All in a day at home

It's been a wonderful day! The boys woke up pleasantly. Zach didn't have an exploding diaper with poo everywhere, which is my first thought when I rouse every morning ("better go change Zach's poopy diaper before it oozes out and gets everywhere"). They hopped in bed with me to read a couple books while Doug kissed us good-bye for the day.

After breakfast (which Sam declared "It's a lovely day for pancakes, Mom!), we headed outside to brave the heat for a little while. They had fun until I told them to watch for a little beehive that a bee was protecting near the back door, then Sam wouldn't let me out of his sight.

Since I was stuck outside so Sam would feel safe, I swept out the shed and threw some stuff out. I found the sprinkler ball, hooked it up, and all three of us ran through it with our street clothes on. It was laundry day, so who cares? It felt good after we were sweating and the boys were covered with sand from playing in the sandbox. We headed inside for a drink after stripping everyone down at the door.

The TiVo remote was missing so we couldn't watch a video (and this was accepted w/o a fuss - surprise!) which gave the boys an opportunity to play and explore together. Recently, Sam and Zach are really having fun together. It makes me smile at what they come up with to do together. Before they "ate" their feast of playfood, I overheard Sam's instructions to Zach of the blessing. "You have to say, 'Dear Jesus, Zach'," which he followed by a simple prayer. While they were unloading all their toys into a pile in the middle of the kitchen floor, I pulled outgrown clothes out of their drawers and filled them with bigger stuff. I found myself smiling as I listened to their loud giggles at each other and their cute conversation.

We had a yummy lunch after cleaning up the big pile, and they took long naps while I finished the last loads of laundry. It's been a productive and FUN day! I'm so glad I get to stay home with my kids. I really should actually stay home more often, instead of running errands, meeting friends, or whatever. Life seems to go a lot smoother when the schedule is VERY flexible. To top off my wonderful day, Doug walked in the door at 4:30 and is now mowing the lawn. I'm off to make dinner ... chicken fried steak w/country gravy, potato delight (Heidi's recipe) and steamed cauliflower and broccoli with watermelon for dessert. Then, I'm headed out tonight with some girlfriends for some spiritual encouragement and fellowship, while Doug has some guy time with the boys. I didn't imagine today would be so fine.