Back to reality

I was realizing the other day that we finally seem to have finished the transition to being indoors most, if not all, of the time. (I know, I know ... it's January, but it takes me a LONG time to get over the fact that we can't play outside anymore.) We have been able to find enough outlets for the pent up physical energy (running laps, jumping mattress, etc.), in addition to being able to appreciate the toys, books, and craft projects that we put aside during the spring/summer/fall.

Last week we transitioned fairly successfully to having Matt back at work, although we all missed him lots. Unfortunately, in the course of re-entering the real world, Kate and I caught a mild cold. After our really nasty virus this past summer, this kind of cold doesn't phase me much.

We had Mary, Audrey, and Carson over for dinner on Wednesday (dad/father was out of town on business so this was a nice distraction for all involved). All of the kids were very energetic and bouncy, literally, but of course that didn't make ours sleep in any later. I think Thursday was a 6 a.m. morning for Anna ... ugh. We saw the same friends on Thursday morning at Bible Study, and again on Friday morning at an impromptu 2nd birthday party for another friends, Lukas. By that point, Anna commented to Mary that "we've just been seeing you guys EVERYWHERE!" :)

Sunday was a pretty busy day in our house. After church and Sunday school, my mom took Anna and I out for lunch. She happened to be in town for a conference and we thought this might be a nice treat. Anna was such a little lady for our lunch date, except for when she kept dropping the mac n' cheese on her lap ... Then we had some friends over for the Packers game in the afternoon/evening. Busy day, but definitely good.

Here's a couple of random stories from our house.

Kate really likes to feel included right now, especially by Anna. More often than not, if Anna announces her plans to do something ("I'm going to play with my baby" or "I want Daddy to read a book with me" or "I'm going to do a puzzle"), Kate continues without missing a beat "I'm going to do (insert whatever Anna said here), TOO!"

The girls decided one day last week that it would be fun to scream at each other during lunch. Not mean or angry screaming, just happy, REALLY loud high pitched screams. After they went back and forth once or twice, they both looked at me with a "is it okay if we do this kind of thing?" look. I informed them that if they wanted to scream at one another for fun, I didn't mind as long as they did it in another room with the door closed. After lunch they did just that.

We continue to be amazed at how kind Anna is; she is often thinking of others' feelings and of what she can do for them. Last night when our friends came over, she spent the first half hour or so trying her hardest to make Joy (18 months) feel comfortable. She brought her toys, tried to show her around the basement, etc. Today we made zucchini bread to go with dinner and our recipe makes two big loaves (or four little loaves); we can never eat it all while it's still fresh. So Anna picked out a couple of neighbors she wanted to give the extra bread to, made them both cards, and we went for a walk after dinner so she could hand deliver them. Of course, she is still a self-centered preschooler, but not ALL the time :)

And finally, this morning Shadow thought it would be fun to curl up in the doll carseat. Both Anna and Kate (and Matt and I, too) thought this was the funniest thing!