A Good Day

Here's a little 'day-in-the-life' post - probably more for me than for you, but I love reading these on other blogs and I think it's a fun way to capture the day-to-day (the "ordinary extraordinary!") around here.

I slept in just a bit this morning, but still managed to get everyone up, dressed, fed, and headed to school on time this morning - actually, just a tad bit ahead of schedule!  Even though I didn't pack lunches the night before.  Even though I grabbed my own breakfast, which I normally skip - a banana in the car counts, right?  J did about 1/2 of the preparation of his own breakfast - currently he's loving grits with a little butter and cheddar cheese.  M ate dry cereal, one of her most frequent breakfast selections (Although on Sunday she managed a collaborative effort for some pb toast with banana- she got an assist from her brother on some toast, sliced her own banana, and when I came downstairs she asked me to help with the peanut butter so she could put it all together.  A little more complicated, but still a success!)  ((OK - all of these food-prep accomplishments make me realize that my kids have grown up A LOT over the summer!))  But I digress - into the car, drive to school (including a reminder about our plan for the afternoon), park and walk in....  J asked me to walk him to his class today (he asked to do it solo on the first day, and we typically do drive-through drop-off unless it's my volunteer day)!

The kids' school requires volunteer hours as a condition of enrollment - one hour per week per child.  My two hours are on Monday, and usually include some combination of copying, grading, cutting things out, or filing/organization.  I've been doing this for one hour/week for the same teacher for 3 years now.  We 'get' each other, so it's easy to figure out how she'd like something done - especially if it's a busy morning and she's just left me a few sketchy notes about what she needs.  It's not really a guessing game for me.  My second hour of the week has changed each year, and this year I'm working the same type of classroom assistant 'job' for another teacher.  I'm not sure she was expecting me there today, as she didn't have anything set aside for me.  But she did have a project I could start working on - organizing the two puzzle/game closets that she shares with another teacher.  I forgot to mention that when I got up this morning, I put on a dress.  A short, summery dress.  Not exactly closet-cleaning attire.  However, I manged to go through all but one shelf and had a lovely, Southern 'glow' to show for it.  I will still get to spend plenty of time making sure games have the right pieces, repairing boxes, and eliminating games/puzzles that are beyond repair.  Next time, I'll dress for the job!

Afterwards, lunch with a friend!  I have a standing lunch date with a close friend - we try to have lunch at least every other week during the school year.  Believe it or not, we had lunch on Friday and again today - we are catching up on what happened over the summer!  We do go to church together, and sure we can email or connect on Facebook, but there's just nothing quit like a girls' lunch out!

A quick trip to the bank, the grocery store, and a stop by the house were next.  I checked email, worked out some scheduling issues (wow, is our fall getting busy already), got the mail, and then it was time to go pick up my two kiddos from school! 

We had some interesting conversation on the way home.  M told me a story about how her friend from Texas sat at her table during lunch today.  When I asked if maybe she meant another friend, she said no - her friend from TX had decided to get a new house so she could go to school here, because they were *best* friends.  I love her imagination!  But some days, it's harder to figure out what part of her accounting of the day is most accurate. :)  J had another good day (with another story about math!) and ate lunch with a new classmate.  It's interesting to think that there are kids in his class that I know (from my volunteer time in other pods besides the one he was in the last couple of years) and that he doesn't, when you consider that I'm there way fewer hours per week than he is in school.  It's also exciting for me, though, because it means he's meeting new people - something that can be a struggle for him sometimes.  He is certainly like me in that respect.

Today was the first day of homework for 2nd graders, and also the first day of daily homework.  Ks and 1s get a homework packet on Monday to be turned in on Thursday - and you can complete it at your leisure.  J was not as excited about homework, but I was hoping it wouldn't be too much of a challenge since he was told during Open House that homework should only take 30-45 minutes (and that includes 15 minutes of reading).  Let's just say that when writing is involved, we typically spend a little more time on it than average - and Mondays are writing days.  In the end, though, J used 10 spelling words in 8 sentences which ended up being a pretty good little story about Cub Scouts.  I was really proud of him, and I think he surprised himself with how well it all turned out.  There was also some math in there, which he finished in a flash, and a math/logic game that we played several times while we talked about strategy. 

M has been a little disappointed to not have homework these past few days, and was disappointed when she realized that J had homework and she did not.  A few days ago, I made a math worksheet for her to complete, but today she occupied herself with coloring while J and I were concerned with his homework.  I do hope she is still as excited about homework when she has some assigned by the teacher!

