Happy Weekend Y'all!

It's been a strange week...Monday night The Engineer took Little Bit to get her siblings from the Grands...and left me ALL BY MYSELF IN MY OWN HOUSE!!! That's the first time I've been ALONE in my house in months. It was really wonderful! REALLY. REALLY. REALLY. WONDERFUL. I love my babies, but oh, that alone time was a precious treat.

I've been under the weather and Little Bit's got a runny nose and is cutting at least one molar and so we skipped Bible Study Wednesday. It's just been a strange week.

We worked on some craft projects. Little Bit mostly ate her crayons. (Mom, those are the PRANG crayons you and Dad gave me for my birthday when I was a little girl - remember? They were "real artists crayons!" I always thought there was something magical about them. They're pretty special to me. Still.) 

Sister cranked out some homeschool work...we've said goodbye to Anne - she's waiting on the bookshelf for a few years - and we have eagerly welcomed Stuart Little.

We made a few collages. 

Little Man made two robots. Can you tell he's looking a tad bulky in that shirt? He dressed himself. Should you have peaked beneath those stripes, you would have found a golden colored sweater handmade by The Engineer's grandmother. It buttons down the front. Little Man put it on upside down. And then layered the stripes atop. 

We used "bleeding" tissue paper. It was a blast to work with. 

Sister made a "funeral scene." I'm not exactly sure what that's about.

One of the dogs left a wet yellow blob on the rug. By the time I realized what it was, it had soaked in pretty good. Little Man got the magnifying glass to further investigate. I wouldn't recommend it.

This little diva found Sister's purse, hung it around her own neck, and INSISTED on carrying that toy phone in hand. All. Morning. Long. Hee hee. 

I snapped this photo after diner and was struck by just how precious and beautiful life is. The messes. The fussy, teething baby. The days and nights of sometimes seeming monotony, and yet that is so much of what life is! So while I readied children for bed, and pulled covers up beneath chins, and whispered sweet goodnights, I tried to really look, to really see it all. And to hide it away in my heart. To savor now and in the days and weeks and months and mostly, in the years to come.

Let me introduce you to my new best friend. I found him on the shelf at Publix. Let me tell you, he will greatly motivate your little ones to consume not one, not two, but THREE bowls of soup. He is also quite capable and will likely motivate your six year old to spell and your three year old to pick out every number and letter he can identify. 

I can only think of one downside. He keeps the entire family's heads down and conversation will be limited to, "I found an 'e!' Do you need an 'e?'" "No, that's okay. I have an 'e' - oh wait, I just ate it. Yes, pass the 'e!'"

Happy weekend, y'all!