We Don't Have Ugly Friends

What a blessed day! The kids were happy, I had a grown up girls' morning out, the sky was gray, and I got to go on a date with my husband. What's there to complain about?

I woke up still feeling a bit sore from the barre class I had taken on Wednesday. Woohoo! That means it's working, right? I then received a call from a friend I haven't seen in a while. She made a point of making sure we got together today. So I dropped the kids off at my mother's for 2 hours and then went to visit with her for a bit. It was quite refreshing. :D

When the kids and I got home it was time to crack down on our home study. Izzy told me today that math and science were her favorite subjects (my heart did happy cartwheels when I heard this!). She kept asking for more and more math homework. About 2 hours into it I made her take a break. 

Starting math for the day.

Izzy and HQ asked me to turn on some more Muzzy. Izzy has already learned a few spanish words in two days. I wonder if this will continue. HQ hums along with the Muzzy songs, but doesn't say a whole lot yet. What if she ends up speaking more Spanish than English? Hmmm. Izzy said she'd like to learn French as well. Could she make my heart melt more?

However she had me in deep thought for a bit today...
‎"Mom, how come we don't have any ugly friends?"
"Izzy, that's not nice"
"What? I said we DON'T have any ugly friends"
"Because it isn't nice to suggest anyone is ugly"
"But I didn't. You did. You could have said 'because there are no ugly people'"
I seriously did NOT have a response for this! I started to think, did she bait me? No, I don't believe she did. I think she tried to backtrack when she thought she was going to get in trouble and that's what came out. I'm a chronic over thinker. I fear Izzy may have gotten this from me! 

Where did HQ and Izzy go?

 HQ's vocabulary is taking on a life of it's own. She surprises us with several new words a day. Her new favorite is "hewp" (help). She says it for anything. If she's put in her car seat and wants to get out we hear it. When she wants her shoes on, a tutu change, a door open etc. When she wants something to eat or drink it's "hewp! mo milk peas", or "hewp! mo opcorm peas!". Little goof.

Locke and Izzy dancing.

Ty and I also went on a last minute double date. We had already booked my mother to babysit for some plans that had fallen through. It was a much needed night. Some drinks and a lighthearted dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I don't think I have been there in 6 years! It was perfect. We are so blessed with some awesome friends. :)

Today flowed smoothly (well, until receiving the letter mentioned in my previous post). Izzy got her home studies done early. We are learning about the seasons and what causes the change. She has decided she does not want to live at the equator and thinks it's pretty funny that the seasons in the southern hemisphere happen opposite to here. We even gave "Muzzy" (the children's language program) a try for the first time. Izzy and HQ were entranced, but they aren't speaking Spanish yet. Hmm.  

Enjoying his organic spinach and carrots. 

Ty got home from work and we left for Izzy's soccer practice. As always she had a blast. Ty also really enjoyed today's practice since it was held at his old high school. He got to tell me all about where he did what. :) Izzy got to check out the high school volleyball practice and decided she'd like to try that next year. Yay!

Soccer practice!
Please hum "Eye of the Tiger" while looking at this. Ty hummed it all through the girl's warm ups.
It really sets up the ambiance.

Trying to kick little leaves onto our blanket.

I tried a new crock pot recipe tonight. It was ridiculously good! It even got the girls to eat shiitake mushrooms (which are so good for you) and they don't like mushrooms. I'm so happy about all the leftovers! A crock pot is a much needed item for every kitchen.

We're Bad Parents?

So I received "fan mail" today! How exciting! Only it was kinda in the form of "I can do way better than you" mail. I will "read" part of it to you (with her permission).

"Hey Bob,

...but yesterday's bothered me. You claimed you and your husband did everything you could possibly do but your baby still had a "tantrum" in the library (I put quotes there because that was your wording, not mine). I think this was largely dishonest on your part. If only to yourself. There is no way a perfectly normal child should ever have a tantrum. It disrespectful to you, her, and rude to fellow library patrons. Did you think perhaps she had a shortage of food, didn't want to be at the library, or didn't receive enough love that day? I am not suggesting that you don't love her, from reading your blogs I know that is not the case but sometimes middle children go neglected. You know? Especially in a family as large as yours. I have no children of my own but I know for a fact they will never resort to such behavior because they will always have everything they need. I will also never take them anywhere they don't want to go. I don't know why parents insist on forcing kids to go places they don't like. And I don't mean I plan on buying my kids everything they want but what I am talking about is that they will be provided for emotionally. I don't mean to preach but you know. Perhaps you are wearing yourself thin and a spa day or weekend away with your closest friends is in order..."