If all of that wasn't great enough, I still had to figure out what to cook for dinner.  I did not do so well at planning ahead for the evening!  However, I did have some shredded beef in the fridge (which was supposed to become taquitos, until my second pack of tortillas would not cooperate) and those darn, too-thick tortillas.  Plan B = tostadas!  We almost always have black beans in the pantry, and had plenty of lettuce and tomatoes from this weekend's fruit and veggie co-op.  I have had plenty of limes and avocados around lately, too (I love guacamole just a little too much).  Although J told me he didn't really like the smell of the tortillas frying, that little stinker ate two tostadas!  M even ate one - with beef and beans! - and seemed to enjoy it.  We had fruit on the side, which was also a huge hit with M.  Afterwards, I surprised the kiddos with dessert - vanilla ice cream I'd just made this afternoon, topped with bananas and chocolate syrup.  For a throw-together meal, it seemed to be a hit - and 'how much my family enjoyed the meal' is a bigger measure of success for me than how well I planned or how fancy/complicated the preparation.  I think I got an A+!

Getting the kids to bed is always the toughest part of my day.  They want to play games or play with toys and just have fun - and who can blame them?  Instead, it's time for stuff like brushing teeth and picking out tomorrow's clothes.  We have started reading at bedtime again - we sort of fall off of the wagon over the summer - and the kids are excited about that.  I switched up the routine a bit tonight from pjs, teeth, read to pjs, read, teeth - and nobody fussed about brushing teeth tonight.  Dilly-dallied, yes, but not the same kind of reluctance we usually see.  Hmmm - food for thought.  Another way the evening routine is just a bit different is that, instead of reading one book to both kids, I am reading to M while J reads silently.  After I tuck her in, I go into his room to talk about what he's read and then tuck him in.  The plan is he will pick out a chapter book that he wants to read, I will read it first, and then he will read it (while I work on his next selection).  That way, we can discuss the book - which is hard to do for a book you've never read!  We will probably work through some beginner chapter books in this fashion starting next week.  I'm hoping he will get excited about this plan and really be motivated to read for comprehension and not simply accuracy.  I think (hope) I'm going to be doing a LOT of reading!

Now that the kids are asleep, and this post is nearly complete, I think I may head off to bed with my Girl Scout Leader training materials and my laptop in case I can squeeze in the online training tonight.  After I do one last sweep through the kitchen - I think the dishwasher just finished its load.

How have the first few days of school gone for you and your kids?  If it's still summer for you, how are you wrapping up the summer and preparing for the 'new year'?

Mommy, will you...?

This afternoon, as she was laying on the couch next to me, she asked me to rub her back. Remembering the times when I was little and would lay down with my head on my mom's lap, I invited Miss M to do the same. I pulled her pillow over and she snuggled in.

I'm enjoying these moments while I can, knowing they don't last forever. Within about 5 minutes, Mister J asked if she would help him play a wii game - and off she went!

PS - Check out that ponytail!  She decided to let her hair grow so it was long enough to make one ponytail.  Next up, long enough to have one braid, like Jessie!

Sweet Kiddos

Usually when mom mom (Grandma RL) comes to visit, she takes turns sleeping in the kids' rooms - and whoever has her as a guest sleeps on the floor in the same room.  If I get it wrong, they let me know whose rooms she's supposed to be staying in.  (I know that wasn't proper grammar - so just ignore it.  It's late.)  There have been tears over it - so thank goodness my mom usually remembers whose turn it is.

A few weekends back, there weren't tears, but there was some poutiness - which was resolved by having both kids sleep on the floor in the same room with Grandma.  When she came back last weekend, she swapped rooms as usual - and both kids stayed on the floor in there.  And they even went to sleep relatively quickly and quietly!

And since she left on Sunday?  The kids are still in the same room.  They are taking turns with who sleeps in the bed and who sleeps on the floor - without argument.  They were disappointed that they couldn't both sleep on the floor - but I did draw the line there.  It's been much easier to get them to go to sleep without (much) silliness when they are separated at least a little bit.  Mister J has been reading the bedtime story to Miss M, then turning off the light and getting into bed.  They still like a bit of a tuck and a kiss from Mom - and I'm not complaining.   

I know this won't last forever, but have to admit that I think it's sweet.  I am so happy that they love each other so much!  And sure, they may just like it because it's different and I let some things slide during the summer - but I also know that this is the stuff of memories.  And I hope that they'll treasure this memory as much as I will.

