A Stay Home Day

Not every day we have to run into town to preschool, or the Y, Target, or the grocery store. We call these days "STAY HOME DAYS, " (also know as SHD). William loves SHDs, almost as much as he loves preschool. Audrey would much rather go into town and go shopping or to "friends," the affectionate name for childcare at the Y. I have a love/hate relationship with SHDs. But here is what may happen on a SHD.

Lots of kids in one chair. They love to read....this could be attributed to my mother, who instilled a love of books into me, and my kids.

Many hours are spent constructing cities with roads and railroads running through them. William is creative. He is clever and full of problem-solving skills. He is much like his father. And he can smash a mean spider. I love him.

A picture=1,000 words. Audrey is wearing a flower girl dress under a too-big floral dress. She must always be the most elegant princess, even when pushing her baby-wielding little sis in a car. Nora cannot get enough dolls and stuffed animals. This is ok, because by child #3, there are lots of stuffed animals and she is the first to embrace them.

If it has been a long morning, by the time the kids are napping (yup, all 3 still nap), I am ready for a change of pace. Sometimes I sneak down to the lake for a few minutes of quiet.

I took these pictures Tuesday afternoon. The thinnest layer of ice had formed in our bay.

Sometimes the kids eat ice cream--sitting on the counter--when the husband is at work. He doesn't think kids belong on the counter. I choose my battles carefully with the kids. Sometimes counters are ok.

William takes full credit for Nora's development. He feels he was the one who taught her to walk and talk, and he is so proud of her!!

A few people have mentioned William and his underwear. Yup, there are lots of pictures of the kid in his underwear. Another battle I choose not to fight. Rule is appropriate clothing for school and at certain times at home (depending on the company), but always, ALWAYS, he must wear at least underwear. The kid is hot and active, so he is not freezing!

Picked up William from school Monday and the teacher asks if we took the boat out this weekend. Hmmm....nope. Took me a few seconds to realize he did not make up a story, rather, he was referring to 'his' boat over the weekend. ---Look closely at this picture. The table is his 'boat', on a 'trailer' of laundry baskets, being 'hitched' by a dog leash and pulled by his car. The living room was the 'lake' and the den was the 'shed' and the pillows are 'life jackets'.

Getting everything ready for the 'lake'.

This is not a staged picture. Audrey is passionate, about everything. Her room, and more specifically, her bed, is her sanctuary. She reads and plays in bed til she conks out. I am in the process of trying to convince her to switch to a bigger bed instead of her toddler bed. Her bed is so full, and she is unwilling to part with anything, her little body must be sore from sleeping so contorted!