I received this right after having a mini argument (which later turned into a big one) with a friend who constantly throws homeschooling jabs at me. So I found this even more irritating than I normally would. Come on... I don't hand out parenting advice (unless asked) to any other parents. I know how annoying it can be to receive unsolicited advice and the LAST person I would want any from is from someone who didn't have kids. Even doctor's change their tunes when they have kids. So many times I hear things like, "I was reading this book about parenting and they said..." or "I took this class on raising kids...". I don't care, you are not an expert. AND unless you have had 10 kids who all grew up into perfect/self actualized adults who then proceeded to raise all their own children into perfect adults then perhaps I will consider you an expert. This doesn't mean you will never have anything valid to say, but be cautious as when you do voice your "expertise" most parents wont take to kindly to it.  

I am not a expert either. Nowhere close, but I know my kids. I don't pretend like I know how to raise anyone else's. I personally believe you are the parent to your child for a specific reason (I include foster and adopted children in this as well). And I believe that YOU are the perfect person to raise said child/ren. Does that mean I believe you are or I am a perfect parent, no. Does it mean I think we can fail at times? Absolutely. In fact, I've gone to bed crying because I believed that I had somehow ruined the rest of my child's life with a mistake (or two, or a hundred) I had made that day. However there are very few things I believe are true in raising all children such as: no beating, berating, neglecting. They all need limits and love. The rest is up to you. Yes, I have my theories and opinions and they work for me and our family. Children are still people.. and therefore individuals. They learn and react differently from each other and even from their siblings. My husband and I are still learning, but I think we're on the right track.

Things I Took For Granted

Tonight Ty and I had the privilege of being the parents of "that kid". You know, the one having a meltdown in public. Yes, HQ chose to have a random tantrum inside the library. Why? I don't know. Conditions were optimal. She had been napped, fed, and was carrying items that usually hold her attention and keep her happy. But for some strange reason, she chose to lose it in the library. It did work to our benefit I guess. The gentlemen checking us out waived our "look up" fee. This made me think of what it was like going to the library before having kids. It was so much more boring, but it also made me think of the things I took for granted before having kids.  

Things I Took for Granted Before Having Kids: 

Showering Daily: What was once routine has become A LOT of work. If I am without Ty (which is 5 days a week) that means baby needs to be in sight (or sleeping and I have a monitor handy) and HQ also needs to be in ear shot or sleeping. I usually opt for the latter with HQ since she doesn't like being stuck in the bathroom if she can't be in the bath. 

Doing ANYTHING outside: Even walking to the mailbox is an event in our home. Since it's a bit of a walk the baby and HQ need to go with me if Ty's not here. And of course Izzy doesn't want to be left alone. Then we have to find shoes. And maybe a jacket. And maybe a favorite toy or blanket... TO GET THE MAIL. 

My Body: My body isn't what it once was. I've had 3 kids and a miscarriage in a pretty short period of time.  I think that one is self explanatory, but it is still a work in progress. 

Clean clothes: Seriously.. just washed or not, it's been a long time since I left the house is something that didn't have something on it. Usually around the shoulder area. This one also goes for Ty. 

High heels: try chasing a toddler or wearing a baby (in my case both) around the grocery store in those. 

Relaxing baths:  Unless my kids are asleep or not home this is impossible. The moment that bathroom door closes a barrage of "mama"s and "mommy"s come flying out of my kids' mouths. HQ even sulks outside the bathroom door. The moment I open it I get a huge hug from her as if I had been lost for years and then she dumps me for a box of blocks.   

Doing my hair: What was once almost annoying to do has become a luxury I can't really afford. For one, I rarely get the time and two, even if I do have the time I debate whether or not having fancy hair is worth having it in reach of hands still eager to grab hold of it. 

Wearing earrings: my babies have always thought I was wearing chew toys on my ears and they need to rip them off so they can be used properly.  

Sewing: Before I had kids or even after I just had Izzy. I sewed A LOT. I also made good money doing it. I remember hearing many women telling me "I used to sew, I haven't in years since I had kids". I remember thinking well, I bet you don't like sewing HALF as much as I do or you would MAKE time. Man did I know NOTHING. I have maybe 5% of the time I once did to dedicate to sewing. It's easy for a month to go by where I have sewn nothing and it drives me coo coo!

"Just going to be in & out": Like when you need to grab one thing from the grocery store or stamps from the post office. There is no way. So instead of putting myself through that I will usually just improvise with what I have.  

