Small Circus

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . eagerly opening a new bag of Circus Animal cookies (I've been craving them for weeks and finally decided to buy some this morning) and discovering that it was only a quarter full. Even the cookies looked smaller than I remembered. I felt a bit cheated, but that certainly won't keep me from eating all of them.

. . . debating whether to let Daniel kiss Baby Anna now that he has a cold. I decided to wipe his nose often and let him kiss her hair.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . eating a night-before-school-starts cupcake with my kids after dinner.

. . . taking a nap.

. . . visiting a friend who thinks my baby is just delightful. It's good to be reminded that in addition to being substantial sources of stress, my children are endearingly wonderful, and my life is sweeter because they are a part of it.

Treasures Amid Chaos

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daniel chucking his cup of strawberry smoothie on the floor.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . visiting Joy's new classroom before she starts preschool on Wednesday. Joy had a great time meeting her teacher, decorating part of a bulletin board, and going on a treasure hunt to find different places around her classroom.

. . . Phillip giving Joy a priesthood blessing this evening in preparation for the new school year. Before he offered the blessing he took a minute to talk with her about it. I think his loving, reverent manner taught her more than words could what a sacred privilege it is to receive a priesthood blessing.

And another thing . . .

. . . this morning really drove home the fact that my life has suddenly become a lot more complicated. I had to wake Anna up early to get to the preschool tour in time, and it took a lot of time and effort to get the kids ready, then in and out of the car each time. Once we got home, I struggled to prepare lunch while Joy talked my ear off and the other kids were fussy. The rest of the day was much calmer, and before I know it I'll probably be handling three kids like a veteran circus juggler, but for now I'm reluctant to even take them all out of the house at the same time if I can possibly help it.

Trying Not To Cough

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . spending most of Relief Society suppressing the urge to cough. I really wanted to stay and hear the lesson, but I probably looked like I was sitting on a tack the whole time.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . my parents and sister coming to visit Anna (and the rest of us, too ;).

. . . relaxing on the couch with my sweetheart this evening. We'd both had a long, full day, and it felt good to just sit together and do nothing for a while.

And another thing . . .

. . . many babies find rides in the car soothing. Anna is not one of those babies.

Milk Maid Meditation

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . waking up super tired this morning. It was partly my fault for staying up a little late, and partly Anna's fault for waking me up so many times then getting up early.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . cuddling Anna and calling her "Milk Maid."

. . . folding and stuffing programs for church tomorrow with my husband (he's handling them for a clerk who's out of town). It's a fitting activity for the week of our anniversary, since that is essentially how we met: folding and stuffing programs in a singles ward, where Phillip was Sunday School president and I was ward librarian.

And another thing . . .

. . . both the big kids are currently obsessed with a certain toy. They often play with it together, and I have mixed emotions whenever I see them doing that. On the one hand, it's great that they're learning to cooperate. On the other hand, it's only a matter of time before things go awry, and there is no real way for me to tell who was responsible (and therefore who I should discipline or assist). So much of their playtime is like that--a perpetual teeter-totter of camaraderie and conflict.

. . . remember those breathing exercises you learned in childbirth class? I don't think I've ever used them while I was in labor, but lately I'm using them a lot when I feed Anna. The first minute or so after she latches on is just not fun (especially if Joy chooses that precise moment to start peppering me with questions).

. . . Google's spellchecker is just weird sometimes. It didn't recognize "Anna's" so I checked to see what alternatives it suggested. It proposed Ana's, Anni's, and Ania's, but not Anna's. Srsly?

Home with Fuzzy and Happy

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . forgetting a cardinal rule of newborn parenting: don't put on any shirt you care about until two seconds before you walk out the door, because it will surely be spit up upon.

. . . dribbling blueberry smoothie on my white shirt. Can't blame the baby for that one.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . attending an orientation for Joy's new preschool. I'm excited for her - I think she'll have a great time there.

. . . stroking Anna's soft, fuzzy hair.

. . . watching Joy and Phillip head off for a church daddy-daughter campout. I think they'll have a great time.

. . . hanging out with Daniel. He sure is a cheerful little guy.

Big Kids, Tiny Berries

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting a wicked cramp in my leg as I was sleepily stretching in bed this morning.

. . . trying to fix lunch right when Anna decided to start crying for no apparent reason.

. . . Phillip having to stay really late on campus. Eating dinner without my husband is kind of like trying to party if none of my guests showed up--it can be done, but it's hard to really put my heart into it.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Joy helping me tidy up the room.

. . . getting a bunch of little tasks done this morning.

. . . hugging Daniel (he's getting so big - he looks less like a baby and more like a boy every day).

. . . Joy reading to Daniel and helping him pick (miniscule) strawberries to eat from our container garden.

. . . learning that a friend successfully defended her PhD dissertation today. It's been a long, rough road, and I'm thrilled for her.

Cheers

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Joy cheering for Daniel when he won the game they were playing.

. . . hugging my husband.

. . . eating really good Italian bread a friend bought to accompany the dinner she made for us.