Call Me Linus

It was a good day, and this mama needed a good day! I didn't get that shower I really wanted {really needed} this morning, but I'm off to do that as soon as I finish this post. Sadly, I don't have any pictures from today, but I'll insert some from days gone by.

We are all doing fine, but we have a lot going on. I am definitely feeling the stress of all of the transitions and uncertainty. Unfortunately, many of my own tears have been shed over the past few weeks. As I shared with Stephen's teacher and another mother yesterday, poor Frank gets the brunt of my stress and for that I am sorry.
Back to our day...After a battle with Mary Frances over clothes, she was deposited at school {with a smile on her face} and the boys and I set out to make lasagna and cookies. I was hopeful to get those tasks completed before taking Stephen to school at 10:00. It almost happened! Stephen opened and "chopped" Skor bars while I worked on the lasagna and then Walker and I put together the cookie batter. Yes, it took Stephen a while, and I still threw his crumbs into the food processor to quickly finish the process.

By 11:00 there were two lasagnas in the refrigerator, the cookies were cool and put away, the kitchen was clean and the dishwasher running so that Walker could be fed and put down for a nap at the other house. I wanted to spend his nap packing boxes to be put in storage. I was successful in getting Mary Frances and Stephen's room completely empty. Yeah!

On with our day...The next stop was St. Luke's to help with carpool and pick up Stephen. Then back to the house to give the boys one of the cookies they helped make and to grab the extra lasagna and accoutrements for our new minister's family. {They just welcomed their third precious child into their family.} Now to big school carpool to retrieve big sister and a friend who we were taking to a birthday party at the zoo. We delivered dinner and spent the remainder of this glorious fall afternoon playing with friends at the Tot Lot.
I got home with two tired, hungry, and filthy boys. Fortunately I was able to hold them off on all accounts until Mary Frances arrived home from the birthday party and Frank and his dad arrived home for work.

You know the Peanuts character who always had his blanket...well I think I have a new nickname for my baby. We came home from a long full day late this afternoon and he immediately went to the crib to find his blanket. He curled up on the den floor with his blanket and his thumb in his mouth just to chill. Mind you there was no t.v. playing, no music ~ just Walker and his blanket. After a bit he decided he wanted to go outside to play with Stephen. His mean mommy wouldn't take his blanket outside so he opted to stay inside. I told him he was welcome to go outside but the blanket had to stay inside. I took it and put it on the counter. He pitched a fit! I then told him he was welcome to have the blanket but inside. He asked for it back and went back to the spot on the floor. A couple of minutes later, he came to me, handed me the blanket and pointed to the door. Wow! He got it! I was floored...my baby, let's call him Linus, is growing up.