L.O.V.E.

How do you spell it? Today i heard it. i read it. i smelled it. i tasted it. i held it. i felt it. Love. My man. Let me tell you. He went above and beyond today. For a girl's whose love language is time, he wrapped this one up for me and gave it to me with a big bow.

When I said my wish this morning was to run errands, with his help, and he said yes. Oh my! I can run around everywhere, all over, with four little people, but I prefer not to. So this guy of mine put aside a day at the office sitting in front of the computer, for a day sitting in the van. With me.

First stop - the bank. This is simple enough. However, somehow he knew to get more of his extra summer paycheck in cash. It certainly came in handy at our next stop - the local home school shop. They gave you 5% off your purchase if you paid with cash or check. We had the cash! We also had the place to ourselves for a bit. We arrived a half hour before they opened. I said my husband had come with me to help with the kids. This was our first stop. My other errands were far away. She let me in. *Thank you!* Jesse stayed out in the van and read "The Horse and His Boy" to everyone for 15 min. before joining me. Having an extra set of child holding arms, an extra set of child checking eyes, a partner to discuss education choices with was simply thrilling. (Sarah too was thrilled to find the next four books in the Narnia series.)

Next was the health food store for gluten free lasagna noodles. Again, he sat and read while I shopped. Our kiddos are great here. However, I'm always rushing. I want to grab my noodles and bulk foods before someone skips/bounds down an aisle a tad too enthusiastically or "helps" a bit too much with the bulk scoops. Also, it can be a challenge to find enough helper tasks for everyone - you get the bag this time, you write the number, now you get to relay the number to the number writer, will you get the twist-tie for mommy? And with Anna having her hands in everything now? Am I ever grateful I was rushing on my own!

On to lunch and Trader Joe's. I took Anna with me this time. Jesse walked everyone else over to their first Sonic visit. Strolling along with one little hand helping me push the cart was a delight. Plus, searching for the catfish, up and down the aisles, three times, high and low, wondering *loudly* when near an employee where oh where he could be, hoping for a hint - that all is getting old for me.

Last stop was the pet store. This one needed some focused time from me for a tricky return, purchase, then exchange. Attempting this while keeping everyone from petting every dog, playing with every toy and darting back to observe every fish was daunting. Instead, my transactions were seamless, and we all got to enjoy the fish together.

Simple, really, but today spelled love for me.

(PS For those of you in the "know", he also mopped the kitchen floor last night. *swoon*)

Where I've Been

Here's my favorite commercial, from back when we had TV. This is what I've been up to. Only, I don't look this good, even when I do have the chance to shower. I haven't been writing, so I'm removing that feature for a bit. It's depressing, since I know I'm forgetting things left and right. What have I been doing? Living. Diaper changes. Pillow fights. (Yes. I get Anna happy in another room, and we have at it for 5 minutes.) Breakfast. Shopping. Lunch. (No peanut butter here of course, but I have the same cutting board.) Baths. Dog. (and a cat now.) Dinner. Diaper changes. Outings. Walks. Bedtime. Stories. (*heart* how the baby sneezes here.) and Laundry! (Only, I don't use the dryer anymore.)

I do all that (and a few other things) holding Anna. She's asleep now, but when she's awake, she wants her mama, and she does not want her mama to sit at the computer. That is boring. A teething baby wants some entertainment to ease the pain. She also wants whatever you are eating or drinking, so beware. She may grab a handful of rice and stuff it in her mouth faster than you can respond. She may pat her hand right into your bowl of soup. (ouch! poor baby! It wasn't very hot, but still hurt.)

And that is where I've been. Living life.