She's Kind of a Big Deal

Tomorrow, our little girl starts preschool. We went to the open house today, and as far as I could see from the families in the room, she was the only one who cried (loudly) when it was time to leave. We assured her she would get to come back first thing in the morning to play and make new friends.

This girl of ours? She's ready. Ready to carry a backpack. Ready to meet new kids. Ready to show them all what she knows, and hopefully will be willing to actually learn a thing or two.

She's our Abidoo. Abidale. Abi-smell. Abigailia. Babigail. Our Turkey. Our Peaches.
Our preschooler. And we love her.

All By Myself

Today, I had the pleasure of a little time for Amy, and it got me thinking of what I do during those sweet times. Sometimes I still have Sadie around, but she is usually pretty quiet and cuddly. Paul had Abigail out swimming for a few hours. Here is the list of Amy-time happenin's:

1. Sometimes I do all kinds of necessary, boring things. Fold laundry. Balance the checkbook (got it done today.....zzzzzzzz). Catch up the dishes.
2. I make important phone calls. Health insurance claims. Medical bills. Why the heck is our cable bill so high this month? You know, those kind of calls.
3. I text my friend Angie about how much more fun it would be if we were hanging out together.
4. I grocery shop at 10:30 at night because it is easy and quiet. And I am all about the easy and the quiet.
5. When I'm in the car all alone and flipping through songs on the radio, I stop and listen to Ke$ha sing "Your Love is My Drug." Hey, I think she sounds like a drunk sorority girl, but that chorus is so stinkin' catchy. And sometimes a Mommy just needs to hear a song like that...a stupid, annoying, catchy song.

And you come home with a little spring in your step (and try to refrain from singing "Your Love is My Drug" while feeding your baby).
Here's to a little alone time this weekend! Enjoy!

I Love These Things

I realize that I sometimes focus too much on the "tough times" of parenting. To say they have caught me a little off-guard would probably be an understatement. So from time to time, I do have to sit down and think of all the things I love about my girls, because they are plentiful.

I love having morning coffee with Abigail. It's decaf, and she asks for it every morning. I can somehow picture her as a college student, home for the summer, stumbling sleepily into the kitchen for her morning coffee. And maybe we will have great conversations, or maybe we will sit and stare for an hour while we wake up.

I love Sadie's noises. I call her a whiny puppy because that is pretty much how she sounds. When she is tired, she doesn't really cry, she just rubs her ear with her fist and whimpers. Whining doesn't sound so great when they are old enough to express themselves with words, but it is seriously cute to me when it's all they can do.

I love their involuntary foot movements. Sometimes I sit and watch Abigail's feet as she watches Blues Clues....they just move all the time, even when the rest of her is lying still. They touch toys around her, her toes curl. Sadie's tiny feet move while she nurses....she rubs one over the other, or crosses them so daintily. She kicks them when she gets excited. They don't even know what they are doing, but their feet are constantly expressing themselves.

I love their smell after a bath. I know that is an easy one, and any Mom would agree. I could inhale that scent forever.

I love that Abigail would have her Daddy never go to work and just stay home and play with her every single day if she could. They are just best buddies, and I love watching them together.

I love Abigail's enthusiasm over things like taking her vitamins or playing peek-a-boo with her sister. She gets excited about the little things.

I love that Sadie has "found her screecher". She screeches all. the. time.

I love introducing Abigail to things that Paul and I loved as children. We watched Anne of Green Gables as a family a couple of months ago, and she paid every bit of attention to Marilla and Matthew and Gilbert Blythe and Diana Spencer. Melted my heart. We took her to see Ramona and Beezus at the movies the other night, and she loved it. So yesterday we went to the library and picked out two Ramona Quimby books to read. I think I just have to break out Amelia Bedelia and she will be all set.

I could go on and on. Let's face it, even the really hard days of parenting pale in comparison to the really great ones. It's a vocation, and it is bound to have it's challenges just as any job, ministry, or calling would. But I am confident that these moments are not to be missed, because I know how fleeting they are.