Sweet Thoughtfulness

My daughter and I were shopping at T@rget on Friday afternoon before we picked up my son from school. We just needed a couple of things, and as we were checking out Miss M asked for a treat (aka candy).

What's every mom's first answer to that question? "Not now, honey." And let the begging begin....

Admittedly, I'm a PA* mom, so there's more than just the sugary-high-followed-by-crash to be concerned about. A lot of the check-out aisle candy contains peanuts or is potentially cross-contaminated. So I moved on to my next tactic - I offered to give Miss M a snack at home, trying to talk it up by mentioning that she could have snack time with her big brother. I am not winning....

There's another little girl with her mom ahead of us in the checkout line. Of course, they are overhearing the entire conversation I'm having with Miss M - including the whiny parts and the 'no-you-may-not-have-candy' parts. I noticed that the little girl ahead of us did get to pick out a sweet treat, that she whispered something to her mother, and that she walked back to the candy display to select another sweet treat. Her mother paid for their items and handed one of the treats to the little girl. The little girl then turned around and handed it to my daughter and said, "I heard you asking for some candy."

Along with expressing our appreciation of the little girl's generosity, the PA mom panic was setting in and I was feeling a couple of other emotions, too:
a - Put in my place by a little girl who sees the joy in a little surprise treat every once in a while.
b - Split second decision of whether or not I should decline the candy, explaining my daughter's allergies, and thereby squash this little girl's sweet, loving, giving spirit?
c - Do I let Miss M accept the treat, allowing my daughter the joy of receiving the gift, and also allowing her to learn from the example set by the other little girl?
d - WARNING! WARNING! POTENTIAL PEANUT CONTAMINATION! WARNING! WARNING!

And my responses to all of that panic?
a - Have I mentioned that Miss M's love language is gifts?
b - Um, no. There will be no squashing of sweet little girls hearts today.
c - Well, yes - but will read the label once we get to the mommy-van and I'll deal with any tears (if it's not a safe treat) once we are in the relative privacy of the vehicle.
d - That is no joke, y'all - it's like there ought to be flashing caution lights, too. I really don't think I'm hypervigilant - I can't tell you how much candy is off limits to someone with a peanut allergy.

We paid for our purchases and walked back to the mommy-van, Miss M holding on to her newly-gifted treat. As we were across the parking lot, Miss M asked me, "Does it have nuts?" You can't imagine how tight I wanted to squeeze my sweet girl right then. I am so proud of how much more aware of her allergies she has become in the last few months, and I was super proud to know that her excitement over this unexpected gift didn't lessen her vigilance.

As it turned out, it was a safe treat - mommy's anxiety melted away, Miss M's happiness multiplied even more, and I realized I could probably learn a big lesson from a generous little girl who was in line with us at T@rget.

*peanut-allergy

Diversion

No homework today, and it's a lovely 66 degrees, so we are spending some time watching this at the nearby fire department.
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Taste Test ... or ... Overheard #25

Miss M and I were cooking dinner last night, and snacking while we waited for some water to boil. There was a bit of leftover guacamole in the fridge, so I pulled out a bag of chips. Immediately, Miss M asked for a chip, so I gave her one. Then I offered her one with some guacamole.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Guacamole."

"I don't want rock-e-a-mole on my chip."

"How about you try one with guacamole, and then I'll give you a plain one after that."

"OK." (tastes chip with guac)

"Do you like it?"

"Yes."

"Do you want another one?"

"Nope."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She was so cute as she tried to say 'guacamole' - and as much as I'm tempted to try and hold on to those cute things she says, I do help her with the correct pronunciation. (The only thing that we don't work on is the way she says "Toy Story 2" - she says "Stoy Tory 2"! We've tried, and she's just not giving this up yet.) The funniest thing, though, is that we've had this same conversation - about a different food each time - for WEEKS now! Sometimes with foods that she's eaten before and truly enjoyed!

I'm linking this post to Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays. Hop on over to read Ann's post, read others who have linked up, or to add one of your own!

Eenie Meenie Meinie Moe

Trying to decide which friend to take into the mall.... She ended up taking Edwin, the white kitty cat, and leaving Bolt in the car. By the way, both Edwin and Bolt are girls.

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, family and friends!

It's Christmas Eve, and I am so happy to be relaxing, waiting for my sister to arrive, and writing a holiday post.

