happy friday!

i've got everything that i NE-EED, right it front of me!

i just downloaded pictures from my camera and they make me smile.
 as always-- enjoy the random pictures while i write about my cute little girls...

oh, it's a happy day isn't it?!

my little girls make me laugh.
little girls are SO fun.
they sing all day, they pretend, and they have tiny little voices that make them seem sweet even when they're sassy.
as they play i hear leah ask... "What's gonna work?"
if lily doesn't respond quickly she repeats-- "Lily!!  What's gonna work?!!"
then they break into Wonderpets... "Teamwork!  What's gonna work? Teamwork! Yay!!"
cute.

lily was full on sobbing the other day because she thought she was CRACKED.
(she was looking at the wrinkles on her knuckles.)

anna and ellie were in charge of saturday lunch- while we worked on furniture assembly in the basement.
{i downloaded about 20 pictures of this meal... my girls make me smile.}

and when i sent her into my closet to look at her face covered in fruit smoothie she came out full of tears because she thought she had "BUH-LUD"
blood brings tears with little girls.
leah ALWAYS has hundreds of band-aids on her body.
any scratch or hurt can be fixed with band-aids.

the kids took turns walking eve outside while we made a quick pot of chicken noodle soup for some sick friends on sunday afternoon...
eve fell asleep and they kept on walking...

they say things like, "see mom? i'm strong.  that's why daddy teached me."
and, "see mom?  i tricked you.  i CAN wipe my bottom."
leah just walked in from waving good bye to her sisters, she proudly announced,
"those kids REALLY love me.  they say good bye to me A LOT!!"
i love her.

once, while i was changing another polly pockets outfit, lily thanked me and then asked,
"does this make your paws hurt mom?"
she always tells me, "I need YOU to help me, because you're my favorite person."

leah just yelled, from eve's bedroom,
"Mom, Eve's AWAKE!  I just went to check her and her eyes opened!!"

anna used to say, "Mom, ELLIE WAKE!!"
and, anytime ellie smiled at her she'd exclaim, "See Mom!!  We a HAPPY FAMILY!!  Ellie LOVES me."
when ellie got old enough to talk.
Anna would say, "Mom! We a happy family, Ellie love me!"
and little, angelic looking Ellie would reply,
"No.  I not you best friend.  you stupid."
hah!

3.14.12-- jakob made Pi by himself to bring to school...
that's my boy!

i LOVE kid logic...
"please don't say MAYBE...  Cause maybe means no doesn't it?"

one of their FAVORITE games!
probably eve or daizie is in the basket with leah...
and, fyi, we are NOT a family where my girls always have their hair perfect.

and leah's ever urgent request for me to hurry up with her hair because she's going to be a rotten egg!!
or worse, a SLOW FOLK!!

sometimes, when it's nap time i threaten...
"hmmm.  who is taking so long to get into bed?  i think we may have some rotten eggs?!!"
they both jump into bed quickly to avoid the dreaded label.

eve's pretty sick... but still stylin!

last night i went to bed thinking...  as usual.
i was thinking about the stress that we bring into our own lives.
everybody has something they think they NEED to do--
organize their house-
run five miles-
cook all their meals from scratch-
teach their children to NEVER act like children, or never LOOK like children-
go into labor-
be skinnier-
etc., etc., etc.
and-- goals are good.
but sometimes, sometimes it is healthy to say to yourself...
DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
if your goal is making you MISERABLE is it a goal that you really WANT?
and sometimes, just asking yourself the question brings you back to reality.
Yes.  I love doing this.  because, it makes me happy.
and then you aren't stressed.
but if the answer is NO-- then, don't do it.
stay FAT if getting skinny is making you miserable.
let your soul delight in fatness.
stay messy if your quest for order is making you miserable.
because you don't have to be organized to be happy.
there are MANY, MANY great people who live in houses that could never be on a magazine.
and, they are HAPPY.
that's not me.
i LOVE a clean home.
it makes me happy.
and today, my little girls packed lunches (hopefully they haven't eaten them all as i've been typing this blog)
i'm going to bundle them up and send them out back for a picnic while i organize the heck out of my TOYS in the basement.
and, i'm SO EXCITED to do it.
and maybe, my baby will need me to hold her all day and i won't organize a thing.
i will love that too!
honestly.

MEN ARE THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE JOY!!
i hope you find joy today.
whatever you're doing.
and, if you have a long list of un-joyful tasks... try NOT doing them.
see if they wait for you.
Let what you LOVE be what you DO!!
i LOVE being home with my family.
i LOVE it.

life is good.
i hope you have sunshine today!!