THE PARK POST

Last night was cereal night. You know one of those nights where no one likes what you made for dinner (admittedly it was stale mac n' cheese) and you just don't have the energy to try again. I was just getting ready to head out to get Paige from dance when Sydney tripped and spilled all her fruit loops on the ground. After the initial gasp, Mike and I just looked at each other and sort of laughed. He told me he'd clean it up and to just go. I think he could sense the tiredness in my face after a long weekend of him being on call and having the kids off school yesterday. When I returned home the spill was cleaned up, Sydney was in bed, and Mike was reading with Jackson in his room. The other two girls finished up their dinner (graham crackers and milk :)) and EVENTUALLY found their beds as well. Around 11:30 we hear Jackson puking in his bedroom. Apparently he wasn't awake enough to make it to the bathroom next door, so it was everywhere it shouldn't have been. A...

McKell is a person that actually enjoys practicing something over and over until she can do it. That requires a lot of patience, repetition, and determination. It is fun to see her enjoying music so much!

Sydney has been recognizing words here and there for awhile now, but last night she actually started reading all of the words together. This morning when I went to go wake her up, she already had her light on and was reading "Hop on Pop" again to herself. Then she brought the book up to breakfast and read while she ate. I think it's all starting to click for her. The good Dr. has helped teach all of my kids to read. Gotta love him!

What are little girls made of? Sugar and Spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of. When Mike and I go out for the night, the make-overs are a common occurrence. They have discovered make-up, mirrors, perfume, polish, hair spray and serious attitude. Where did all our little girls go?

Jackson rushed in from school today with his first book report in hand. He was so excited to show me he had typed a full paragraph. I was ecstatic because he normally hates anything that includes reading or writing. The font was beautiful, the punctuation looked good, it seemed as though there were even complete sentences. Then I read the second sentence. "At least he's reading," I kept mumbling to myself.

There are not many women that enjoy getting older, but my mom is one of them. She has aged gracefully and grown into herself more with every year. She continues learning and is finally getting close to her bachelor's degree which she put off for over 40 years in order to raise her kids(and her husband). She serves others like no one I know. She has been my moral compass and since having kids myself I appreciate and apologize to her often. She has taught me that who I am becoming is what matters most. Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!