Ahh...the peace and quiet

Justin has been gone for the day and will not return until tomorrow, so I've had the kids all by myself today. We had a really good day, not very eventful, but not too many tantrums either; I consider this to be a good day! I brought them to McDonald's for lunch--a treat for them because they like the food and the happy meal toys, and a treat for me because I don't have any clean-up. Plus, I really enjoy the looks that I get from others; it's sort of like we are a circus act! I remember when I use to bring the Gauldin kids out and around when they were little, and I often remarked, "I'm just the babysitter!" And, I remember being happy that this was the case because they were a lot of work; today, I didn't feel that same joy because I knew that I was the one who was responsible for supper, bath and bedtime! I'm the mom! :) At least Nancy got some peace during the day back then! I did run into a good friend there who didn't have his family with him, so he played our 'dad' for a few moments by getting ketchup and ranch for me! This was a very helpful surprise!

After naps, we had some supper---I made it---and then I decided to take them out for ice cream. Stella had her first tastes, and she loved it! She's fitting right in with the family!

The night has gone well; it's a nice routine that we've got going, and the kiddos seem to settle into it very well; I've also learned that if I just sing everything that I need to say, our time together just flows so much better; not sure why that it is, but I'm going to keep doing it.

I have a friend who had brain surgery this week; the tumor is (thankfully!!) benign. She's got two young children at home, and it's made me stop and think a lot since I heard the news. It's so easy to get bogged down by little things in life; lots of little things happened today, but it's easier to let go when you're reminded about how it could be. I'm thankful that my friend is recovering, and I'm thankful that I got to spend time being joyful with my own kiddos today.