Doing Nothing: If I sit down for a moment I immediately notice even more of what needs to be done. I usually get right back up again. You'd think I'd be thinner... I love cleaning and chasing my kids around the house, and now that I am typing this, I don't really miss "doing nothing" so never mind. 

But even with all this I wouldn't trade where I am in life with anything. Most of life and love is sacrifice. If you can't find joy in the sacrifice, life is going to seem a whole lot longer than it is. But not in a good way.  

Eating Dinosaurs for Lunch.

Izzy asked to do chores after her homework today. She claimed that I haven't let her clean anything other than her room lately. Feeling like a terrible mother, I had her help clean the bathroom and afterwards she decided to sweep the kitchen and wash the windows. And although the windows are more smudged than they were before the girls cleaned them I couldn't help but feel proud that my kids wanted to help out.

Washing windows.
The main reason I had kids was so I would never have to do clean/cook for the rest of my life.

My baby is so tough he eats dinosaurs for lunch!

HQ is at the age where she really likes to draw. I love it! She is so proud of everything she does. The only thing is she is also at the stage where she feels the world is her blank canvas. This means in her mind nothing is off limits. The table, books, clothes, the baby...  She will always run to grab something to wipe off whatever it is she just drew on as most of the surfaces in our home are cleanable. I am surprised she hasn't headed for the walls yet. Well, there is always tomorrow.

My little artist.
Notice that she is wearing one glass slipper. She never wears both.

Some of her artwork... our leather couch. A fine example of why you should not plan on owning anything new/nice while you are raising children. I constantly have to remind myself that we are raising children, not furniture/clothing/carpet/or anything else of worldly value.

Well, provided HQ's runny nose is under control I should be heading to barre class tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to it. Last time I had my hiney handed to me. It was awesome.

Smoochin'

With the girls gone I hoped to have an easy lazy morning with just Locke. Nope. He woke up at 5:15am ready to play! Is it ingrained in all kids? Like some sixth sense that makes them subconsciously realize mommy is relaxing way too much, I must help her see the error of her ways! Lucky for them I love them.

Poor sick Ty had work at 5am today. We had to cancel on a birthday picnic for a sweet friend of ours due to sickies. We felt awful, but she said she had a great time anyway (which sounds almost impossible since we weren't there) Yay!

My girls all ready for church with my parents.

While Locke and I stayed home we did some light cleaning and some game watching improvisation. Since we live in California we don't get all the Vikings' games unless we pay LOTS of money for them. So Locke and I just watched the updates and the little animation of the ball moving across the field "live" and listened to some Burlap to Cashmere and Led Zeppelin. Locke enjoyed watching my touchdown dances. Once halftime hit and the TD's stopped coming for us, he was less interested.

Checking The Viking's score.

Ty came home from work still sick, he didn't seem too much worse but he had picked me flowers. He picked me flowers while he was sick! I was mad and romanced at the same time. For those of you that live in So Cal you know that it's really hard to find places where you can legally pick flowers. Anyway, I totally appreciate picked flowers over store bought flowers any day! I think it's so much more romantic to think my husband took time out to find and pick flowers than if spent 5 minutes online or on the phone with 1800flowers and said, "I dunno she likes yellow. Just something pretty for under $50". Needless to say he got some good smoochin'.

We then rested for the afternoon and waited for the girls to come home. It was a much needed relaxing and restful day.

We know Uncle Max could use a little cheering up, so Izzy wrote him a letter.
Here is part of her letter, complete with rainbow lettering AND a rainbow.

Tonight is the second night HQ is sleeping in the top bunk. I say "in" because it has one of those bed tents on it. She seems pretty happy about it. ALL of her favorite toys and books fit in there since it's a twin mattress instead of the crib sized one. I really can't see how she finds that comfy, but as long as she has her silky blanket or sheet and at least 3 stuffed Hello Kitty toys, she's good to go. 

Roll it Down a Hill

It was so hard getting the girls up this morning for the soccer game. We had to leave by 8, so that meant getting 3 kids dressed, fed, and making sure we had all the game gear. Ty worked, so he ended up missing Izzy's first game. Fortunately she still had a good support group there for her. My parents, sister, and Ty's mom showed up.

As we walked down to the field Izzy squealed with delight when she saw the kids in all their different colored uniforms. "Now THIS is real soccer!" she said with quite a sparkle in her eye. She immediately ran up to a fellow Unicorn and they excitedly talked about how excited they were. Too redundant?