The tree is decorated - I love the soft glow of Christmas tree lights!
The gifts are wrapped - I love seeing all of the different colors and patterns arranged under the tree!
All of the cards we have received are displayed in our 'gallery' - it's so nice to get cards and photos from all of our distant and not-so-distant family and friends.

My Mom has been here for several days already, and has been a great help with the gift-wrapping, cooking, child-wrangling, laundry, mailing, shopping.... That's a gift in itself! Big J has also been off this week, helping out with the kids, the cars (oil changes, new tires) and other tasks around the house, and was in charge of snowman construction over the weekend. Merry Christmas to me!
Now, though, it's time to sit back and enjoy all of these preparations in the peace of the evening before we go to bed and await Santa's arrival. The children have been in bed for a few hours now, though I know that they didn't go to sleep right away.
We attended two Christmas Eve services today, beginning with the Children's Christmas Eve Service. Any child that wants to participate in this service can, which is wonderful! Miss M was an angel and Mister J preferred to stay in the congregation and sing. After a quick dinner (Thank You and Merry Christmas to all who were on duty at McDonald's this evening!), we were back at church to hear Big J singing with the choir during the Service of Lessons and Carols. It's a much longer service, including candlelight and Communion, and the kids hung in there! After getting the wiggles out, they were very excited about the 'fire!' at the end ;)

We looked at Christmas lights on the way home, had some Christmas goodies for an evening snack, and let the kids watch a little TV while we wrapped the last couple of (hard-to-wrap!) gifts. Then, it was off to bed in their new Christmas jammies!

While much of what I am enjoying would be considered the 'stuff' of Christmas - the food, the lights, the giftwrap and ribbons - I was struck this evening by the simple beauty of some of the things around me. We had snow last Friday. As I sat in the balcony during the Service of Lessons and Carols, I could see the last of the day's light reflecting off of the snow and through the translucent glass of the sanctuary windows. Then there were all of the different sounds and styles of music from our choirs and special musicians. The Christmas story. Taking Communion with my little boy. The soft glow of the candlelight as it spread through the congregation. Tonight, it really feels like Christmas to me.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have a blessed holiday, wonderful moments with family and friends, and the simple beauty that means 'Christmas" to you.

Overheard #24

On this first official day of our Christmas Break... Overheard from the next room:

"Aww, now it's a BIGGER mess!" - Mister J, age 6

"I not the singin' girl, I the DANCIN' girl!" - Miss M, age 3 1/2

And in the same room, stifled laughter from Big J, who heard it all, too. Yep, it's just an ordinary day around here!

We scream for...

We tried "We shout for Brussels sprouts" and "We fuss for asparagus," but in the end ice cream won. So, we took a surprise trip to a local ice cream shop. Thank goodness for heated gazebos - it's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas!

Thursday Thanks #24

It's been a while. Too long, in fact, since I've posted a Thursday Thanks. This still isn't a return to regular posting (at least I don't think it is), but I'm glad to be here anyway!

Just a few moments ago, I commented on a blog. The question was, "What's your favorite day of the week?" Here's how I answered:

My favorite day of the week is Thursday. It's the day "Thursday Packets" come home from school. I can't resist looking at them as soon as possible! Over dinner, I let the kids talk about what's in their packets. Tucked inside we find school work or art work to talk about, and it gives our kids a good starting point to tell us about their accomplishments.

It's a great opportunity to celebrate their academic or creative achievement, or even talk about things that need a little improvement. Since it's over the dinner table and not at the homework table, we can even discuss potential improvement without it being a 'heavy' talk.

I'm thankful for the opportunity - and motivation - to celebrate the kids each Thursday!

Birthday with Grandpa H

While the fall brings its fair share of holidays, it also brings a couple of birthdays in our family. Last weekend, we went to the beach for the weekend to celebrate my dad's birthday. LOTS of photos, of course - here are just a few of my favorites.

Helping Grandpa with his cake. At this point, I think the candles have been blown out and the kids are helping 'clean' the candles - all that pesky frosting sticks to the base of the candles!

The weather was nice - only a little bit cool - and we got to play on the beach while we were there. Mister J enjoyed playing in the sand, running from - and getting caught by - the waves, and eventually soaking his pants even though he'd pulled his pant legs way up.

Miss M had a hard time holding still. She played in the sand and ran up and down the beach. I have a cute little snapshot of her ... feet. Most everything else has her blurry or with her back to me - typical Miss M, and I love those shots because they will always remind me of her energy and fun-loving spirit.

