I love you so much!  When you are an independant young woman, there will be a small part of me that still sees you though this lens.

Thank you!

Dear God,

Thank you for blessing us with such good friends. 

We love our neighbors and feel so grateful to have our little home. 

Help us to be good neighbors in return.

So many people have been good to us.

On my first week back to work, two families brought us meals,

others covered us in prayers.

Thank you.

Amen.

Untended children

Somehow children know when their parents aren't really paying attention to them and will step out of their routine to try something new.  It's kind of the built in, don't ask first for then you can't be told 'no.'  Last night while I was downloading photos on the computer and daddy was absorbed in something else, Jake stepped into the shower to help us clean.  Ummmm....right.  Now we have a lovely soap scum layer on the shower door that wasn't there before.  Thanks, son.  One of Jake's favorite things to do in this world is finger paint.  Guess it's good that his medium of choice this time was soap and not something laden with bacteria.

Dancing in the rain

If you allow them, children change your perspective of the world.  Yesterday after dinner Jess noticed and commented on the eerie light outside.  I stepped out the front door, stood in the rain and took in the beauty of a golden sunlight shining through storm clouds.  Knowing that Jake would appreciate the loveliness of the outdoors, I got his attention and stepped out the back door.  Behind our yard a full rainbow stretched out.  Rainbows fill me with awe and a feeling of specialness, like it was created just for me.  Jake enjoyed the rainbow but was more interested in dancing in the rain.  Though he was half naked and it was cold, I allowed his playfulness to continue, though the mama voice within was loudly telling me to get that child inside and in the bathtub.  After a few moments he looked up at me and said, "Dance with me!"  Who could resist that?  So I stepped out of the warm doorway and proceeded to dance barefoot in the rain with my son.  Yes, we may both get colds in the next couple of days but those couple minute of joy will be worth it. 

Full rainbow

It's funny how most people I know, myself included, feel that spying a rainbow is a gift from God especially for the viewer.  This was a wonderful reminder of God's love. 

Leaf pile

"Leaf pile"  artist:  Jake (3 years old)

Jake started his school year today.  I was a bit worried about his transition to the 3 year old room as he's had rough transitions from the three other rooms at KRK.  He gets attached to his teachers.  I think after an 18 week summer with mommy he was ready to be around kids and was already comfortable with his new teachers Ms. Jill and Ms. Candice since he's met them several times and we've talked about the transition to the 'big kids' room.  He breezed by his former teachers and told them, "I don't go to your room anymore.  I'm a big kid now."  Later he said, "Honey Bears (the old room)  turn into Busy Bees (the new room)."  Hilarious.  When I picked him up he was grinning ear to ear.  He gave me a tour of his new room and said he had a great day!  YEAH!  This makes MY transition back to work a lot easier!  Keeping Quinn with me this week.  She'll start on Monday!

Funny footnote:  We went to Publix this evening.  They have their Halloween decorations out already.  I spied a two foot tall witch amidst a display and asked Jake what he saw.  He gasped and said, "A Queen!" Precious.    

Monday

This photograph pretty much captures how I feel.

You know how when circumstances are unfolding, sometimes you think, "I'll be able to laugh about this later..."  Well, it's too early for me to laugh but I'm glad that everything worked out okay.

Last night I spontanteously offered to bring the children and spend the night at a friend's house as today her eldest child started kindergarten.  With the super early start time (bus arrives at 6:30 but she wanted to drive him on his first day.) she didn't want to upset her younger two children's normal schedule.  Since we were in the car on our way to a playdate, I didn't take the time or energy to pack appropriately.  We arrived after my friend's children were in bed but Jake knocked off pretty quickly after "book club."  Quinn struggled with fitfulness but finally cashed at 11.  This morning we woke up and Jake's bottom was covered with a nasty looking raised rash.  He complained of itchiness and discomfort.  I asked my friend, a mother of three, to see what she thought of the rash.  She gave me a concoction to slather on his bum, a mix of Desitin, lotromin, vaseline, neosporin and something else.  (I forget.) We played for awhile and then loaded up the car to go swimming at their pool.  When I got Jake out of his carseat in the parking lot of the pool I noticed that he was COVERED in bumps...arms, neck, face (and bum!)  Obviously this ended the pool date.  While he was bummed, his consolation prize was a trip through the Chick-fil-a drive thru.  Our peditrician's office couldn't squeeze him in so we ventured to an urgent care.  Yes, in our swim suits.  I packed clothing for the children but neglected to put anything but pajamas and a swim suit in for me. (Which was okay for sleeping and a pool date!)  So I arrive at urgent care in my swim suit.  Quinn's internal hunger alarm goes off, sending two waterfalls of breast milk down my chest while I'm getting Jake checked in.  So there I stand...haven't brushed my hair, I smell, I have a screaming child in arms and a whiney child running around the office while milk squirts out of my boobs.  Lovely.  Fortunately the doctor doesn't believe that the rash, which has receeded since the parking lot, is contagious and sends us home with a note for the same concoction that my friend shared with me earlier.  When I pull the car into the garage, Jake pipes up, "What's wrong with Quinn?" I turn around and see that BOTH carseats are at 45 degree angles.  The kids' heads are almost touching in the center of the seat.  I am SOOOOOOO glad that we weren't in any sort of accident. 

Now we are home, both kids are finally asleep so perhaps....

just maybe...

hopefully...

I can nap, too?!