When you have a baby people offer you all sorts of odd, unsolicited, terrifying, and often contradictory pieces of advice. One that I have heard over and over the past 9 years is “Don’t blink.” And I have tried really hard not to. I have tried really hard to savor the chaos. It’s a large part of the reason why I blog. I want to record the every day. The funny things they say, the crazy outfits they pick out, the battles we engage in, the toys they love… and yes, even the unending laundry pile, and the sink overflowing with dishes… Because I know what those who have gone before me have told me is true… the days are long, but the years are quick.

We celebrated our son’s 9th birthday this weekend at the Shire. Our son has been quite taken by The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings this year. His attention was sparked by the Lego LOTR game, then Scott and him read the Hobbit and he is now reading The Fellowship of the Ring. For his cake, he requested a volcano to look like Mt. Doom. The kids pulled together some costumes… We have from left to right, Gimli, Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, and Aragorn.

Since birth she’s always been trying to keep up with the older two. And most of the time, because she can hold her own with them, I think of her and treat her like she’s older than she really is. One night last week as we went in to peek on her before going to bed we saw her sleeping in her bed with her stuffed animals and dolls lying all around her… it was a little nest of sorts with her in the middle of her beloved toys.

When I walked outside today and felt warmth, my heart was instantly happy. It’s a balmy 75 degrees today and I.LOVE.IT!! This is my ideal temp. I love being able to walk around in flip flops and head out the door without thought of a jacket. I love not being at all chilly. So of course when I picked the kids up from tutorial today, I brought my trusty ball cap because I knew we’d be staying after for football, and flower picking, chatting with friends, and the latest development in after school play time….

I remember when my son was in kindergarten he came home and told me he asked a girl in his class to marry him. “What did she say?” I responded. “No. So I told her,why don’t we wait till we are older to decide.” I cautioned him that should he ever want to propose again, he should talk to us first and then talk to the girls parents first. I remember this so vividly b/c I knew, I knew there would come a day when he would balk at such a discussion.

After a week of fun, friends, field trips, house work, sleeping in, and even a camp fire, we’re topping off our Spring Break with a long weekend at Grandma and Papa’s. I have found that packing up the circus crew of 6 for even a weekend away, can at times be a bit overwhelming. And while the kids love to help pack, sometimes they are anything but helpful. So, I found a system that works pretty well for us.

This morning we said a very tearful goodbye to our beloved Maggie dog. She’s been a faithful and loving part of our family for 10 years. When Scott and I brought her home in March of 2003, she was the center of our little family. Then she lovingly welcomed, one child after another to the circus fam. She stood guard under their bassinets and cribs. She gave them something to look at during tummy time.

I don’t really know what it is that possesses a child to just randomly on a whim pick up that crayon and suddenly decide to make the world (or in this case the bathroom) his canvas. We have crayons out every single day in our house. I do my best when I see a stray one on the floor to nab it lest it suddenly look inviting to my toddler. But, truly they are laying on the school table, in reach, every single day.

Last weekend was our Cub Scout Pack’s Pine Wood Derby race. It is one of the favorite Cub Scout traditions. Scott and our oldest son worked hard on the car. My son had one focus: speed He wanted his car to be as fast as possible. Whenever they discussed designs or modifications, speed was always his deciding factor.  He designed his car to look like Bullet Bill from Wii Mario Kart.

Scott has been a huge help and support to me this week… taking time off of work so I can rest up (apparently surgery takes more out of you, then you anticipate)… driving the kids to their activities, helping with school, and meals and cleaning up… So, today, I thought I’d show my appreciation and wear my “My Husband Rocks” tee shirt. My 7 year old looked at my shirt, read it aloud and said, “So, why did you wear that today?