She may look cute here, but she's actually keeping an eye on her sister in hopes that she could steal her ball
and roll it down a hill.

This was just funny to me. HQ walking down the middle of the soccer field just not caring.
You know, like a honey badger. 

The Blue Pixies were much more aggressive than The Pink Unicorns were. I believe the score was 2 to 873453874. But all the kids seemed to have a great time anyway.

Epic soccering going on here!

Still pickin' wedgies... 

Locke loving being in Grandma Orpi's arms!

Enjoying the game from the best seat in the house!

After game cheer!

 After her game, Izzy was picked up by one of her best friends to head to a big ol' fancy picnic complete with water slides! Ty and I asked my parents if they wouldn't mind watching the other two so we could go out on a much needed date. Ty was starting to feel sick, but we were not going to pass up some complete child freedom!

We went to Subway (hello $2 deal!) for some romantic lunchage and then loitered around one of the seasonal costume stores. It was fun to just be able to walk around and hold hands without having to quickly let go because some little person dropped something or is about to run out in the street.

Ty got a little worse and my mother agreed to keep the girls overnight to let us just rest. We took our date home and drew each other "family pictures". Totally Ty's idea. He's a lot better at drawing than I am. I am not posting mine... it stunk :)

From my awesome husband. Alright! I'm a sucker for cute stuff.. sheesh!
Can you guess who the ghosts are? :)

Time to join Ty in sleeping. Being sick is overrated. 

First Day of Extra's!

First Extra's day!! Izzy has been looking forward to today. She gets to go in and see her fellow homeschool buddies and do a little class work. HQ goes into her 2's and 3's class for some singing, snacks, and a project with other little buddies her age. I would LOVE to see how she does in there... maybe I'll peek next Extra's day. Locke goes into the nursery to bond with fellow babies... or just to stare at them.

I set my alarm clock for one hour before the girls usually get up to give myself some alone time. Of course the girls managed to wake up 5 minutes before my alarm even went off. So instead of a nice quiet morning I had a nice chaotic one :)

Fighting over who gets to hold Izzy's hand for ring around the rosie. She's so cool.

I was in the nursery. We had 5 little boys in there! All of them were tired, but most were too stubborn to take a nap.

Some of the little men in the nursery.

HQ and I check out the "Hope in Action" tables for some food. You aren't actually supposed to let your kids over there, but HQ didn't take no for an answer and helped herself to a baguette. She actually bit it in the middle and then ate it in half. It looked pretty barbaric!

Enjoying half a baguette... that she stole!

When we got home Locke turned into a mini crazy person! My normally very calm and smiley baby was crawling and pouncing all over the place! He giggled, and yelled. He even flung diapers all over the living room! What the heck happened to him? But it was pretty cute. 

Lucky for Izzy, a very sweet family brought her to the park after school and even to a local fair! She actually still isn't even home yet. I'm sure she's exhausted, but I'll bet she had a blast! 

Izzy and some chums :) 

Tomorrow it's The Pink Unicorns vs. The Blue Pixies. Izzy's first soccer game. How exciting! 

Overtime

Today was Ty's first day at his new job. I got so spoiled having him home in the morning. It was depressing being awoken with a "good-bye" kiss instead of a "good morning" one.

Because of his new job, this was the first morning in a few months that I had 100% kid duty. I usually fed the baby while he got the girls ready or he'd get the baby ready while I figured out breakfast. I was worried about having to get back into doing it all again! With the exception of being sick it wasn't too hard to get back into the old routine. But I am afraid I must admit, the girls were couch potatoes longer than I like and I made them as super lazy lunch because I was sick... eh, they didn't mind. Let's just hope they don't get used to it!

Homestudy stuffs!

Ty really enjoyed the first day at work. He came home in the late afternoon tired, but happy tired. Plus this job promises no more than 14 hours a day.. phew! But at least it's time and a half for overtime. Not like when he was working two jobs (16 hours) with no overtime. He was home just in time to accompany us to Izzy's soccer practice!

Are we excited to go watch Izzy practice soccer?!!

Pretending she was sitting on a penguin egg while waiting for  practice to begin.

Practicing.

Locke's ready for soccer!

After soccer we went to pick up a couple white chocolate candies in celebration of National White Chocolate day. Granted I can't taste anything with my cold, but I still enjoyed the sentiment!

Izzy took a nasty spill at soccer today. I tried to get a picture of her gnarly scratches.
Just as I took the picture HQ opened the trash revealing a lovely aroma of dirty diapers.