Our last day at the beach was Ice Cream Sundae/ay! We were cleaning out the fridge in the condo on Sunday morning and realized that the ice cream would not survive anyone's trip home. Well, you can't just toss perfectly good ice cream! So, we let the kids eat it for breakfast. I think Big J thought I was off my rocker, but Miss M and Mister J thought I was Mom of the Year! I wish I'd been quick-thinking enough to get my camera instead of my cell phone, but I think Aunt L has some better pictures on her camera.

We had a great time, Grandpa H! Happy Birthday!

Overheard #20

It's overcast today, and it was sprinkling during our drive to school this morning. Amidst the singing and other conversation was this exchange:

Mister J: Mommy, do the windshield wipers have eyes?
Mommy: No, they don't have eyes.
Mister J: Then how do they see the rain?

Of course, I explained to him that I control the wipers, but I was also struck by the reminder that there are plenty of things in our lives that are "everyday" to me, but are still waiting to be learned and explored by my children. Thanks, Mister J, for the reminder.

Thursday Thanks #16

If you think that this post sounds striking similar to this post, then perhaps as your read this week's thanks, you'll be reminded of this post.

I'm thankful for the fantastic summer camp that Miss M is attending, and for the wonderful mom-and-son time that Mister J and I have shared while she's been there! (follow that link to take you to the post I'm continually updating about our week)

Yes, two opposite-but-very-much-the-same weeks! In each instance, I have really enjoyed the time spent one-on-one. I've had a unique opportunity to see who they are when they are without the other, and I've gotten very special peeks at their individual natures. We have had uninterrupted conversations, tried new things, and done some 'ordinary' things made 'extraordinary' simply by being 'just the two of us'! Lovely!

Previous Thursday Thanks posts

No umbrella....

It's that time of year for afternoon pop-up thunder showers. We got into the grocery store just in time. The bottom fell out just as we were picking out our grocery cart. Miss M prefers the kid-sized ones, but they don't have them at this store. Instead, she chose one of those two-level, just-a-small-purchase-today carts. She helped push while I helped avoid a crash. We meandered through the produce department, picked up a little something for dinner, and headed to the front to check out. It was still raining as we left. I sat in one of the adirondack chairs out front while we waited for the rain to let up. She found a puddle. She splashed. She walked in and out of it to make footprints. She got her sandals very wet. She loved every moment of it. Then we decided to brave the showers after all. The rain had slowed a bit, but we still caught our fair share of raindrops on the way out to the mommy-van. We didn't melt. All is well.

Duck, duck, goose!

What was so important that Daddy called us out to the front porch on his way to work one morning? Hint: He told us we had to be quiet before we came outside.

We walked out on the porch, and looked out between the rails for a closer look.

Another hint: Geese sightings are a regular thing in our neighborhood, but this time was a little different.
Need a closer look?

These geese had babies! Nine goslings! We got to watch them eat our neighbor's grass, and the big one was on "high alert" as a car passed by on the street.

We were pretty excited, but managed to stay quiet and not scare off the geese. After we watched them for a little while, we decided it was time for our own breakfast - we were hungry!

Sweet Spontaneity

It was Family Night at Chick-Fil-A tonight - and the theme was princess night! It was also Free Cone Day at our local Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop, which opened last week. We decided to treat the kids to a surprise dinner out followed by ice cream. The weather was perfect, and we had a great time. Here are just a few snapshots of our fun, spontaneous evening.

Miss M is making a Princess wand, Mister J is making a pirate necklace. On the way to our next stop, the kids were in the back trying to use the wand to turn the mommy-van into a 'log with wheels' (since a log without wheels wouldn't roll and we'd miss out on the ice cream!).

A perfect evening - a magic princess wand in one hand and a free scoop of vanilla in the other!

I couldn't decide between these two of Mister J as he enjoyed his scoop of strawberry!


What a sweet, special, spontaneous evening!

Back Porch Snuggles

It was unseasonably chilly and overcast yesterday, but I still spent some time out on my back porch while the kids were napping. When Mister J woke up, he wandered downstairs and out to the porch. He had his fleece on, so he must have known where to find me. I figured we'd have just a short time before Miss M woke up, and dinner was simmering on the stove, but I still took a few moments for some one-on-one time with my first baby. I pulled him into my lap, and he curled up and snuggled against me. We had a few sweet moments together before the chill finally got to me. I'm sure he'd been cold from the moment he walked out, and maybe that was the biggest reason for the snuggles, but I'm still thankful for those quiet, sweet moments together.

