We Don't Get Out Much
I picked that three year old boy off the ground in the restroom of Chick-fil-a, and looked at the woman whose face tsk tsked, "we don't get out much," I offered sheepishly.They darted out of the restroom, those two "big kids," 3 and 5, with babies at home, overwhelmed at the opportunity to have a special play date with mama. Chugging chocolate milk, cramming chicken nuggets, dipping Polynesian sauce, chasing cold lemonade, climbing through tunnels, zipping down slides. Repeat. And again. And again.Their glee was pure, untainted. Because they couldn't recall the last time they had so much fun at this unfamiliar place. It was special.Chugging chocolate milk

There Were 6 In The Bed
It just takes one moment, dawn breaks and the light floods through the cracks of the black-out shades in McClaine's room. It is predictable, every morning, just one moment after that radiance breaks through, I hear his feet softly scamper into my room. Eyes mostly closed, hair messy and unkempt, nose stuffy, forcing morning breath my way. He grabs my thrift-store t-shirt as an anchor to pull his little body close to mine.Sneaky as he is, he is not quiet enough to steady her slumber, and Avery follows. She stumbles into the room, always without her pajama top, warm natured as she is, she still joins the snuggle tim

Flower Contection
McClaine: "Mom, look at the flower."Me: "Yeah, I think that is an azalea."Avery: "No, that is a rose."Me: Actually looking at the flower this time, "you're right Avery, that is a rose."Avery: "I am very good at flower contection."Me: "At flower what?"Avery: "You know, contection."Me: "At flower identification?"Avery: "No, mom. I have skills. Skills at knowing about what flower is what. That kind of skills."Just a glimpse of the White House!

Crayon Rubs
The morning and afternoon drives to Mother's Day Out are really glorious. The vivid contrast of the autumn gold fields against the deep blue sky is hardly tainted by the countless stars and cracks in my windshield (which is well overdue for replacement). As we wind through the country road, with only the occassional farm truck that passes, the crimson leaves that clothe the road leap in the air at the sight of my filthy van, and my ears tune in on Avery and McClaine's giggles in the back seat.We collected a bucket of those same leaves the other day and I taught the kids how to do "rubs" of the leaves. They laid the leaves out underneath a piece of paper and as they rubbed

Endless Counting
The month of November brings cooler weather, vibrant leaves and the gentle nudge in my heart to have a spirit of Thanksgiving. With the abundance of blessings that I have, I am joining Ann Voskamp for Endless Counting of 1000 Gifts.Today I am Thankful for......early mornings with Aves, sipping coffee with peppermint mocha creamer and her asking me to read to her from her Bible......a kitchen that begs to be cleaned from last night's homemade pizza feast......fantastic results on Reecey's genetic testing, and the sleepful nights