The kids are down early. I think Ty and I will call it an early night as well.

Starstruck

Ty and I just celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Yippy!! I am crazy in love with my husband, so the 3 years have gone by so quick but at the same time I feel like I have been with him my whole life. Is that weird?

I woke up the morning of our anniversary sick. A full blown cold. BLEH! I suppose Izzy must have lent me some of her sick bugs. Ty tried to allow me to rest all morning so that I wouldn't feel any sicker by date time, but having three kids doesn't make that easy. They still needed to be fed, dressed, and somewhat entertained. Whenever I am sick Izzy makes me what seems likes hundreds of get well love notes/pictures, and I love them, but this means she wants to show me each one the moment she finishes whether or not I am sleeping.

Not letting me nap.

Showing Ty a map of the US Highways

By 4pm my mother had both the girls. Locke came with us since he's not sleeping through the night (so he can't spend the night at Gramma's yet) and we didn't want to be put on a time budget with kid pick up.

Ty and I headed off to LACMA for the Tim Burton exhibit. Since I have been a ginormous Colleen Atwood fan since I was a teen I was ecstatic! Seeing some of her costumes up close is my version of "starstruck". It took every ounce of will power in my body not to feel the stitch lines in the horseman's cape or the resin, metal, and rubber of Edward's ensemble. I wanted so bad to smell the mustiness on the garments that is trademark to costume houses. But since we were not allowed to touch the costumes, I was content to see them in person. I had completely forgotten I was sick. I think Ty enjoyed watching my expression to everything more than the exhibit. He's such a romantic. :D

Locke never made a peep and as we headed back to the car I felt like I had just spent the whole day at Disneyland. That is until I sneezed my brain out scaring my poor unsuspecting baby. We calmed him down and went to get some sushi. We brought our food home and put Locke to bed so we could enjoy it alone. After dinner we watched the ever romantic flick Big Trouble in Little China. It was the perfect anniversary.  :)

Thinks Twice

A MOTHER ALWAYS HAS TO THINK TWICE, ONCE FOR HERSELF AND ONCE FOR HER CHILD. ~SOPHIA LOREN

This quote has always been at the back of my mind and I haven't never given it a whole lot of thought until it became quite real to me today. Ty wanted to treat me to a small goodie. When asked what I would like my first thought was immediately, "what would my little mooches enjoy nibbling off of the best?". Ty noticing that this simple question had put me into seemingly deep thought said, "What do YOU want. Don't even think about what the kids want. This is something special for YOU." My brain could NOT comprehend what he said! I tried to think harder. Something chocolate sounds good. No HQ can't have that. OH! Iced tea! No, Izzy wouldn't like that and HQ would want some since she LOVES Starbucks cups then she would be upset that it tasted horrible to her. Or worse, she'd like it and then I'd have myself one crazy caffeinated toddler. I suppose I could just enjoy it in the other room.. Nah, HQ would see right through that! I know many of my friends without kids would say, "Get what you want and use that as a lesson in disappointment". It hard to enjoy something when you have a toddler crying in your face because she wants some. Plus, I think a one year old would just think you're being mean and not actually learn anything from it.  

Granted this inner debate is a rather trivial example, but it seriously is everything! From obvious future events all the way down to having to go to the bathroom. I need to go to the bathroom. Where is the baby? Is he in a safe enough spot while I'm gone? Where is HQ? Will she poke him in the eye or try to feed him something and thereby causing him to choke while I am in the bathroom? Should I just bring the baby with me? Every time I go to the bathroom it's the same thing. 

Will it always be like this? I suppose one day I should be able to order an iced tea without having to think about it or go to the restroom in peace, but I can't imagine having thoughts that wouldn't impact/involve my children in some way. At least not right now. But hey, I like it that way. :) 

LA County Fair

We went to the LA County Fair today. It was set up through Hope as a field trip for the homeschool kids. That place is huge! HQ strutted around like she owned the place (which meant Ty got a ton of exercise chasing her around), Locke happily stayed strapped to me, and Izzy enjoyed the sights... until she got sick.

Feeling different types of wool.

Watching suckling piggies. I think baby pigs are absolutely adorable.
If they didn't turn into giant smelly monsters I would totally own one. 

Going through the hay "maze".
 The hay was less than a foot tall, so the kids all jumped from bale to bale instead. 

The kids were knocking each other over and being too crazy for little ones,
so an envious (but proud) little HQ watches her sister. 

My dad stealing the girls attention. 