Big J

My trusty laptop - the one I use to sit on the back porch and work while my kids play outside - is apparently in need of some MAJOR TLC. Nevermind that I have a desktop available as well, I'm disappointed about the laptop. (I know, you are wondering exactly where I'm going with this since it's a Thanks Tank post.)

So, rather selfishly on this point, I'm thankful for a husband who has enough knowledge and skill to FIX IT. This particular instance is just one reason I have to be thankful for him, though. Some other reasons I'm thankful for him -

• He takes care of the 'trophies' that our cat sets at the foot of the garage steps
• He encourages our son to pick up earthworms and do other stuff that Mom is just not quite cut out for (but I'm working on it!)
• He works full-time and runs our business as well - so I can be the part-time-work-from-home mom I never dreamed of being, but suddenly knew I wanted to be when our son was born.
• He is the financial 'nerd' to my 'free spirit' - even though I know most of you reading will have imagined the roles reversed. I'm a free spirit with control issues, so I can see how you would be confused.
• He thinks I'm beautiful, no matter what and even if I don't - and tells me so.

(6/13/10 ETA - I found this as a draft post, and haven't ever published it until today - though I kept the original post date.  I'm not sure why I never posted it, but I know my hubby deserves this credit, so I'm publishing it today!)

A Surprisingly Good Day

Today is the second day in a row that our attempts to go play at a local park have been thwarted by things beyond my control. I'm trying to help Mister J handle these disappointments with grace instead of grump, but must admit that I, too, was bummed when the sprinkles began just as we arrived at the park this morning. I let the kids get out for just a few minutes, but when the rain started falling harder (and neither of the kids was interested in sitting on a wet swing) we loaded back into the mommy-van to figure out Plan B. We ran a few errands and made plans to meet Big J for lunch.

We had a great lunch! The kids were very well-behaved, Big J and I got a chance to talk about a few things, and when it was almost time to go Mister J reminded me about our free doughnut coupons. The last time we'd planned to use them the kids misbehaved and lost the privilege, but I was willing to give it a shot today. Big J had to go back to work but asked us to bring one home for him. So, we said our goodbyes and then headed over to the nearby Krispy Kreme!

I gave the kids their coupons, then made them order on their own and give their coupons to the person at the register. I always hated when my mom made give my own order, but of course I understand why now that I'm a grown-up. My kids usually hesistate, but since they were ordering doughnuts they had a little extra incentive today and not a bit of hesitation.

While I ordered my doughnut (and one for Big J), the kids had already gone to pick out a table next to the Doughnut Theatre. No, I'm not making that up, and yes, at our Krispy Kreme, you get to watch them make the doughnuts!


It's tough to take pictures through the glass, but if you look closely you can see the proofing box in the photo above - and the doughnuts rising inside! They go up and down on a vertical sort of conveyor until they are ready to go into the fryer. They were making regular (sweet, delicious!) glazed doughnuts when we arrived today, but halfway through our doughnuts we saw that they were changing to the 'no-hole' doughnuts - the kind that end up as creme-, jelly-, or custard-filled doughnuts. We've never seen these being made before, and although the process is the same (rising, frying, flipping, frying, draining, and a ride through the sugary, white curtain of glaze) it was still exciting to see a 'new' kind of doughnut in the 'theatre'.

So, what kind of doughnuts did we enjoy today? The kids each ordered chocolate-iced doughnuts with sprinkles.
I ordered my favorite - chocolate-iced, custard-filled - and picked out a chocolate-iced, creme-filled one to take home for Big J. I may or may not have sent him a pix message with a photo very similar to this one:
I have to admit that when we rain started this morning, I did not have high hopes for the day. I was eager to get out of the house because Mister J was a little sad about our neighbors moving, and I wanted to get his mind off of the moving truck next door. (Thankfully, they will still be in the same town and we can still meet for playdates!) I knew there was a chance of rain, and we didn't make it to the park before the rain began. Hmph.

Now, though, I am thankful for a nice lunch as a family and some sweet moments with the kids (and for pix messaging - sorry, honey, that wasn't really 'sweet' of me, but you know I love you)! As 'everyday' as having doughnuts might seem, they really were some special moments for me, and hopefully for Mister J and Miss M, too!