This Day

Today was great. The kids played like champs after school. Building tents, minimal fighting (shocking). Sharing, working things out, no major injuries besides a couple of splinters, just great. My doctor appt went great and super fast. Saw my friend Sara in Encino and tired the kids at the park. Drank a cherry coke Slurpee which is so delicious and even bought strawberries at my favorite local stand (Tapia bros). They came in and cleaned up pretty amazing (thanks to me calling them 'troops', even didn't complain when they set the table. Dinner was delicious (thanks Amber for the tip, Cowboy Quesadillas even if I didn't have tomatoes and used brown rice) and the kids even ate it (minus P & L who requested 'regular quesadillas' tomorrow) and even made dessert, Eclair cake even though the kids didn't really eat it, they ate their carrots that I bribed the dessert with so there.

Dandy huh.

I needed a day like this because I have been the queen of crab. Is there anything higher than a queen? Crab crab crab. Seriously my kids are like who is this woman and what did she do with our nice and loving mother? The worst and best part, is those kids hug and love me when I'm crabby all the same. Saying, "You are the best mom" even when I know full well on the days I wasn't.

But then as days tend to be, it went south real quick. Ended with a spank (not my best parenting) and early bed time for Baylie---Darby stabbing the back of Luke's throat with a pencil when they were doing 'homework' while I was bathing the other two. Luke is fine now, but their was blood and I was just as mad at him for letting her do it (technically he had stolen her pencil and was holding it in his mouth by the tip and somehow got shoved in when Darby retrieved it....oh my goodness too close), but there was blood. Not my favorite to hear yelling from others when I can't move away from the bath (much like when feeding a newborn so I better get ready). So thats the taste of the day I have left, even though it ended with hugs and kisses and sweet sayings from my kids. The end of the day really matters, if you can end a bad day well, then how sweet and if a great day is spoiled at the end its painful. So I'm looking at these cute pictures of my kids when the day was still peaceful and amazingly, like my kids are and know they can be.



by the end of the day Paisley has always taken her hair do out and here is the result.

Funny things about Paisley today...

Twice I found wads of long blonde hair in her tight fists from poor Baylie's head. She will not let go.

While at the doctor, I was showing them Paisley's tricks (cause after coming so much kinda running out of things to chit chat about). "Paisley, say baby" (she rocks a baby in her arms) "Paisley, where's your belly button?" And then I joke to Dr. Kohn (who thankfully I"ve known about ten years now), "See, she's like my little puppy!" And then upon hearing the word puppy, Paisley jumps down on all fours and wags her tongue. It was pretty awesome. What a talented little girl (who is now 20 months). Work what cha got Little P.



Darby was the only one who would let Paisley in her tent. But then she wouldn't let Baylie in, but fortunately Luke did and Luke also helped fix Darby's tent the many times it fell. (there was that one time Darby climbed under the trampoline when Luke was jumping and got hurt, but we won't think about that part)



Luke and Darby were speaking boy talk. They had fake phones and kept talking to each other. "where is your weapon, Over." Nothing better than when they play together well, nothing. Especially when he forgets they are girls and lets them just be boys with him.



Paisley early at the hot park with her hair still intact.



Paisley is so good with her pacifier now, she can even do tricks, like reverse holding. Love the pink Bama jersey, sending the good vibes and prayers to Bama. Nasty tornado.

Other cute things to remember about today, after dinner when Luke let Paisley hold his arm and lead him all around the house wherever she wanted to go. This morning when Baylie and Paisley were holding hands running up and down the hall.

Now my dear Baylie, I do love you. You are my blue eyed girl. I know we have been butting heads lately, but you are my sweet, beautiful, smart Baylie, remember. But we have got to stop throwing fits when you don't get your way, and mom will try and stop reacting so poorly to your fits. Sorry it took me so long to realize you were just tired. Maybe you are moody just like me now? But you are the only one who will talk to the baby using her name and its so cute when you say it. Even if I'm not 100 percent sure that is what she will be, I love it. Thanks. I love having you home with me during the day.

A few weeks ago Baylie and I were having a picnic while Paisley was sleeping. We had just gone to Trader Joes and were enjoying our loot on a blanket outside. She was eating some strange salad I had gotten and enjoying it more than me and then she just swung on the rope. And I had the thought, if Baylie was my only child, I would still be perfectly happy and content. I would still be a mother and would enjoy it just as much. You aren't more of a mother because you have more kids. Just a mother to more people. I didn't need to have more children because something was missing with the others. It just felt right. But we did have more and it makes life more crazy than it would have been. But Baylie was my third baby. And if I would have stopped with Darby and Luke, I wouldn't have been able to hold her and watch her on the swing. Siblings are a gift to each other, and to us, despite the mayhem that goes with it.

A stranger I talked to at the grocery store when I was shopping alone asked me how far along I was, and when he found out it was my fifth he said, "What are you crazy?" And I said, "Yep, a little bit." Because having another baby means we are going to be busier, more crowded, less time and money. Sure sounds pretty crazy, but I can't wait to hold this little girl (and see if she has any hair) and if I can push through the pains I've been getting when she kicks me too hard or the crabby (very crabby) days, then we can all celebrate this new little McCoy together. I can't imagine not having one of my kids with me, and Jason feels the same. Our family wouldn't be us without Luke, Darby, Baylie and Paisley and a good looking husband to be the dad. As crazy as days end up, my kids aren't sick, Jason has a job, my shots are working....life is good. Plus, everything seems better in the morning.