Feeding the animals :D

BEES! See the uneasy look on her face? She seemed to think they were plotting against her.
Right after I took the photo she quickly turned around while smacking the back of her head.. just to make sure. 

HQ stopped at every single one of these after we giggled at her sticking her head through the first one.
What a ham. 

We didn't get a chance to hit up any rides. By lunch time Izzy had a melt down and I realized she HAD to be sick. That just wasn't Izzy. I should have noticed earlier when she didn't want the candy prizes she had won. When we got home I took her temp and sure enough she had a fever. Low, but a fever none the less. She spent the afternoon miserably resting. She was supposed to go over to SD's today for her weekend with him, but she begged to stay home. I don't blame her. Who doesn't want to be in their own bed when they don't feel good? Fortunately he said it was OK for her to stay here.

Resting at home.

I spent the evening lying next to her until she fell asleep. HQ didn't like seeing her sister hurt either. She would "sing" to her, "mooch" her, and stroke her hair (and of course accidentally poke her in the eye ultimately making things worse, but her heart was in the right place!). It's so weird to want so bad to take someone else's sickness for yourself.

Well, I'm tired, but I think I am going to go make out with my husband. :)

Soccer Mom

After a few months of really poor organization on AYSO's part Izzy finally got to start soccer. In the last few months of waiting Izzy has been eager to find out her team color and team name. Of course her top choice for color was pink. When told that she may not get that color she said she would settle "sparkles". To Izzy's great fortune we discovered today that her uniform was pink AND her team name is The Pink Unicorns. 

HQ in her big sister's tutu checks out the playing field. 

Right as practice started HQ thought she should go and inspect all the orange cones around the field. Ty decided to take he for a walk around the campus instead and thus avoiding HQ getting smacked in the face by a soccer ball.

Locke attacking Izzy's water.

Locke really enjoyed watching the boys practice on the other side of the field. Since the boys had more energy and noise they were much more exciting for a baby to watch. He cooed and giggled when the boys would shout, scream, and laugh.

The Pink Unicorns: A force to be reckoned with

While sitting on the side lines watching The Pink Unicorns practice I realized I didn't have much in common with the other mothers. They were all a bit older than me, beautiful, and completely manicured from their heads down to their perfect toes. Then there is me with my hair up in my messy bun (so no little fingers can rip out my hair) and my hot pink glitter pedicure complements of Izzy. These women lugged around pricey bags while I had my stained and overstuffed diaper bag. They whipped out their blackberries/iphones/ipads covered in swarovski crystals while exchanging info and here I am with my outdated phone fashionably covered in orange baby food, pink stuff, and sand. Their conversations were light and mostly about TV shows which is an area I have no knowledge in and therefore couldn't add anything. Not like Locke or HQ would have let me anyway! All but one had only one child and made it sound like even that was too much. Ty always regretfully tells me that I look like a "poor man's wife", but even when compared to all this I don't feel like one.

After soccer Ty, Locke, and I headed to a mandatory PTM at Hope in preparation for this new school year. Ty and I really enjoyed going. It's another way of reminding us why we choose to teach our kids at home. Plus I get to head up the nursery this year for Extra's day. Woohoo! Bring on the babies! :)

HQzilla

Izzy had a friend over this afternoon. This was the first time she had a friend over since we moved, so she was ready! The girls played hospital (almost all the babies had horrible sicknesses that could be cured by blood tests), went swimming, played dress up, salon/chef, and "jacuzzi".

Cannonball! 

Proudly showing off her bloody band aid.

They notice a dead bee and decide to be cautious. 

 While in the pool they played a plethora of imagination games. They tried to come up with the best "mermaid swim". It's so fun to watch how those little brains work and to think I was there once.

Poor little HQ didn't enjoy the day quite as much. She didn't get to go swimming and she was definitely not happy about being left out of the hospital game. Apparently the older girls didn't like it when a HQzilla broke into the hospital and covered the "patients" (dolls/stuffed animals) in lipgloss and glitter.
  

HQ watches the girls play in the pool from the balcony.

Playing salon/chef... yes salon/chef.

Debating the validity of spinach during dinner.

 The girls did not want the day to end, and were disappointed when pick up time came around. We had to promise there would be another play date (I have never liked the sound of "play date"... sounds too yuppie-ish, but what else works here?) in the near future.

Once Izzy's friend left HQ snuggled up on the couch as close as she could to her sister while I read to them. It was pretty darn adorable. All in all I'd say it was a pretty successful day.